*    APR   7    1904      * 


Division  fiS  \R  b) 
Section -^-W  54 


THE     MODERN     SPEECH     NEW 
TESTAMENT 


The  Modern  Speech  New 
Testament 


AN  IDIOMATIC  TRANSLATION  INTO  EVERY- 
DAY   ENGLISH    FROM    THE    TEXT    OF 
"THE    RESULTANT    GREEK 
TESTAMENT  " 


BY     THE     LATE 

RICHARD    FRANCIS    WEYMOUTH 

M.A.,  D.LIT. 

FELLOW   OF   UNIVERSITY   COLLEGE,   LONDON,   AND   FORMERLY    HEADMASTEI 

OF   MILL    HILL  SCHOOL,   EDITOR  OF   "  THE    RESULTANT 

GREEK  testament" 

EDITED     AND      PARTLY     REVISED      BY 

ERNEST    HAMPDEN-COOK,    MA. 

FORMERLY    EXHIBITIONER   AND    PRIZEMAN   OF 

ST.  John's  college,   Cambridge 


NEW    YORK 
THE    BAKER    AND    TAYLOR    CO. 

33-37  EAST  SEVENTEENTH  STREET 


Butler  &  Tanner, 

The  selwood  Printing  Works, 

Frome,  and  London. 


CRITICISMS  OF  THIS  TRANSLATION,    AND  SUGGESTIONS  WITH 
REGARD   TO   FUTURE    EDITIONS,    WILL    BE   WELCOMED 
IF  ADDRESSED  TO  THE  EDITOR,  MR.  E.  HAMPDEX- 
COOK,  SANDBACH,  CHESHIRE,  ENGLAND. 


ABBREVIATIONS  USED   IN  THE  NOTES 

Aorist.  Dr.  Weymouth's  Pamphlet  on  the  Rendering  of  the  Greek 
Aorist  and  Perfect  Tenses  into  English. 

A.v.    Authorised  Enj^lish  Version,  l6ii. 

Cp.      Compare. 

I.E.     That  is. 

Lit.      Literally. 

LXX.  The  Septuagint  (Greek)  Version  of  the  Old  Testament. 

n.       Note. 

nn.      Notes. 

N.T.    New  Testament. 

O.T.    Old  Testament. 

K.v.    Revised  English  Version,  1881-85. 

S.  H.  Sanday  and  Headlam's  Commentary  on  '  Romans.^ 

v.L.  Varia  Lectio.  An  alternative  reading  found  in  some  Manu- 
scripts of  the  New  Testament. 


In  accordance  with  modern  English  custom,  ITALICS  are  used  to 

indicate  emphasis. 
Old  Testament  quotations  are  printed  in  small  capitals. 


vU 


PREFACE 


nPHE  Translation  of  the    New  Testament  l.ere    offered   to 
-*■       English-speaking  Christians   is  a   bona   fide  translation 
made  directly  from  the  Greek,  and  is  in  no  sense  a  revision. 
The  plan  adopted  has  been  the  following. 

1.  An  earnest  endeavour  has  been  made  (based  upon  more 
than  sixty  years'  study  of  both  the  Greek  and  English  lan- 
guages, besides  much  further  familiarity  gained  by  continual 
teaching)  to  ascertain  the  exact  meaning  of  every  passage  not 
only  by  the  light  that  classical  Greek  throws  on  the  language 
used,  but  also  by  that  which  the  Septuagint  and  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  afford  ;  aid  being  sought  too  from  Versions  and 
Commentators  ancient  and  modern,  and  from  the  ample  et 
cetera  of  apparatus  graininaticus  and  theological  and  classical 
reviews  and  magazines — or  rather,  by  means  of  occasional  ex- 
cursions into  this  vast  prairie. 

2.  The  sense  thus  seeming  to   have   been  ascertained,   the 
next  step  has  been  to  consider  how  it  could  be  most  accurately 
and  naturally  exhibited  in  the  English  of  the  present  day  ;  in  \ 
other  words,  how  we  can  with  some  approach  to  probability  'i 
suppose  that  the  inspired  writer  himself  would  have  expressed   | 
his  thoughts,  had  he  been  writing  in  our  age  and  country.^  ; 

3.  Lastly  it  has  been  evidently  desirable  to  compare  the  re- 
sults thus  attained  with  the  renderings  of  other  scholars,  especi- 
ally of  course  with  the  Authorized  and  Revised  Versions.  But 
alas,  the  great  majority  of  even  "  new  translations,"  so  called, 
are,  in  reality,  only  Tyndale's  immortal  work  a  little — often 
very  little — modernized  ! 

4.  But  in  the  endeavour  to  find  in  Twentieth  Century  English 
a  precise  equivalent  for  a  Gretk  word,  phrase,  or  sentence  there 

'  I  am  aware  of  what  Professor  Blackie  has  written  on  thi-*  subject  {Aeschy/us 
Pref.,  p.  viii.)  ;  tut  the  problem  endeavoured  to  be  solved  in  this  'I'rans'ation  is  as 
above  stated. 


X  PREFACE 

are  two  dangers  to  be  guarded  against.  There  are  a  Scylla 
and  a  Charybdis.  On  the  one  hand  there  is  the  Enghsh  of 
Society,  on  the  other  hand  that  of  the  utterly  uneducated,  each 
of  these  patois  having  also  its  own  special,  though  expressive, 
borderland  which  we  name  *  slang.'  But  all  these  salient  angles 
(as  a  professor  of  fortification  might  say)  of  our  language  are 
forbidden  ground  to  the  reverent  translator  of  Holy  Scripture. 

5.  But  again,  a  modem  translation — does  this  imply  that  no 
words  or  phrases  in  any  degree  antiquated  are  to  be  admitted? 
Not  so,  for  great  numbers  of  such  words  and  phrases  are  still 
in  constant  use.  To  be  antiquated  is  not  the  same  thing  as  to 
be  obsolete  or  even  obsolescent,  and  without  at  least  a  tinge  of 
antiquity  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  there  should  be  that  dignity 
of  style  that  befits  the  sacred  themes  with  which  the  Evangelists 
and  Apostles  deal. 

6.  It  is  i)lain  that  this  attempt  to  bring  out  the  sense  of  the 
Sacred  Writings  naturally  as  well  as  accurately  in  present-day 
English  does  not  permit,  except  to  a  limited  extent,  the  method 
of  literal  rendering — the  verbo  verbiim  reddere  at  which  Horace 
shrugs  his  shoulders.  Dr.  Welldon,  recently  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta, in  the  Preface  (p.  vii.)  to  his  masterly  translation  of  the 
Niconiachean  Ethics  of  Aristotle,  writes,  *'  I  have  deliberately 
rejected  the  principle  of  trying  to  translate  the  same  Greek 
word  by  the  same  word  in  English,  and  where  circumstances 
seemed  to  call  for  it  I  have  sometimes  used  two  English  words 
to  represent  one  word  of  the  Greek  ;  " — and  he  is  perfectly 
right.  With  a  slavish  literality  delicate  shades  of  meaning 
cannot  be  reproduced,  nor  allowance  be  made  for  the  influence 
of  interwoven  thought,  or  of  the  writer's  ever  shifting — not  to 
say  changing — point  of  view.  An  utterly  ignorant  or  utterly 
lazy  man,  if  possessed  of  a  little  ingenuit}',  can  with  the  help 
of  a  dictionary  and  grammar  give  a  word-for-word  rendering, 
whether  intelligible  or  not,  and  print  '  Translation '  on  his  title- 
page.  On  the  other  hand  it  is  a  melancholy  spectacle  to  see 
men  of  higii  ability  and  undoubted  scholarship  toil  and  struggle 
at  translation  under  a  needless  restriction  to  literality,  as  in 
intellectual  handcuffs  and  fetters,  when  they  might  with  advan- 
tage snap  the  bonds  and  fling  them  away,  as  Dr.  Welldon  has 
done  :  more  melancholy  still,  if  they  are  at  the  same  time 
racking  their  brains  to  exhibit  the  result  of  their  labours — a 
splendid  but  idle  philological  tour  de  force— \n  what  was  English 
nearly  300  years  before. 


PREFACE  xi 

7.  Obviously  any  literal  translation  cannot  but  carry  /dioms  of 
the  earlier  language  into  tlie  later,  where  they  will  very  prob- 
ably not  be  understood  ;  *  and  more  serious  still  is  the  evil 
when,  as  in  the  Jewish  Greek  of  the  N.T.,  the  earlier  language 
of  the  two  is  itself  composite  and  abounds  in  forms  of  speech 
that  belong  to  one  earlier  still.  For  the  N.T.  Greek,  even  in 
the  writings  of  Luke,  contains  a  large  number  of  Hebrew 
idioms  ;  and  a  literal  rendering  into  English  cannot  but  parti- 
ally veil,  and  in  some  degree  distort,  the  true  sense,  even  if  it 
does  not  totally  obscure  it  (and  that  too  where  perfect  clearness 
should  be  attained,  if  possible),  by  this  admixture  of  Hebrew  as 
well  as  Greek  forms  of  expression. 

8.  It  follows  that  the  reader  who  is  bent  upon  getting  a  literal 
rendering,  such  as  he  can  commonly  find  in  the  R.V.  or  (often 
a  better  one)  in  Darby's  New  Testament^  should  always  be  on 
his  guard  against  its  strong  tendency  to  mislead. 

9.  One  point  however  can  hardly  be  too  emphatically  stated. 
It  is  not  the  present  Translaior's  ambition  to  supplant  the  Ver- 
sions already  in  general  use,  to  which  their  intrinsic  merit  or 
long  familiarity  or  both  have  caused  all  Christian  minds  so 
lovingly  to  cling.  His  desire  has  rather  been  to  furnish  a 
succinct  and  compressed  running  commentary  (not  doctrinal) 
to  be  used  side  by  side  with  its  elder  compeers.  And  yet  there 
has  been  something  of  a  remoter  hope.  It  can  scarcely  be 
doubted  that  some  day  the  attempt  will  be  renewed  to  produce 
a  satisfactory  English  Bible— one  in  some  respects  perhaps 
(but  assuredly  with  great  and  important  deviations)  on  the  lines 
of  the  Revision  of  1S81,  or  even  altogether  to  supersede  both 
the  A.V.  and  the  R.V.  ;  and  it  may  be  that  the  Translation  here 
offered  will  contribute  some  materials  that  may  be  built  into 
that  far  grander  edifice. 

10.  The  Greek  Text  here  followed  is  that  given  in  the 
Translator's  Resultant  Greek  Testajnent,  concerning  which  the 
reader  will  find  information  in  a  somewhat  full  notice  at  the 
end  of  this  volume. 

11.  Of  the  Various  Readings  only  those  are  here  given 
which  seem  the  most  important,  and  which  atlect  the  rendering 
inio  English.  They  are  in  the  footnotes,  with  V.L.  \varia  lectio) 
prefixed.     As  to  the  chief  modern  critical  editions  full  details 

1  A  flagrant  instance  is  tlie  "  having  ill  a  readiness  "  of  2  Cor.  x.  6,  A.V..  although 
in  Tyndale  we  find  "and  are  redy  to  take  vengeaunce,"  and  even  Wiclif  writes 
"and  we  lian  redi  to  veiige." 


xii  PREFACE 

will  be  found  in  the  Resultant  Greek  Testament^  while  for  the 
original  ■A.\x\\iOx\\\Q.s> — MSS.,  Versions,  Patristic  quotations — the 
reader  must  of  necessity  consult  the  great  works  of  Lachmann, 
Tregelles,  Tischendorf,  and  others,  or  the  numerous  mono- 
graphs on  separate  Books. ^  In  the  margin  of  the  R.V.  a 
distinction  is  made  between  readings  supported  by  "a  few 
ancient  authorities,"  "some  ancient  authorities,"  "many  ancient 
authorities,"  and  so  on.  Such  valuation  is  not  attempted  in 
this  work. 

12.  Considerable  pains  have  been  bestowed  on  the  exact  ren- 
dering of  the  tenses  of  the  Greek  verb  ;  for  by  inexactness  in 
this  detail  the  true  sense  cannot  but  be  missed.  That  the 
Greek  tenses  do  not  coincide,  and  cannot  be  expected  to 
coincide  with  those  of  the  English  verb  ;  that — except  in 
narrative — the  aorist  as  a  rule  is  more  exactly  represented  in 
English  by  our  perfect  with  "  have  "  than  by  our  simple  past 
tense  ;  and  that  in  this  particular  the  A.V.  is  in  scores  of 
instances  more  correct  than  the  R.V.  ;  the  present  Translator 
has  contended  (with  arguments  which  some  of  the  best  scholars 
in  Britain  and  in  America  hold  to  be  "unanswerable"  and 
'•  indisputable")  in  a  pamphlet''*  On  the  Rendering  into  English 
of  the  Greek  Aorist  and  Perfect^  as  to  which  once  more  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  end  of  the  volume.  Even  an  outline 
of  the  argument  cannot  be  given  in  a  Preface  such  as  this. 

13,  But  he  who  would  make  a  truly  English  translation 
of  a  foreign  book  must  not  only  select  the  right  nouns, 
adjectives,  and  verbs,  insert  the  suitable  prepositions  and 
auxiliaries,  and  triumph  (if  he  can)  over  the  seductions  and 
blandishments  of  idioms  with  which  he  has  been  familiar 
from  his  infancy,  but  which,  though  forcible  or  b.^autiful  with 
other  surroundings,  are  for  all  that  part  and  parcel  of  that 
other  language  rather  than  of  English  :  he  has  also  to  beware 
of  connecting  his  sentences  in  an  un-English  fashion. 

Now  a  careful  examination  of  a  number  of  authors  (including 
Scoitish,  Irish,  and  American)  yields  some  interesting  results. 
Taking  at  haphazard  a  passage  from  each  of  fifty-six  authors, 
and  counting  on  after  some  full  stop  till  fifty  finite  verbs — i.e. 

^  Such  as  McClellan's  Four  Gospels  ;  Westcott  on  John's  Gospel,  John's  Epistles, 
and  Hebreivs  ;  Hackett  on  Acts  ;  Lightfoot,  and  also  Ellicott,  on  various  Epistles  ; 
Mayor  o\\  James  ;  Edwards  on  i  Corinthians  and  Hebreivs  ;  Sanday  and  Headlam 
on  Romans.  Add  to  these  Scrivener's  very  valuable  Introduction  to  the  Criticism 
oj  the  N.  T. 

2  Published  by  Messrs.  Houlston  &  Sons,  London.     Price  u.  nett. 


PREFACE  xiii 

verbs  in  the  indicative,  imperative,  or  subjunctive  mood — 
have  been  reached  (each  finite  verb,  as  every  schoolboy  knows, 
being  the  nucleus  of  one  sentence  or  clause),  it  has  been 
found  that  the  connecting  links  of  the  fifty-six  times  fifty 
sentences  are  about  one  third  conjunctions,  about  one-third 
adverbs  or  relative  and  interrogative  pronouns,  while  in  the 
case  of  the  remaining  third  there  is  what  the  grammarians 
call  an  asyndeton — no  formal  grammatical  connexion  at  all. 
But  in  the  writers  of  the  N.T.  nearly  /w^-thirds  of  the  con- 
necting links  are  conjunctions.  It  follows  that  in  order  to 
make  the  style  of  a  translation  true  idiomatic  English  many 
of  these  conjunctions  must  be  omitted,  and  for  others. adverbs, 
etc.,  must  be  substituted. 

The  two  conjunctions /<?r  and  therefore  are  discussed  at  some 
length  in  two  Appendices  to  the  above-mentioned  pamphlet  on 
the  Aorist,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

14.  The  Notes,  with  but  few  exceptions,  are  not  of  the 
nature  of  a  general  commentary.  Some,  as  already  intimated, 
refer  to  the  readings  here  followed,  but  the  great  majority 
are  in  vindication  or  explanation  of  the  renderings  given. 

Since  the  completion  of  this  new  version  nearly  two  years 
ago,  ill-health  has  incapacitated  the  Translator  from  undertaking 
even  the  lightest  work.  He  has  therefore  been  obliged  to 
entrust  to  other  hands  the  labour  of  critically  examining  and 
revising  the  manuscript  and  of  seeing  it  through  the  press. 
This  arduous  task  has  been  undertaken  by  Rev.  Ernest  Hamp- 
den-Cook, M.A.,  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  of  Sandbach, 
Cheshire,  with  some  co-operation  from  one  of  the  Translator's 
sons  ;  and  the  Translator  is  under  deep  obligations  to  these 
two  gentlemen  for  their  kindness  in  the  matter.  He  has  also 
most  cordially  to  thank  Mr.  Hampden-Cook  for  making  the 
existence  of  the  work  known  to  various  members  of  the  Old 
MILLHILLIANS'  Club  and  other  former  pupils  of  the  Translato*-, 
who  in  a  truly  substantial  manner  have  manifested  a  generous 
determination  to  enable  the  volume  to  see  the  light.  Very 
grateful  does  the  Translator  feel  to  them  for  this  signal  mark 
of  their  friendship. 

Mr.  Hampden-Cook  is  responsible  for  the  headings  of  the 
paragraphs,  and  at  my  express  desire  has  inserted  some  addi- 
tional notes. 

I  have  further  to  express  my  gratitude  to  Rev.  Frank  Ballard, 
M.A.,  B.Sc,  Lond.,  at  present  of  Sharrow,  Sheffield,  for  some 


xiv  PREFACE 

very  valuable  assistance  which  he  has  most  kindly  given  in 
connexion  v/ith  the  Introductions  ro  the  several  books. 

I  "have  also  the  pleasure  of  acknowledging  the  numerous 
valuable  and  suggestive  criticisms  with  which  I  have  been 
favoured  on  some  parts  of  the  work,  by  an  old  friend,  Rev. 
Sydney  Thelwall,  B.A.,  of  Leamington,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,  whom  I  have  known  for  many  years  as  a 
painstaking  and  accurate  scholar,  a  well-read  theologian,  and  a 
thoughtful  and  devout  student  of  Scripture. 

I  am  very  thankful  to  Mr.  H.  L.  Gethin,  Mr.  S.  Hales,  Mr. 
J.  A.  Latham,  and  Rev.  T.  A.  Seed,  for  the  care  with  which 
they  have  read  the  proof  sheets. 

And  now  this  translation  is  humbly  and  prayerfully  com- 
mended to  God's  gracious  blessing. 

R.  F.  W. 

Brentwood,  Essex, 
England. 

July  1902. 


THE    BOOKS    OF    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT 

The  probable  order  of  time  in  vvhicli  they  were  written. 

Paul's  First  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians  (53  a.d.)    .     495 
Paul's    Second  Letter  to  the  Thessalonians  (54  a.d.)     505 


Pall's  Letter  to  the  Galatians  (53  a.d.)       .        ,        .  447 

Paul's  First  Letter  to  the  Corinthians  (56  a.d.)        .  3S7 

Paul's  Second  Letter  to  the  Corinthians  (56  a.d.)    .  423 
Paul's    Letter   to   the  Romans  (between    53  and    5S, 

A-D.) 349 


Paul's  Letter  to  the  Philippians  (61  or  62,  a.d.),  .  475 

Paul's  Letter  to  the  Ephesians  (62  or  63,  a.d.)  .  .  461 

Paul's  Letter  to  the  Colossians  (63  a.d.)      .        .  .  4S5 

Paul's  Letter  to  Philemon  (63  a.d.)        .        .        .  .  537 


The   Good    News    as    recorded   by    ^LA.RK   (between  6^ 

and  70,  a.d. j S3 

The  Good  News  as  recorded  by   Luke  (63,  80  or  100, 

A.D.) 129 

The  Acts  of   the  Apostles   (between  66  and  70,  a.d., 

or    between    80   AND   90,    A.D.) 269 


Paul's  First  Letter  to  Timothy  {66  a.d.)  .  ,  .511 
Paul's  Second  Letter  to  Timothy'  (67  a.d.)  .  ,  .  523 
Paul's  Leiter  to  Titus  (67  a.d.) 531 


xvi     THE   BOOKS  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 


PAGE 


The  Letter  to  the  Hebrews  (67  or  68,  a.d.)          .  .  541 

James's  Letter  (67  a.d.,  or  betweex  44  and  50,  a.d.)  .  571 

Peter's  First  Letter •  .        .  .  583 

John's  First  Letter :  .  605 

The  Revelation  of  John  (67  a.d.,  or  96  a.d.)        .  .  631 


The  Good  News    as    REcoRi)ED  by  Matthew  (between 

70  a.d.    and  90  A.D.)   .           .           .           .           .           .           .  I 

The  Good  News  as  recorded  by  John  (between  80  a.d. 

AND  no  A.D.)       ........  237 

Jude's  Leiter 625 

Peter's  Second  Letter •  595 

John's  Second  Leiter 617 

John's  Third  Letter .621 


THE   GOOD   NEWS   AS   RECORDED 
BY    MATTHEW 


There  are  ample  reasons  for  accepting  the  uniform  tradition 
which  from  the  earliest  times  has  ascribed  this  Gospel  to  Levi 
the  son  of  Alphaeus,  who  seems  to  have  changed  his  name  to 
'  Matthew  '  on  becoming  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  Our  infoimation 
as  to  his  subsequent  life  is  very  scanty.  After  the  feast  which 
he  made  for  his  old  friends  (Luke  v.  29)  his  name  only  appears 
in  the  New  Testament  in  the  list  of  the  twelve  apostles.  Early 
Christian  writers  add  httle  to  our  knowledge  of  him,  but  his 
life  seems  to  have  been  quiet  and  somewhat  ascetic.  He  is 
also  generally  represented  as  having  died  a  natural  death. 
Wbere  his  Gospel  was  written,  or  where  he  himself  laboured, 
we  cannot  say.  Not  a  little  controversy  has  arisen  as  to  the 
form  in  which  his  Gospel  first  appeared,  that  is,  as  to  whether 
we  have  in  the  Greek  MSS.  an  original  document  or  a  trans- 
lation from  an  earlier  Aramaic  writing.  Modern  scholarship 
inclines  to  the  view  that  the  book  is  not  a  translation,  but  was 
probably  written  in  Greek  by  Matthew  himself,  upon  the  basis 
of  a  previously  issued  collection  of  "Logia"  or  discourses,  to 
the  existence  of  which  Jerome,  Eusebius,  Origen,  Pantaenus, 
Irenaeus  and  Papias  all  testify.  The  date  of  the  Gospel,  as  we 
know  it,  is  somewhat  uncertain,  but  the  best  critical  estimates 
are  included  between  70  and  90,  A.D.  Perhaps,  with  Harnack, 
we  may  best  adopt  75,  A.D.  The  book  was  evidently  intended 
for  Jewish  converts,  and  exhibits  Jesus  as  the  God-appointed 
Messiah  and  King,  the  fulfiller  of  the  Law  and  of  the  highest 
expectations  of  the  Jewish  nation.  This  speciality  of  aim 
rather  enhances  than  diminishes  its  general  value.  Renan 
found  reason  for  pronouncing  it  "the  most  important  book  of 
Christendom — the  most  important  book  which  has  ever  been 
written."  Its  aim  is  manifestly  didactic  rather  than  chrono- 
logical. 


THE    GOOD    NEWS    AS     RECORDED 
BY    MATTHEW 

The  Names       ^^^  Genealogy  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  David,     i 

of  Christ's    the  son  of  Abraham. 

Abraham  was  the  father  of  Isaac  ;  Isaac  of  Jacob  ;  2 
Jacob  of  Judah  and  his  brothers.  Judah  was  the  father  (by  3 
Tamar)  of  Perez  and  Zerah  ;  Perez  of  Hezron  ;  Hezron  of  Ram  ; 
Ram  of  Amminadab  ;  Amminadab  of  Nahshon  ;  Nahshon  of  4 
Salmon  ;  Salmon  (by  Rahab)  of  Boaz  ;  Boaz  (by  Ruth)  of  Obed  ;  5 
Obed  of  Jesse  ;  Jesse  of  David — the  King.  6 

David   (by    Uriah's   widow)   was    the    father    of    Solomon  ; 
Solomon  of  Rehoboam  ;  Rehoboam  of  Abijah  ;  Abijah  of  Asa  ;     7 
Asa  of  Jehoshaphat  ;    Jehoshaphat   of  Jehoram  ;  Jehoram    of    8 
Uzziah  ;  Uzziah  of  Jotham  ;  Jotham  of  Ahaz  ;  Ahaz  of  Heze-     9 
kiah  ;  Hezekiah  of  Manasseh  ;  Manasseh   of  Amon  ;  Amon  of     10 
Josiah  ;  Josiah  of  Jeconiah  and  his  brothers  at  the  period  of  the     1 1 
Removal  to  Babylon. 

After  the  Removal  to  Babylon  Jeconiah  had  a  son  Shealtiel  ;  12 
Shealtiel  was  the  father  of  Zerubbabel ;  Zerubbabel  of  Abiud  ;  13 
AbiuJ  of  Eliakim  ;  Eliakim  of  Azor  ;  Azor  of  Zadok  ;  Zadok  of  14 
Achim ;  Achim  of  Eliud ;  Eliud  of  Eleazar ;  Eleazar  of  15 
Alatthan  ;  Matthan  of  Jacob  ;  and  Jacob  of  Joseph  the  16 
husband  of  Mary,  who  was  the  mother  of  JESUS  who  is 
called  CHRIST. 

There  are  therefore,  in  all,  fourteen  generations  from  Abra-     17 
ham   to    David  ;    fourteen   from    David    to    the    Removal    to 
Babylon  ;  and  fourteen  from  the  Removal   to  Babylon  to  the 
Christ. 

Both  the  A.V.  and  the  R.V.  head  this  first  chapter,  The  Gospel  according  to  St. 
Matthew,  a  mistranslation  of  the  heading  found  in  the  mass  of  later  MSS.,  which 
should  be  rendered  The  Holy  Goscel  according  to  Matthew.  And  so  in  the 
other  three  Gospels. 

1-17.  Cp.  Luke  iii.  23-38. 

I  Genealogy\  Lit.  '  Book  of  Generation.'  Grit  may  be  rendered  '  history '(and 
so  B.ixter),  as  also  may  the  corresponding  expression  in  the  Hebrew  of  Gen.  ii.  4  ; 
xxxvii.  2. 

3.  Perez\  Of  this  and  other  Old  Testament  proper  names  the  forms  here  given  are 
those  which  were  adopted  by  the  O.T.  Revisers, 

3 


4  MATTHEW   I.-II. 

The  circumstances  of  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ     i8 

of  jSu?     ^^^^®  these.     After  his  mother  Mary  was  betrothed 

to  Joseph,  before  they  were  united  in  marriage,  she 

was  found  to    be  with  child  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     But  Joseph     19 

her  husband,  being  a  kind-hearted  man  and  unwilling  publicly 

to  disgrace  her,  had  determined  to  release  her  privately  from 

the  betrothal.     But  while  he  was  contemplating  this  step,  an     20 

angel   of  the   Lord  appeared  to   him  in   a   dream   and   said, 

"Joseph,  son  of  David,  do  not  be  afraid  to  bring  home  your 

wife  Mary,  for  she  is  with  child  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     She  will     21 

give  birth  to  a  Son,  and  you  are  to  call  His  name  JESUS,  for 

He  it  is  who  will  save  His  People  from  their  sins."     All  this     22 

took  place  in  fulfilment  of  what  the  Lord  had  spoken  by  the 

Prophet, 

"Mark!  the  maiden  will  be  with  child  and  will    23 

give  birth  to  a  son, 

And  they  will  call  His  name  Immanu-el"  (Isa.  vii. 

14)— a  word  which  signifies  '  GOD  WITH  US'  (Isa.  viii.  8,  10). 

When  Joseph   awoke,  he  did  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord   had     24 

commanded,  and  brought  home  his  wife,  but  did  not  live  with     25 

her  until  she  had  given  birth  to  a  son.     The  child's  name  he 

called  JESUS. 

-r.-   „•  -x         Now  after  the  birth  of  Jesus,  which  took  place  at     i   t 
The  Visit  ,  .      •',  '.  ,   -.^.       ^-.         ,  4 

of  the       Bethlehem  m  Judaea  m  the  reign  of  King  Herod, 

Magians.     excitement  was  produced  in  Jerusalem  by  the  arrival 

18.  Of  Jesus  Chrisi\  v.L.  'of  the  Christ.'     Cp.  verse  i6. 

19.  Kind-hearied]  See  Hatch's  Essays  in  Biblical  Greek,  y.  51.  Or  the  clause 
may  be  rendered  '  being  an  upright  man,  and  yet  not  wishing  ; '  for  '  and  '  in 
Hebrew  (and  the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament  abounds  in  Hebraisms)  often  connects 
adversative  clauses  where  we  use  '  but,'  as  in  Gen.  ii.  17  ;  xvii.  21.  See  also  Aorisf, 
pp.  54,  55. 

20.  IVas  contetnplating\  Lit.  '  had  conceived  in  his  mind.' 

21.  Jesus\  The  Greek  form  of  '  Joshua,'  which  latter  (like  '  Joram'  2  Kings  ix.  14 
for  '  Jehoram '  2  Kings  ix.  i.s  ;  '  Joash '  2  Kings  xii.  20,  for  '  Jehoash  '  2  Kings  xii.  i ; 
and  'Jonathan '  most  commonly  for  the  '  Jehonathan'  which  we  find  in  the  Hebrew 
in  I  Sam.)  is  contracted  from  '  Jehoshua,'  or  rather  '  Yehoshua.'  In  the  Hebrew  of 
the  O.T.  only  the  uncontracted  form  occurs,  and  (in  i  and  2  Chron.,  Ezra,  and  Neh.) 
the  contracted  but  altered  '  Jeshua,'  which  already  approaches  the  later  'Jesus.' 
"The  full  significance  of  the  name  'Jesus  '  is  seen  in  the  original  '  Yeho  shua,'  which 
means  '  Jehovah  the  Saviour,'  and  not  merely  '  Saviour,'  as  the  word  is  commonly 
explained.     See  also  ix.  21,  n.  ;  xxi.  9,  n. 

22.  Took  placed  The  tense  of  this  verb  in  the  Greek  implies—'  and  remams,  as  it  is, 
an  accomplished  fact.'  Or  it  may  be  taken  (Lightfoot)  as  'is  come  to  pass '  or 
'has  taken  place,'  the  perfect  tense  being  accounted  for  by  the  Evangelist's 
proximity  in  time  to  the  events  themselves.  Fulfilment^  Or  'illustration.'  Cp. 
ii.  15.     By\  Or 'through.' 

25.  A  son^  v.L.  'her  firstborn  son,'  an  expression  apparently  transferred  by 
the  carelessness  of  copyists,  trusting  too  much  to  memory,  from  Luke  ii.  7,  where 
the  words  undoubtedly  occur. 

I.  In  the  rei^ti\  Lit.  'in  the  days.'  A  Hebraism.  Excitetnent  dr'c]  Lit.  '  lo ! 
there  came.'  See  viii.  24,  n.  ;  xii.  18,  n.  Magians\  A  priestly  caste  among  the 
Persians,  not  idolaters. 


MATTHEW   II.  5 

of  certain  Magians  from  the  east,  inquiring,  "  Where  is  the  newly     2 
born  king  of  the  Jews  ?     For  we  have  seen  his  Star  in  the  east, 
and  have  come  here  to  do  him  homage."     Reports  of  this  soon     3 
reached  the  king,  and  greatly  agitated  not  only  him  but  all  the 
people  of  Jerusalem.     So  he  assembled  all  the  High  Priests  and     4 
Scribes  of  the  people,  and  anxiously  asked    them    where    the 
Christ   was   to   be   born.     They   replied,    ''  At    Bethlehem    in     5 
Judaea,  for  so  it  stands  written  in  the  words  of  the  Prophet, 
'And  thou,  Bethlehem  in  the  land  of  Judah  !  6 

By  no  means  the  least  honourable  art  thou  among 

the  princes  of  Judah  ; 
For  from  thee  shall  come  a  Prince — 
One  who   shall  be  the   Shepherd   of   My   People 
Israel'"  (Mic  v.  2). 
Thereupon  Herod  sent  privately  for  the  Magians  and  ascer-     7 
tained  from  them  the  exact  time  of  the  star's  appearing.     He  then     8 
directed  them  to  go  to  Bethlehem,  adding,  "  Go  and  make  care- 
ful inquiry  about  the  child,  and  when  you  have  found  him,  bring 
me  word,  that  I  too  may  come  and  do  him  homage."     After     9 
this  interview  they  went  to  Bethlehem,  while,  strange  to  say,  the 
star  they  had  seen  in  the  east  led  them  on  until  it  came  and 
stood  over  the  place  where  the  babe  was.     When  they  saw  the     10 
star,  the  sight  filled  them  with  intense  joy.     So  they  entered     11 
the  house  ;  and  when  they  saw  the  babe  with  His  mother  Mary, 
they  prostrated  themselves  and  did  Him  homage,  and  opening 
their  treasure-chests  offered  gifts  to  Him — gold,  frankincense, 
and  myrrh.     But  being  forbidden  by  God  in  a  dream  to  return     12 
to  Herod,  they  went  back  to  their  own  country  by  a  different 
route. 

When  they  were  gone,  an  angel   of  the  Lord  appeared  to     13 


4.  High  Priests]  See  the  Commentators.  It  is  the  same  Greek  word  which  both 
in  the  A.V.  and  the  R.V.  is  sometimes  rendered  '  High  Priest,'  sometimes  '  Chief 
Priest.'  Anxiously  asked]  The  tense  (imperfect)  in  the  original  implies  that  he 
asked  repeatedly,  pressed  the  inquiry. 

6.  Bethlehem  in  the  laml  of  Judah]  Lit.  '  Bethlehem-land-Judah,'  a  Hebraism 
analogous  _  to  '  Jabesh-Gilead,'  i.e.  '  Jabesh  of  (or  'in')  'Gilead,'  '  Kedesh- 
Naphtali,' i.e.  '  Kedesh  of  Ndphtali.'  In  Hebrew  the  relation  implied  by  our  'of 
is  not  expressed  with  the  latter  of  the  two  related  words,  but  with  the  former,  or  is 
often   not    expressed   at    all.      Princes  .  .  Prince]    Or    'governors  .  .   governor.' 

7.  0/  the  star's  appear in£]  Lit.  '  of  the  appearing. star.'  See  Goodwin's  Moods 
and  'J'enses,  829  (b). 

8.  II.  Do  him  homage]  Or  perhaps  '  worship  '     See  John  ix.  38,  n. 

9.  Strange  to  say]  Lit.  '  io  !  '  See  viii.  24,  n.  ;  xii.  18,  n.  They  had  seen]  See 
Aorist,  p.  19. 

11.  Saw]  v.L.  'found.'     pyith]  Probably  ' in  the  arms  of." 

12.  F'oH'idden  by  God]    Lit.    'taught    as    by    an  oiacle,   not.' 

13.  Gone]  Or  'returned.' 


6  MATTHEW    II.-III. 

Joseph  in  a  dream  and  said,  "  Rise  :  take  the  babe 
toEivpt.^    and  His  mother  and  escape  to  Egypt,  and  remain 

there  till  I  bring  you  word.    For  Herod  is  about  to 
make  search  for  the  child  in  order  to  destroy  Him."     So  Joseph     14 
roused  himself  and  took  the  babe  and  His  mother  by  night  and 
departed  into  Egypt.     There  he  remained  till  Herod's  death,     15 
that  what  the  Lord  spoke  by  the   Prophet   might   be  fulfilled, 
"Out  of  Egypt  I  called  My  Son"(Hos.  xi.  i). 
Th    Chiidr  n      Then    Herod,    finding    that    the    Magians   had     16 
at  Bethlehem  trifled  with  him,  was  furious,  and  sent  and  mas- 
crue  y    I  e  .  g^^^^j.^^   ^|j    ^Y\e   boys  under  two   years  of  age,  in 
Bethlehem  and  all  its  neighbourhood,  according  to  the  date  he 
had  so  carefully   ascertained  from  the   Magians.     Then  were     17 
the  words  spoken  by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  fulfilled, 

"  A    VOICE    WAS    HEARD    IN    RAMAH,  i8 

Wailing  and  bitter  lamentation  : 
It  was  Rachel  bewailing  her  children. 
And   she   refused   to  be  comforted  because  they 
were  no  more"  (Jer.  xxxi.  15). 

But  after  Herod's  death  an  angel  of  the  Lord  ap-     19 
from^Egypt.  P^ared  in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt  and  said,     20 
"  Rise   from   sleep,   and    lake  the   child    and  His 
mother,  and  go  into  the  land  of  Israel,  for  those  who  were  seek- 
ing the  child's  life  are  dead."     So  he  roused  himself  and  took     21 
the  child  and   His  mother  and  came  into  the  land  of  Israel. 
But  hearing  that  Archelaiis  had  succeeded  his  father  Herod  on     22 
the  throne  of  Judaea,  he  was  afraid  to  go  there;  and  being  in- 
structed by  God  in  a  dream  he  withdrew  into  Galilee,  and  went     23 
and  settled  in  a  town  called  Nazareth,  in  order  that  the  words 
spoken  by  the  Prophets   might   be  fulfilled,   "  He   shall  be 

John  the      CALLED   A    NAZARENE." 

Reaches         About  this  time  John  the  Baptist  made  his  ap-     i   * 
Judgement    pearance,   proclaiming    in    the    desert   of    Judaea, 
Repentance.  "  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  now  close     2 

15.  17.  23.  FulJiUed\  Or  'illustrated.'     See  E.B.  Nicholson  on  Matt.  ii.  15. 
18.  BcwaiH7ig\  Or  'weeping  aloud  for.'     See  xxvi.  75,  n. 

22.  By  God]  Cp.  verse  12,  where  the  same  verb  is  used. 

23.  Nazarene]  A  form  closer  to  the  Greek  would  be  '  Nazoraean.'  And  so  every- 
where except  in  Mark,  and  in  Luke  iv.  34.  But  the  recognized  English  form  is 
'  Nazarene.' 

i-io.  Cp.  Mark  i.  1-6 ;  Luke  iii.  1-14. 

2.  Repent]  Or  '  change  your  minds.'  Kingdom  of  Heaven]  Lit.  '  Kingdom  of  the 
Heavens,' and  so  wherever  the  phrase  occurs  in  1  his  Gospel.  Matthew  most  com- 
monly employs  the  plural  '  Heavens,'  following  the  Hebrew  usage  ;  but  he  also 
uses  the  singular  in  many  places,  and  that  not  merely  of  the  atmosphere  (vi.  26)  or 


MATTHEW    III. 


7 


at  hand."     He  it  is  who  was  spoken  of  by  the  Prophet  Isaiah     3 
when  he  said, 

"The  voice  of  onk  crying  aloud, 
*  In  the  desert  prepare  ye  a  road  for  the  Lord  : 
Make  His  highway  straight'"  (Isa.  xl.  3).  4 

This  man  John  wore  clotlies  of  camel's  hair,  and  a  leather 
belt  round  his  waist  ;  and  he  lived  upon  locusts  and  wild 
honey. 

Then  large  numbers  of  people  went  out  to  him — people  from     5 
Jerusalem  and  from  all  Judaea,  and  from    the    whole    of   the 
Jordan  valley— and  were  baptized  by  him  in  the  Jordan,  making     6 
full  confession  of  their  sins.     But   when  he  saw  many  of  the     7 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees  coming  for  baptism,  he  exclaimed, 
"  O  vipers'  brood,  who  has  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  coming 
wrath  ?     Therefore  let  your  lives  prove  your  change  of  heart  ;     8 
and  do  not  imagine  that  you  can  say  to  yourselves,  '  We  have     9 
Abraham  as  our  forefather,'  for  I  tell  you  that  God  can  raise 
up  descendants  for  Abraham  from  these  stones.     And  already      lo 
the  axe   is  lying  at  the  root  of  the  trees,  so  that  every  tree 
which  does  not  produce  good  fruit  will  quickly  be  hewn  down 

^.  ^     and  thrown  into  the  fire.     I  indeed  am  baptizing     1 1 

He  predicts  .  ...  r  a 

the  Appearing  you  m  water  on  a  profession  of  repentance  ;  but 
of'desus'!  He  who  is  coming  after  me  is  mightier  than  I  : 
His  sandals  I  am  not  worthy  to  carry  for  a 
moment  ;  He  will  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Spirit  and  in  fire. 
His  winnowing-shovel  is  in  His  hand,  and  He  will  make  a  12 
thorough  clearance  of  His  threshing-floor,  gathering  His 
wheat  into  the  garner,  but  burning  up  the  chaff  with  unquench- 
able fire." 


the  visible  sky  (xvi.  2),  and  also  of  Heaven  as  the  abode  of  God  (v.    34)   and  of  His 
angels  (xxii.  30). 

3.  In  the  desert  />re/>arc]  This  is  the  punctuation  preferred  by  Tregelles  (see 
his  note  on  Mark  i.  3),  and  given  in  Isa.  xi.  3  in  the  R.V.,  being  required  there  both 
by  the  accents  of  the  Hebrew  and  by  the  parallelism  of  the  two  clauses. 

4.  This  ffian]  Or  '  the  same.'     Lit.  'and  John  himself.'     Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  40,  n. 

7  B7-ood]  Lit.  'offsprings.'  IVarned you  to  Jiee  from]  Or  pof,s\h\y  ^  t3i\ig\xt  yoxi 
how  to  escape.' 

8.  Change  of  heart]  Or  '  change  of  mind.'  Such  is  the  exact  meaning  of  the  word 
commonly,  and  not  wrongly,  rendered  '  repentance.'  This  15  the  only  Scripture 
name  for  '  conversion." 

9.  Do  not  iMritrine]  Or  'do  not  flatter  yourselves  with  the  notion.'  To  yourselves] 
Lit.  '  within  youi selves'  or  '  among  yourselves.'     'J'o  raise  up]  Lit.  '  to  wake  up." 

11-12.  Cp.  Mark  i.  7-8  ;  Luke  iii.  15-18. 

11.  In  water]  Or  possibly,  'with  water'  (Cp  Acts  i.  5;  xi.  16),  a  Hebraism 
(compare  'with  the  sword,'  lit.  'in  the  sword,'  xxvi.  52  ;  Rev.  xiii.  10).  And  so  at 
the  end  of  the  verse.  On  a  profession  q^\  Lit.  'into'  (that  changed  condition),  or 
'  unto    (to  teach  the  absolute  necessity  of). 

12.  Btirfiingup]   Lit.  '  burning  down,' to  ashes.     Chaff]  Or  '  broken  straw,' 


8  MATTHEW   III.-IV. 

Ch  •  f  J*^^*  ^^  ^^^^  ^'"^^  Jesus,  coming  from  Galilee  to     13 

double      the  Jordan,  presents  Himself  to  John  to  be  baptized 
Baptism,     ^y  ^^^^      j^^^  protested.     "  It  is  I,"  he  said,  "  who     14 
have  need  to  be  baptized  by  you,  and  do  you  come  to  me?" 
Jesus  replied,  "Let  it  be  so  on  this  occasion  ;  for  so  we  ought     15 
to  fulfil  every  religious  duty."     Theu  he  consented  '  Jesus  was     16 
baptized,  and  immediately  went  up  from  the  water.     At  that 
moment  the  heavens  opened,  and  he  saw  the    Spirit   of  God 
descending  like  a  dove  and  alighting  upon  Him,  while  a  voice     17 
came  from  heaven,  sayiag,  "This  is  My  Son,  the  dearly  loved, 
in  whom  is  My  delight." 
His  terrible       ^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  Jesus  was  led  up  by  the  Spirit  into     i  i 
Experiences  the  desert  in  order  to  be  tempted  by   the  devil, 
in  the  Desert.  ^^^^^   ^^  ^^^^^^   ^^^   ^^^^^  ^^^^    ^^^  ^^^^^^  .   ^^^^^      ^ 

which  He   suffered   from  hunger.     So  the  Tempter  came  and     3 
said,  "  If  you  are  the  Son  of  God,  command  these  stones  to  turn 
into  loaves."     Jesus  answered,  "  It  is  written  '  It  is  NOT  ON     4 

BREAD   ALONE   THAT   A    MAN    SHALL   LIVE,    BUT    ON    WHATSO- 
EVER God  SHALL  APPOINT'"  (Deut.  viii.  3).     Then  the  devil     5 
took  Him  to  the  Holy  City  and  caused  Him  to  stand  on  the 
parapet  of  the  Temple,  and  said,  "  If  you  are  God's  Son,  throw     6 
yourself  down  ;  for  it  is  written, 

*  To  His  ANGELS  He  will  GIVE  ORDERS  CONCERNING  THEE, 

And  on  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up. 
Lest    at    any   moment  thou    shouldst    strike    thy 

foot  against  a  stone'"  (Ps.  XCi.  II,  12). 
Jesus  replied,  "Again  it  is  written,  'Thou  shalt  not  put     7 
the  Lord  thy  God  to  the  proof'"  (Deut.  vi.  16).    Then    8 
the  devil  took  Him  to  the  top  of  an  exceedingly  lofty  mountain, 
from  which  he  caused  Him  to  see  all  the  Kingdoms  of  the  world 
and    their   splendour,  and    said,  "All    this    I    will    give   you,  if  9 
you    will    kneel    down    and    do    me    homage."      Jesus    replied,    10 

13-17.  Cp    Mark  i.  9-1 1  ;  Luke  iii.  21,  22. 

14.  Profestea]  Strenuously  for  a  time  :  so  the  Greek  implies. 

16.  At  that  moment\  Lit.  ' and  lo  ! '  See  xii.  18,  n.  Opened]  V.L.  has  'opened 
to  Him.'     Dove]  Lit.  'pigeon.'     Cp-  Luke  ii.  24. 

i-ii.  Cp.  Mark  i.  12,  13  ;  Luke  iv.  1-13. 

1.  Led  up]  From  the  valley  of  the  Jordan. 

5.  Parapet]  Or  'gable.'  Temple]  Not  the  Sanctuary.  See  xxiii.  16,  n.,  and  the 
Commentators. 

7.  Thou  shalt  not  .  .  .  proof]  Not  signifying,  as  some  strangely  misappre- 
hend our  Lord's  meaning,  that  asserting  His  divinity  He  forbad  Satan  to  tempt  Him 
any  further,  but  that  He  Himself  would  have  been  temptmg — that  is  trying  an  ex- 
periment upon— God,  if  He  had  flung  Himself  down  to  see  whether  God  would  pro- 
tect Him  or  not.     See  Deut.  vi.  i6  ;  Exod.  xvii.  1-7. 

9.  1/ you  ^'c]  The  tenses  imply  '  if  you  will  but  do  me  one  single  act  of  homage.' 


MATTHEW   IV.  9 

"Begone,  Satan  !  for  it  is  written,  *  To  the  Lord  thy  God 

THOU  SHALT  DO  HOMAGE,  AND  TO  HiM  ALONE  SHALT  THOU 

RENDER  WORSHIP'"  (Deiit.  vi.  13).     Thereupon  the  devil  left     11 
Him,  and  angels  at  once  came  and  ministered  to  Him 

Now  when  Jesus  heard  that  John   was  thrown     12 
Into  QaMiee*  *"to  prison,  He  withdrew  into  Galilee,  and  leaving     13 
Nazareth  He  went  and  settled  in  Capharnahum,  a 
town  by  the  Lake  on  the  frontiers  of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  in     14 
order  to  make  good  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah, 

"ZeBULUN'S  LAND  AND  NaPHTALI'S  LAND;  15 

The  road  by  the  lake;  the  country  beyond  the 

Jordan  ; 
Galilee  of  the  Nations  ! 
The  people  who  were  dwelling  in  darkness  have    i6 

SEEN   a    brilliant   LIGHT  ; 

And  on  those  who  were  dwelling  in  the  region 

OF  the  shadow  of  death, 
On  them  light  has  dawned"  (Isa.  ix.  i,  2). 

From  that  time  Jesus  began  proclaiming  :  "  Re-     17 
pre^ach^'poJI- P^"^  ^^^  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  now  close  at 
D'^cipjes     hand."     And  walking  along  the  shore  of  the  Lake     18 
of  Galilee    He   saw   two   brothers — Simon    called 
Peter  and  his  brother  Andrew — throwing  a  drag-net  into  the 
Lake  ;  for  they  were  fishers.     Aad  He  said  to  them,  "  Come     19 
and  follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men."     So  they     20 
immediately  left  their  nets  and   followed  Him.     As  He  went     21 
further  on,  He  saw  two  other  brothers,  Jam^s  the  son  of  Zabdai 
and  his  brother  John,  in  the   boat   with   their  father   Zabdai 
mending  their  nets;   and   He  called  them.     Whereupon  they     22 
at  once  left  the  boat  and  their  father,  and  followed  Him. 

Then  Jesus  travelled  through  all  Galilee,  teach-     23 
"Jnd^M^racief  ing  '"  their  synagogues  and  proclaiming  the  Good 
**^G°rf^°"*    ^^^ws  of  the  Kingdom,  and  curing  every  kind  of 

disease  and  infirmity  among  the  people.     Thus  His     24 

11.  At  once]  Cp.  viii.  24,  n. 

12-25.  Cp.  Mark  i.  14,  15  ;   Luke  iv.  14,  15. 

12.  Thraiun  into  prison]  Lit.  '  delivered  up  '  (to  the  jailer). 

13.  Capharnahu'ii]  See  E.  B.  Nicholson's  note  on  Matt.  iv.  13. 
13,  15.  Lniie]  I.E.    '.Sea  of  Galilee.' 

15.  Galilre  0/ ihe  Nations]  Or  '  Heathenish  Galilee  ! ' 

16.  Dwelling]    See    Luke   i.    79,    n.     Region  0/  the  shadow]   Lit.    '  region   and 
shadow.'  a  hendiadys. 

23.  Tra7>elled  through]  Or  '  made  circuits  in.'     The  Good  Netvs  of  the  Kingiiotn] 
I.E.  the  good  news  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  was  close  at  hand  (verse  17). 

24.  Suffering froin]  Cp.  Luke  iv.  38  ;  viii.  37,  n. 


lo  MATTHEW   IV.-V. 

fame  spread  through  all  Syria  ;  and  they  brought  all  the  sick 
to  Him,  the  people  who  were  suffering  from  various  diseases  and 
pains — demoniacs,  epileptics,  paralytics  ;  and  He  cured  them. 
And  great  crowds  followed  Him,  coming  from  Galilee,  from  25 
the  Ten  Towns,  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  beyond  the  district 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan. 

Seeing  the  multitude  of  people,  Jesus  went  up  the     i   ] 
"^^n^t^fSiii"  Hill.      There  He  seated  Himself,  and  when   His 

disciples   came  to    Him,   He   proceeded   to   teach     2 
them,  and  said  : 

"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  to  them  belongs  the  King-     3 
dom  of  the  Heavens. 

"  Blessed  are  the  mourners,  for  they  will  be  comforted.  4 

"  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  as  heirs  will  obtain  posses-     5 
sion  of  the  earth. 

"  Blessed  are  they  who  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteousness,     6 
for  they  will  be  completely  satisfied. 

"  Blessed  are  the  compassionate,  for  they  will  receive  com-     7 
passion. 

"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  will  see  God.  8 

"Blessed   are  the  peacemakers,  for  it  is  they  who   will  be     9 
recognized  as  sons  of  God. 

"Blessed  are  they  who  have  borne  persecution  in  the  cause     10 
of  righteousness,   for   to   them   belongs   the    Kingdom    of  the 
Heavens. 

'Blessed  are  you  when  they  have  insulted  and  persecuted     11 

1.  The  Hill]  Or  '  mountain.'  Probably  well  known  to  the  first  readers  of  the 
Gospels.  Seated  Himself]  Stapfer  contends  that  tliis  means  that  Jesus  remained 
there  for  a  time.  "  Y  fit  sa  demeure,"  he  renders  it,  comparing  the  sense  of  the 
same  verb  in  Luke  xxiv.  4^  ;  Acts  xviii.  11.     Cp.  Matt.  xv.  29. 

2.  Most  of  the  difficulties  arising  from  a  comparison  of  this  discourse  with  the 
'  Sermon  on  the  Plain  '  recorded  in  Luke  vi.  come  from  ignoring  the  fact  that,  like 
all  other  teachers  and  preachers,  Jesus  often  repeated  JHimself,  and  in  so  doing 
somewhat  varied  His  language.  "  Nothing  is  so  ductile  as  fine  gold.  So  was  it 
with  the  fine  gold  of  the  Saviour's  doctrine,  which  yielded  itself  easily  to  be  shaped 
and  fashioned  into  new  forms,  as  need  might  require  "  (Trench). 

3-6.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  20,  21. 

3-11.  Blessed]  Or  'Happy.'  An  adjective  in  the  original,  not  the  past  participle 
of  the  verb  '  bless'  as  in  xxi.  9.  '  Blessedness'  is,  of  course,  an  infinitely  higher  and 
better  thing  than  mere  '  happiness.'  People  who  are  blessed  may  outwardly  be 
much  to  be  pitied,  but  from  the  higher  and  therefore  truer  standpoint  they  are  to  be 
envied,  congratulated  and  imitated.     Poor]  Or  '  beggars.'     '  Mendici,'  Tertullian. 

4,  5.  v.L.  transposes  these  verses. 

5.  The  meek]  Men  of  a  retiring,  submissive,  chastened  spirit.  The  word  '  meek  ' 
is  seldom  used  now,  but  there  is  no  other  to  substitute  for  it.  Luther  renders  by  die 
Sanftmuthigen,  (the  sweet-tempered,  the  tender  hearted),  and  similarly  NVelldon 
gives  'good-tempered'  in  his  note  on  Aristotle,  Nir.  Ethics,  Iv.  11,  but  neither  of 
these  words  adequately  represents  the  meaning. 

9.  It  is  they  who].  Some  authorities  do  not  so  emphasize  the  'they.'  See  also 
xlii.  38,  n. 

1 1- 1 2.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  22-26. 


MATTHEW   V.  ii 

you,  and  have  said  every  cruel  thing  about  you  falsely  for  my 
sake.     Be  joyful  and  triumphant,  because  your  reward  is  great     12 
in  the  Heavens  ;  for  so  were  the  Prophets  before  you  persecuted. 

"You  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  ;  but  if  salt  has     13 
^Light"^      become  tasteless,  in  what  way  can  it  regain  its  salt- 
ness  ?     It  is  no  longer  good  for  anything  but  to  be 
thrown  away  and  trodden  on  by  the  passers  by.     You  are  the     14 
light  of  the  world  ;  a  town  cannot  be  hid  if  built  on  a  hill-top. 
Nor  is  a  lamp  lighted  to  be  put  under  a  bushel,  but  on  the     15 
lampstand  ;  and  then  it  gives  light  to  all  in  the  house.     Just  so     16 
let  your  light  shine  before  all  men,  in  order  that  they  may  see 
your  holy  lives  and  may  give  glory  to  your  Father  who  is  in 
Heaven. 

"  Do  not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  I  have  come     17 
^repeaied.°*  ^^  abrogate  the  Law  or  the  Prophets  :  I  have  not 
come  to  abrogate  them  but  to  give  them  their  com- 
pletion.    Solemnly  I  tell  you  that  until  heaven  and  earth  pass     18 
away,  not  one  iota  or  smallest  detail  will  pass  away  from  the 
Law  until  all  has  taken  place.     Whoever  therefore  breaks  one     19 

13.   Cp.  Mark  ix.  50  ;  Luke  xiv.  34,  35. 

13,  14.  Vou  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.  You  are  the  light  of  the  ivorld\  It  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  these  words  were  originally  spoken  to  a  Hebrew,  rather  than 
to  a  distinctively  Christian  audience.  The  purpose  for  which  the  Jewish  nation  ex- 
isted was  an  unselfish  one — that  they  might  be  a  spiritual  salt  preserving  the  rest 
of  mankind  from  utter  corruption,  and  a  spiritual  light  shedding  over  the  whole 
earth  a  beneficent  influence  resembling  that  of  the  sun  in  the  sky.  The  second  sen- 
tence of  verse  13  is  our  Lord's  first  recorded  prediction  of  the  divine  rejection  of  His 
fellow  countrymen — a  rejection  then  so  near — consequent  upon  their  failure  to  re- 
spond to  their  divine  election.  Spoken  originally  to  Jews  the  lesson  is  one  which 
Christians  in  all  ages  sorely  need  to  lay  to  heart.  Tasteless\  See  E.  B.  Nicholson's 
note  on  Matt.  v.  13. 

16.  Youy  holy  lives\  "Not   yourselves;  the  shining,  not  the  candle"  (Bengel). 

17.  The  Lazv]  i.e.  the  moral  and  ceremonial  Law  of  Moses,  which  remained  bind- 
ing upon  all  Jewish  Christians  until  the  Mosaic  dispensation  passed  away  at  the  time 
of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70,  a.d.  Even  St.  Paul  who  so  zealously  con- 
tended for  the  exemption  of  Gentile  Christians  from  this  Law  seems  never  to  have 
claimed  a  similar  freedom  for  the  Jewish  believers  of  his  day.  See  especially 
Acts  xxi.  21,  where  the  charge  brought  against  him  was,  of  course,  a  false  one. 

18.  Cp.  Luke  xvi.  17. 

So/ef/irily]  Greek  '  Amen.'  This  is  a  Hebrew  word,  a  verbal  adjective, 
meaning  '  firm,'  '  solid,'  '  immovable,'  and  so  '  faithful,'  '  true.'  Its  ordinary  use  is 
elliptical,  the  verb  understood  being  either  in  the  indicative  ('  it  is  immovably  settled,* 
'  certainly  true,'),  as  here,  or  in  the  optative  ('  may  it  be  fixed  and  certain ')  as  when 
it  follows  a  prayer  (i  Cor.  xiv.  16).  See  also  Rev.  iii,  14,  n.  Heaven  and  earthy 
To  our  Lord's  contemporaries  the  religious  and  social  system  under  which  they  lived 
seemed  almost  as  fixed  and  as  eternal  as  the  earth  and  sky.  Indeed  'heaven  and 
earth'  appears  to  have  been  a  name  which  they  gave  to  the  then-existing  order  of 
things  in  recognition  of  what  they  deemed  its  permanence  and  fixity.  So  both  here 
and  in  xxiv.  35  the  phrase  seems  to  denote  '  the  Jewish  dispensation,'  the  transitory 
and  provisional  character  of  which  Jesus  insisted  on.  In  order  to  make  the  tran- 
sition less  abrupt  and  revolutionary,  and  for  the  sake  of  their  own  spiritual  education, 
the  early  Jewish  adherents  of  the  new  faith  were  for  a  limited  time  to  be  left  subject 
to  an  antiquated  system  of  things.  Not  one,  iota  o>-  smallest  defail]  Or,  as  we  Eng- 
lish miuht  saj',  '  not  the  dot  of  an  i  nor  the  cross  of  a  t.' 

19.  Breaks  .  .  teaches  .  .  practises  .  .  teaches]  Lit.  '  shall  have  broken  &c.' 
Others  to  break  thevi]  Lit.  '  men  so.' 


12  MATTHEW  V. 

of  these  least  commandments  and  teaches  others  to  break  them, 
will  be  called  the  least  in  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  ;  but 
whoever  practises  them  and  teaches  them,  he  will  be  acknow- 
ledged as  great  in  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens.  For  I  assure  20 
you  that  unless  your  righteousness  greatly  surpasses  that  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  you  will  certainly  not  find  entrance  into 
the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens. 

"  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  the  ancients,     21 
^Rkfrdtl?.^    'Thou  shalt  not  commit  murder  (Exod.  xx.  13), 
and  whoever  commits  murder  will  be  answerable 
to  the  magistrate.'     But  I  say  to  you  that  every  one  who  be-     22 
comes  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  answerable  to  the  magis- 
trate ;  that  whoever  says  to  his  brother  '  Raca,'  shall  be  answer- 
able to  the  Sanhedrin  ;  and  that  whoever  says,  '  You  fool ! '  shall 
be  liable  to  the  Gehenna  of  Fire.     If  therefore  when  you  are     23 
offering   your   gift    upon    the   altar,    you   remember   that    your 
brother   has   a   grievance    against   you,    leave   your   gift   there     24 
before  the  altar,  and  go  and  make  friends  with  your  brother 
first,  and  then  return  and  proceed  to  offer  your  gift.     Come  to     25 
terms  without  delay  with  your  opponent  while  you  are  yet  with 
him  on  the  way  to  the  court ;  for  fear  he  should  obtain  judge- 
ment  from   the   magistrate   against    you,   and   the   magistrate 
should  give  you  in  custody  to  the  officer  and  you  be  thrown  into 
prison.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  you  will  certainly  not  be  re-     26 
leased  till  you  have  paid  the  very  last  farthing. 

.  .  ,.  .      "  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  '  Thou  SHALT     27 

Adultery  and 

impure        NOT  COMMIT  ADULTERY '(  Exod.  XX.  14).      But  I  tell      28 

°"^    *■    you  that  whoever  looks  at  a  woman  and  cherishes 
lustful  thouglits  has  already  in  his  heart   become  guilty  with 


20.  Voi^r  riir/tieousness]  i.e.  'your  scrupulous  observance  of  the  Law' — obser- 
vance of  its  spirit  as  well  as  of  its  letter,  of  its  letter  as  well  as  of  its  spirit.  Greatly 
surpasses^  Lit.  '  shall  have  abounded  more  than.'  Verses  21  to  48  of  this  chapter 
illustrate  the  way  in  which  Jewish  Christians  were  to  observe  the  Law  of  Moses 
even  more  scrupulously  than  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  did. 

21.  You  have  heard]  "The  people  knew  the  Law  only  by  the  public  readings" 
(Tholuck).     The  magistrate]  See  Deut.  xvi.  i3. 

22.  Angry  with  his  brother]  v.L.  adds  'without  just  cause.'  Racd]  I.E.  'you 
empty  man  !'  Sanhedrin]  The  Supreme  Court  at  Jerusalem.  Fool]  Or  'Impious 
rebel  ;  '  Greek  viore.  "  I'he  mention  of  an  Oriental  word  ruca  in  the  first  clause, 
and  of  the  Sauhediin,  where  crimes  of  blasphemy  were  punished,  mskes  it  probable 
that  there  is  a  reference  (in  more)  to  the  Hebrew  7nornh,  apostate  "  (Wordsworth). 
Gehenna  of  Fire]  Or  '  Hell.'  1  he  severest  punishment  inflicted  by  the  Jews  upon 
any  criminal.  The  corpse  (after  the  man  had  been  stoned  to  deaths  was  thrown  out 
into  the  Valley  of  Hinnoin  {Gay-Hinnom)  and  was  devoured  by  the  worm  or  the 
flame  (Ai/brd).     '  Gehenna'  is  rendered  by  McClellan  'The  Burning  Valley.' 

25-26.   Cp.  Luke  xii.  58,  59. 

25.  Come  to  terms]  Or  '  be  reasonable  and  accommodating.'  Officer]  i.e.  '  police 
officer'  or  '  constable,'  as  in  x.xvi.  58. 


MATTHEW   V.  13 

regard  to  her.     If  therefore  your  eye,  even  the  right  eye,  is  a     29 
snare  to  you,  tear  it  out  and  away  with  it  ;  it  is  better  for  you 
that  one  member  should  be  destroyed  rather  than  your  whole 
.body  be  thrown  into  Gehenna.     And  if  your  right  hand  is  a     30 
snare  to  you,  cut  it  otT  and  away  with  it  ;  it  is  better  for  you 
that  one  member  should  be  destroyed  rather  than  your  whole 
body  go  into  Gehenna. 
^^    ^       ^        "Also  it  was  said,  '  If  ANY  MAN  PUTS  AWAY  HIS     31 

The  Sacred-  '  ^ 

nessof  Mar-  WIFE,  LET   HIM   GIVE  HER   A  WRITTEN   NOTICE  OF 

•"'ae^^-        DIVORCEMENT'  (Deut.  xxlv.  i).    But  I  tell  you  that     32 

every  man  who  puts  away  his  wife  except  on  the  ground  of 

unfaithfulness  causes   her  to  commit   adultery,    and   whoever 

marries  her  when  so  divorced  commits  adultery. 

-.      .    y^^jtf,.      "Again,  you  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  the     33 

fulness  of     ancieuts,     '  ThOU     SHALT     NOT     SWEAR    FALSELY 

Speech.        (g^od.  XX.  7),  BUT   SHALT  PERFORM  THY  VOWS  TO 

THE  Lord'  (Num.  xxx.  ->.  ,  Deut.  xxiii.  21).     But  I  tell  you  not     34 

to  swear  at  all  ;  neither  by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne  ;  nor     35 

by  the  earth,  for  it  is  the  footstool  under   His  feet  ;   nor  by 

Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  City  of  the  Great  King      And   do  not     36 

swear  by  your  head,  for  you  cannot  make  one  hair  white  or 

black.     But  let  your  language  be,  '  Yes,  yes,'  or  *  No,  no  ; '  any-     2>7 

thing  in  excess  of  this  comes  from  the  Evil  one. 

"You  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  'Eye  FOR     38 

forbiddrtf*   ^''^^'  TOOTH    FOR  TOOTH  '    (Exod.    xxi.  24).      But    I      39 
tell  you  not  to  resist  a  wicked  man,  but  if  any  one 
strikes  you  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  the  other  to  him  as  well  ; 
if  any  one  wishes  to  go  to  law  with  you  and  to  deprive  you  of    40 

29,  30.  Is  a  snare  to  you]  Lit.  '  is  tripping  you  up,'  I.E.  causing  you  to  stumble 
into  sin.  The  same  verb  occurs  30  times  in  the  N.T.  ;  14  times  in  tliis  Gospel.  In 
every  case  it  is  translated  in  the  A.V.  by  '  otTend,'  which  is  probably  to  be  understood 
in  the  sense  of  the  Latin  verb  'ofTendere,'  to  stumble,  or  cause  to  stumble.  See 
XV.  12,  n. 

32.   Cp.  Luke  xvi.  18. 

32.  Unfaithfulness]  Whether  before  marriage  (see  i.  18-25)  or  after.  Her  when 
so  divorced]  Or  perhaps,  generally,  'a  divorced  woman.' 

34.  On  the  subject  of  judicial  oaths  see  xxvi.  63,  n. 

35.  By  Jerusalem]  Lit.  '  into,'  implying  the  turning  of  the  thoughts,  and  perhaps 
the  face  also,  towards  the  City  and  the  Temple. 

37    Let  your  language  be]   v. L.   'your  language   shall  be.'     Tlie  Evil  one]    Or 
'wickedness.'     See  2  Cor.  v.  10,  n. 
39-42.   Cp.  Luke  vi.  27-30. 

39.  Strikes]  Or  '  slaps.'  or  perhaps,  '  strikes  with  a  rod.'  Cp.  xxvi.  67.  Cheeh] 
Lit.  'jaw.' 

40.  In  Palestine  and  the  adjacent  countries  the  common  people  to  the  present  day 
wear,  as  the  Greeks  and  Romans  did  of  old,  two  garments  only.  These  are  a  long 
cotton  shirt  or  tunic  (the  Greeks  and  Rom.ms.  and  doubtless  the  ancient  Jews,  wore 
v'ool),  called  by  the  Arabs  kamise,  and  an  outer  mantle  or  cloak,  square,  with  two 
holes  in  It  for  the  arms  to  pass  through,  called  an  abba  or  abbdyeh.  Tiie  latter, 
often  more  or  less  embroidtred,  is  the  more  costly 


14  MATTHEW   V.-VI. 

your  under  garment,  let  him  take  your  outer  one  also  ;   and     41 
whoever  shall  compel  you  to  convey  his  goods  one    mile,  go 
with  him  two.     To  him  who  asks,  give  :  from  him  who  would     42 
borrow,  turn  not  away. 

"  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  '  THOU  SHALT     43 
'^°wtc^ked.**^^LOVE   THY    NEIGHBOUR   (Lev.    xix.    18)   and   hate 

thine  enemy.'     But  I  command  you  all,  love  your     44 
enemies,  and  pray  for  your  persecutors  ;  that  so  you  may  be-     45 
come  true  sons  of  your  Father  in  Heaven  ;   for  He  causes  His 
sun  to  rise  on  the  wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  and  sends  rain 
upon  those  who  do  right  and  those  who  do  wrong.     For  if  you     46 
love  only  those  who  love  you,  what  reward  have  you  earned  .'' 
Do  not  even  the  tax-gatherers   do  that  ?    And  if  you  salute     47 
only  your  near  relatives,  what  praise  is  due  to  you  ?     Do  not 
even  heathens  do  the  same  ?     You  however  are  to  be  complete     48 
in  goodness,  as  your  Heave aly  Father  is  complete. 

'Do  not  "  Beware  of  doing  your  good  actions  in  the  sight     i    { 

parade  your  of  men,  in  order  to  attract  their  gaze  ;   if  you  do, 

there  is  no  reward  for  you  with  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven. 

"  When    you    give    in    charity,  never   blow    a     2 
'^JJ°Q*J,°^?P'fy trumpet   before  you  as  the    hypocrites  do  in    the 

synagogues  and  streets  in  order  that  their  praises 
may  be  sung  by  men.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  they  already 
have  their  reward.     But  when  you  are  giving  in  charity,  let  not     3 
your  left  hand  perceive  what  your  right  hand  is  doing,  that  your     4 
charities  may  be  in  secret ;  and  then  your  Father — He  who 
sees  in  secret — will  recompense  you. 

"And  when  praying,  you  must  not  be  like  the     5 
'hypocrites.     They  are  fond  of  standing  and  pray- 
ing in  the  synagogues  or  at  the  corners  of  the  wider  streets,  in 
order  that  men  may  see  them.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  they 
already  have  their  reward.     But  you,  whenever  you  pray,  go    6 

41.  Convey]  Namely  on  your  mule  or  ass  ;  or  perhaps,  'carry.' 
44-48.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  32-36. 

1.  Good  actions]  Lit.  '  righteousness.'  This  consisted,  according  to  the  teaching 
of  the  Scribes,  in  almsgiving  (see  verse  2),  prayer  (verse  5),  and  fasting  (verse  16). 
Hatch  has  some  interesting  remarks  on  the  word  {Biblical  Greek,  p.  50),  but  he  has 
forgotten  that  there  is  no  word  in  the  Hebrew  of  the  Old  Testament  that  definitely 
signifies  'alms.' 

2.  Trumpet]  See  the  Commentators. 

2,  5,  16.  They  already  have  their  rezvard]  So  too  in  Luke  vi.  24.  The  same  verb 
is  similarly  used  in  Phil.  iv.  18  and  Philem.  15.  Granville  Penn's  rendering,  'they 
are  far  from  their  reward,'  is  altogether  inadmissible,  when  the  verb,  as  here,  is  in 
the  active  voice  and  governs  the  accusative. 

2,  3,  4.  Charity]  Of  course  in  our  20th  century  sense  of  the  word. 

6.  Own  rojiit]  Lit.  'larder'  or  'store-closet.' 


.    MATTHEW   VI.  '5  ' 

into  your  own  room  and  shut  the  door  :  then  pray  to  your 
Father  who  is  in  secret,  and  your  Father — He  who  sees  in 
secret — will  recompense  you. 

"And  when  praying,  do  not  use  needless  repe-     7 
Pgp'gjj"?®^®"  titions  as  heathens  do,  for  they  expect  to  be  lis- 
tened to  for  their  multitude  of   words.     Do    not,     8 
however,  imitate  them  ;  for  your  Father  knows  what  things  you 
need  before  ever  you  ask  Him. 

"In   this  manner  therefore  pray:  'Our  Father     9 
^Prayer/  ^   ^^'^""^  ^''^  ^"  Heaven,  may  Thy  name  be  kept  holy  ;     10 
let  Thy  kingdom  come  ;  let  Thy  will  be  done,  as 
in  heaven  so  on  earth  ;  give  us  to-day  our  bread  for  the  day  ;  and     11,  12 
forgive  us  our  shortcomings,  as   we  also  have  forgiven  those 
who  have  failed  m  their  duty  towards  us  ;  and  bring  us  not     13 
into  temptation,  but  rescue  us  from  the  Evil  one.' 

"For  if  you  forgive  others  their  offences,  your     14 
givenessan    Heavenly  Father  will  forgive  you  also  ;  but  if  you     15 
absolute     (Jq  not  forgive  others  their  offences,  neither  will 

Necessity.  ^     ,  .        . 

your  Father  forgive  yours. 

•Fastsecreti       "  ^^^^^  ^'"^Y  °^  y^"^  ^^^^j  never  assume  a  gloomy     16 
and  cheer-    look  as  the  hypocrites  do  ;  for  they  disfigure  their 
^'        faces  in  order  that  it  may  be  evident  to  men  that 
they  are  fasting.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  they  already  have 
their  reward.     Bat,  whenever  you  fast,  pour  perfume  on  your  hair     17 
and  wash  your  face,  that  it  may  not  be  apparent  to  men  that     18 

8,  23.  However]  See  Aorist,  pp.  51,  52. 
8.    Vou'*- Father]  v.l.  'God  your  Father.' 
9-10.   Cp.  Luke  xi.  2. 

10.  IViU]  Or  '  pleasure-'     Cp.  John  vi.  38,  n. 
11-13.   Cp.  Luke  xi.  3,  4. 

11.  For  the  day]  More  lit.  'for  the  day  now  coming  on.'  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  this  prayer  was  taught  by  our  Lord  who  was  a  Jew  to  His  disciples  who 
were  Jews,  and  that  according  to  Jewish  reckoning  the  day  be.;ins  at  sunset.  This 
petition  is  therefore  not  only  appropriate  in  the  morning,  as  referring  to  the  supply 
of  our  necessities  till  nightfall,  but  also  in  the  evening,  as  embracing  all  the  time  till 
the  next  evening. 

12.  Failed  in  their  duty]  Cp.  Luke  xi.  4,  n.  This,  however,  although  negative, 
is  an  '  offence,'  verse  15. 

13.  Front  the  Evil  one]  Or  possibly  '  from  evil  ; '  but  in  that  case  'out  of,'  as  used 
with  the  same  verb  in  2  Pet.  ii.  9,  might  have  been  expected  rather  than  'from.' 
Such  is  the  usage  of  the  Greek  language.  (See,  for  example,  Herodotus  i.  87.)  As 
to  the  doxology  which  in  later  manuscripts  is  found  at  the  end  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
the  statement  of  Alford  that  "we  find  absolutely  no  trace  of  it  in  early  times"  is 
inexact  :  it  does  occur  in  an  imperfect  form  in  the  one  existing  MS.  of  The  Teach' 
ing  0/ the  Apostles.  (This  most  interesting  book,  however,  had  not  been  discovered 
when  Alford  wrote.)  Still  the  balance  of  evidence  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the 
doxology  is  overwhelmingly  against  it. 

17.  Perfiane]  The  use  of  highly  scented  oil  or  pomade,  sometimes  very  costly,  was 
customary  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  therefore  not  unusual  among  the 
Jews  in  the  time  of  our  Lord.  "  Christ's  great  command  is  to  do  the  hardest  things 
for  His  sake  as  if  we  lik.d  iheni"  (E.  Thriiig). 


i6  MATTHEW   VI. 

you  are  fasting,  but  to  your  Father  who  is  in  secret ;  and  your 
Father — He  who  sees  in  secret — will  recompense  you. 

"Do  not  lay  up  stores  of  wealth  for  yourselves     19 
in^Heaven.'     ^^  earth,  where  the  moth  and  wear-and-tear  de- 
stroy, and  where  thieves  break  in  and  steal  ;  but     20 
amass  wealth  for  yourselves  in  heaven,  where  neither  the  moth 
nor  wear-and-tear  destroys,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  in 
and  steal.     For  where  your  wealth  is,  there  also  will  your  heart     :i 
be. 

Motives  are  of     "  ^^^  ®y^  ^^  ^^^^  ^^""^P  °^  ^^^  body.     If  then  your     22 
supreme  im-  eyesight  is  good,  your    whole    body  will    be   well 

lighted  ;    but  if  your  eyesight  is  bad,  your   whole     23 
body  will  be  dark.    If  however  the  very  light  within  you  is  dark- 
ness, how  dense  must  the  darkness  be  ! 

"  No  man  can  be  in  the  service  of  two  masters  ;  for  either     24 
he  will  dislike  one  and  like  the  other,  or  he  will  attach  himself 
All  Worry  is  ^°  ^^^  ^"^  neglect  the  other.     You  cannot  be  ser- 
forbidden  to  vants  both  to  God  and  to  gold.     For  this  reason     25 

Christians,     t      ,  ....       1  •  u      .. 

I  charge  you  not  to  be  over-anxious  about   your 

lives,  inquiring  what  you  are  to  eat  or  what  you  are  to  drink, 

nor  yet  about  your  bodies,  inquiring  what  clothes  you  are  to 

put  on.     Is  not  the  life  more  precious  than  its  food,  and  the 

body  than  its  clothing  ?     Look  at  the  birds  which  fly  in  the  air :     26 

they  do  not  sow  or  reap  or  store  up  in  barns,  but  your  Heavenly 

Father  feeds  them  :  are  not  you  of  much  greater  value  than 

they.?     Which  of  you  by  being  over-anxious  can  add  a  single     27 

foot  to  his  height  .'*    And  why  be  anxious  about  clothing  ?    Learn     28 

a  lesson  from  the  wild  lilies.    Watch  their  growth.    They  neither 

toil  nor  spin,  and  yet  I  tell  you  that  not  even  Solomon  in  all  his     29 

magnificence  could  array  himself  like  one  of  these.      And  if    30 

19-21.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  33,  34. 

19,  20.   IVear-and-tear]  So  Alford.     Or  '  rust.'     For  the  sense  cp.  Col.  ii.  22,  the 
parenthetical  clause.  _  Break  in]  Lit.  '  dig  through  '  (the  wall). 
22-23.    ^P-  Luke  xi.  34-36. 
22,   23.  Eyesight]  Lit.  'eye.' 
24.   Cp.  Luke  xvi.  13. 

24.  Be  in  the  service  of]  Lit.  '  be  the  slave  of.'    Servants]  Or  '  slaves.* 
Goid\  Lit.  '  Mamon.'     The  word  occurs  al.^o  in  Luke  xvi,  g,  11,  13. 

25.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  22,  23. 
26-33.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  24-31. 

27.  A  single  foot]  Lit.  'one  cubit.'  In  Hebrew  and  in  Classical  and  Helleni.stic 
Greek  (as  always  in  French  and  most  modern  European  languages)  the  first  cardinal 
numeral  is  sometimes  used  with  a  weakened  force  as  equivalent  to  onr  indefinite 
article.  Possibly  however  the  true  sense  is  '  can  add  a  single  moment  to  his  ap- 
pointed span  of  life.'  Not  one  person  in  ten  thousand  wishes  to  add  eigliteen  inches 
to  his  stature,  but  many  would  gladly  p  olong  their  lives.     For  '  foot,'  cp.  Luke  xii.  25. 

28.  Lilies.  IVatck  their  growth]  Lit.  '  lilies— how  they  grow  '  Toil]  As  men 
do.     Spin]    as   women  do. 


MATTHEW  VI.-VII.  17 

God  so  clothes  the  wild  herbage  which  to-day  flourishes  and 
to-morrow  is  feeding  the  oven,  will   He  not  much  more  clothe 
you,  you  men  of  little  faith  ?    Do  not  be  over-anxious,  therefore,     31 
asking  'What  shall   we  eat?'  or  'What  shall   we  drink?'  qv 
'What   shall    we   wear?'      For   all    these   are   questions   that     32 
heathens  are  always  asking  ;  but  your  Heavenly  Father  knows 
that  you  need  these  things — all  of  them.     But  make  His  King-     33 
dom  and  righteousness  your  chief  aim,  and  then  these  things 
shall  all  be  given   you  in  addition.     Do  not  be  over-anxious,     34 
therefore,  about  to-morrow,  for  the  morrow  will  bring  its  own 
cares.     Enough  for  to-day  are  to-day's  troubles. 

Criminals        '* Judge   not,  that  you  may  not  be  judged;  for  1,2' 
must notjudge  your  own  judgement  will  be  dealt — and  your  own 

measure  meted— to  yourselves.     And  why  do  you     3 
look  at  the  speck  in  your  brother's  eye,  and  do  not  consider  the 
beam  of  timber  in  your  own  eye  ?     Or  how  say  to  your  brother,     4 
*  Allow  me  to  take  the  speck  out  of  your  eye,'  while  the  beam  is 
in  your  own  eye?     Hypocrite,  first  take  the  beam  out  of  your     5 
own  eye,  and  then  you  will  see  sufficiently  clearly  to  remove  the 
speck  from  your  brother's  eye. 

"  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  to  the  dogs,  nor  throw  your     6 
pearls  to  the  swine  ;  otherwise  they  will  trample  them   under 
their  feet  and  then  turn  and  attack  you. 

Prayer     A        "  "^^^^J  ^"^  '^  ^^^^  ^^  given  to  you  ;  seek,  and  you     7 

three-fold     will  find  ;  knock,  and  the   door  will  be  opened  to 

you.     For  it  is  always  he  who  asks  that  receives,     8 
he  who  seeks  that  finds,  and  he  who  knocks  that  has  the  door 
opened  to   him.     Who   is  there,  a  man  of  your  own   number,     9 
who  if  his  son  shall  ask  him  for  bread  will  offer  him  a  stone  ? 
Or  if  the  son  shall  ask  him  for  a  fish  will  offer  him  a  snake?     10 
If  you  then,  imperfect  as  you  are,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to     1 1 
your  children,  how  much  more  will  your  Father  in  Heaven  give 
good  things  to  those  who  ask  Him  !     Everything,  therefore,  be     12 

31,  34.  Over-anxzous]  The  form  of  the  verb  in  these  two  verses  bears  a  meaning 
that  differs  by  a  shade  from  that  in  verse  25.  In  verse  25  the  sense  is  '  not  to_ cherish 
solicitude  ; '  in  verses  31,  34  '  Admit  no  solicitude,'  that  is,  '  do  not  even  begin  to  be 
anxious.'     See  Aoris^  vi.  6. 

32.  For  .  .  but]  Lit.  '  for  .  .  for.'     ?>&&  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  n. 
1-2.  Cp.  Mark  iv.  24 ;  Luke  vi.  37. 

3-5.   Cp.  Luke  vi.  39-42. 

3.  4)  5-  Speck  .  .  Seam]  A  striking  instance  of  oriental  hyperbole.    Consider]  Or 
'notice.' 
6.  Attack]  Tearing  you  with  their  tusks. 
7-11.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  9-13. 

J.  Ask      .  seek  .  .  knock]  Or  '  Keep  asking  .  .  seeking  ,  .  knocking.' 
j2.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  31. 

c 


1 8  MATTHEW   VII. 

it  what  it  may,  that  you  would  have  men  do  to  you,  do  you  also 
the  same  to  them  ;  for  in  this  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  are 
.-.ummed  up. 
The  Need  of       "  Enter  by  the  narrow  gate  ;  for  wide  is  the  gate     13 
intense      and  broad  the  road  which  leads  to  ruin,  and  many 

Earnestness.     ,  ,  ...  .        , 

there  are  who  enter  by  it ;  because  narrow  is  the     14 
gate  and  contracted  the  road  which  leads  to  Life,  and  few  are 
those  who  find  it. 

Teachers  to  be      '  ^^^^'^^e  of  the  false  teachers — men  who  come  to     15 
judged  by     you  in  sheep's  fleeces,  but  beneath  that  disguise  they 

are  ravenous  wolves.  By  their  fruits  you  will  easily  16 
recognize  them.  Are  grapes  gathered  from  thorns  or  figs  from 
brambles?  Just  so  every  good  tree  produces  good  fruit,  but  a  17 
poisonous  tree  produces  bad  fruit.  A  good  tree  cannot  bear  bad  18 
fruit,  nor  a  poisonous  tree  good  fruit.  Every  tree  which  does  19 
not  yield  good  fruit  is  cut  down  and  thrown  aside  for  burning. 
So  by  their  fruits  at  any  rate,  you  will  easily  recognize  them.  20 

''  Not  every  one  who  says  to  me, '  Master,  Master,'     2 1 

Real  Obedi-       .,,  -,       ^,r■^  r  tt  t  11 

ence  the  only  Will  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but  only  those 

Heaven.      '^^^^  ^^^  obedient  to  my  Father  in  Heaven.     Many     22 

will  say  to  me  on  that  day,  '  Master,  Master,  have 

we  not  prophesied  by  Thy  name,  and  by  Thy  name  expelled 

demons,  and  by  Thy  name  performed  many  mighty  works.-" 

And  then  1  will  tell  them  plainly,  '  I  never  knew  you  :  begone     23 

from  me,  you  doers  of  wickedness.' 

'•'  Every  one  who  hears  these  my  teachings  and     24 

^lessneTs  of^acts  upon  them  will  be  found  to  resemble  a  wise 

mere  Profes-  ^^^^^  ^j^^  builds  his  house  upon  the  rock  ;  and  the     25 

sions.  '  '  -' 

heavy  rain  falls,  the  swollen  torrents  come,  and  the 
winds  blow  and  beat  against  the  house  ;  yet  it  does  not  fall,  for 
its  foundation  is  on  the  rock.     And  every  one  who  hears  these     26 
my  teachings  and   does   not  act  upon  them  will  be  found   to 

13.  Cp.  Luke  xiii.  24.     Is  the  gate]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

14.  Because  narrow]  Or  'how  narrow."     To  Life]  Or  'to  the  Life.'       See   xix. 

16,   n.  ,        r^  . 

15.  Teachers]  Lit.  'prophets.      See  xi.  13,  n. 

16-21.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  43-46.  .  ,     .  ^,        .  ^        , 

16.  Thorns  .  .  brambles]  Approximate  renderings.      The  plants  referred  to  are 
not  Icnown  in  England  by  these  names. 

21.  Will  enter]  Better  than  '  shall  enter,'  for  our  Lord  is  not  yet  assuming   the 
character  and  language  of  the  Judge. 
22-23.   Cp.  Luke  xiii.  25-27. 

23.  Wickedness]  Lit.  'lawlessness.' 
24-27.  Cp.  Luke  vi.  47-49. 

24.  These]  v.l.  omits  this  word. 

24,  26.   Will  be  found  d^c]  Or  '  will  in  the  judgement  of  the  intelligent  universe  be 
compared  to.'    Cp.  xi.  16  ;  xiii.  24,  n. 


MATTHEW   VII.-VIII.  19 

resemble  a  fool  who  builds  his  house  upon  the  sand.      The     27 
heavy    rain    descends,    the    swollen    torrents    come,    and    the 
winds    blow    and    burst    upon   the    house,    and  it    falls  ;    and 
disastrous  is  the  fall." 

When  Jesus  had  concluded  this  discourse,  the  crowds  were  28 
filled  with  amazement  at  His  teaching,  for  He  had  been  teaching  29 
tliem  as  one  who  had  authority,  and  not  as  their  Scribes  taught. 

Upon  descending  from  the  hill  country  He  was     i   Q 
^a'^Leper.'^^^  followed  by  immense  crowds.     And  a  leper  came     2 
to    Him,  and  throwing   himself  at  His    feet,  said, 
'•  Sir,  if  only  you  are  wilhng  you  are  able  to  cleanse  me."     So     3 
Jesus  put  out  His  hand   and  touched   him,   and   said,  "  I  am 
willing :    be  cleansed."      Instantly  he   was  cleansed  from   his 
leprosy  ;  and  Jesus  said  to  him,  "  Be  careful  to  tell  no  one,  but     4 
go  and  show  yourself  to  the  priest,  and  ofifer  the  gift  which  Moses 
appointed  as  evidence  for  them"  (Lev.  xiv.  4). 

A  Roman  After   His   entry    into   Capharnahum  a  captain     5 

Soldier's  Slave  came  to  Him,  and  entreating  Him,  said,  "  Sir,  my     6 

servant  at  home  is  lying  ill  with  paralysis,  and  is 
suffering  great  agony."    Jesus  answered,  "  I  will  come  and  cure     7 
him."     The  captain  replied,  "  Sir,  I  am  not  a  fit  person  to  re-     8 
ceive  you  under  my  roof :  merely  say  the  word,  and  my  servant 
will  be  cured.     For  I  myself  am  also  under  authority,  and  have     9 
soldiers  under  me.     To  one  I  say  '  Go,'  and  he  goes,  to  another 
'  Come,'  and  he  comes,  and  to  my  slave,  '  Do  this  or  that,'  and 
he  does  it."     Jesus  listened  to  this  reply,  and  was  astonished,     10 
and  said  to  the  people  following  Him,  "  I  solemnly  declare  to 
you  that  in   no   Israelite  have   I  found  faith  so  great  as  that. 
And  I  tell  you  that  many  will  come  from  the  east  and  from     11 
the  west  and   will  recline  at  table   with  Abraham,  Isaac   and 
Jacob  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  while  the  natural  heirs  of  the     12 

2S.  Filled  with]  The  tense  (imperfect)  implies  more  than  'full  of.'  They  talked 
with  one  another  with  groiving  amazement  about  what  they  had  been  hearing. 

1-4.  Cp.  Mark  i.  40-45  ;  Luke  v.  12-16. 

2,  6,  8,  21.  Sir\  Or  according  to  the  phraseology  common  in  the  East  '  My 
Lord.'  We  must  not  imagine  however  that  the  divinity  of  Jesus  was  recognized 
even  by  His  disciples  till  after  His  resurrection  (John  xx.  2S).     See  John  ix.  38,  n. 

5-13.    Cp.  Luke  vii.  i-io. 

5.  Captain]  Namely  in  the  Roman  army.     Cp.  Mark  xv.  39,  n. 

6,  8,  13.  Sei-vani]  Lit.  'boy.'     Cp.  Luke  vii.  7. 

6.  Suffering .  .  agony]  In  exceptional  cases  a  paralytic  patient  may  suffer  pain  ;  if 
not  actually  caused  by  the  paralysis,  yet  accompanying  it. 

8.  A /it  person,  etc.]  Or  as  in  Luke  vii.  8.     Say  the  word]  Lit.  'say  by  a  word.' 

9.  V.I..   inserts  'ranging  myself   between   'am'  and  '  under,' as  in   Luke  vii.  8. 

10.  fn  no  Israelite]  Lit.  '  with  no  one  in  Israel.'     V.l.  '  not  even  in  Israel.' 

11.  Recline  at  table]  Cp.  Luke  vii.  3S  ;  John  xiii.  23. 

12.  Weeping  and  gnashing  of  te:ih  in  this  life  are  in  comparison  but  cliild's  play  : 
there  will  be  the  weeping,  the  gnashing.     The  phrase  occurs  also  Matt.  xiii.  42,  50  ; 


20  MATTHEW   VIII. 

Kingdom  will  be  driven  out  into  the  darkness  outside  :  there 
will  be  the  weepint^  aloud  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth."     And     13 
Jesus  said  to  the  captain,  "  Go,  and  just  as  you  have  believed, 
so  be  it  for  you."     And  the  servant  recovered  precisely  at  that 
time. 

Peter's  After  this  Jesus  went  to  the  house  of  Peter,  whose     14 

Mother-in  Lawmother-in-law  he  found  ill  in  bed  with  fever.     He     15 

touched  her  hand  and  the  fever  left  her  :  and  then 
she  rose  and  waited  upon  Him. 
Many  other       In    the   evening    numbers    of    demoniacs    were     16 
Miracles,     brought  to  Him,  and  with  a  word  He  expelled  the 
demons  ;  and  He  cured  all  the  sick,  in  order  that  the  prediction     17 
of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  might  be  fulfilled,  "He  Himself  assumed 

OUR   WEAKNESSES,  AND  BORE  THE  BURDEN  OF  OUR  DISEASES  " 

(Isa.  liii.  4). 

New  Disciples     Seeing  great  crowds  about  Him  Jesus  had  given     18 
put  to  the    directions  to  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the  Lake, 

Test. 

when  a  Scribe  came  and  said  to  Him,  "  Teacher,  I      19 

will  follow  you  wherever  you  go."     Jesus  answered,  "  Foxes  20 

have   holes  and   birds  have  nests  ;    but  the  Son  of  Man  has 

nowhere  to  lay   His  head."     Another  of  the  disciples  said  to  21 

Him,  "  Sir,  allow  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."    Jesus  re-  22 

plied,  "  Follow  me,  and  leave  the  dead  to  bury  their  own  dead." 

A  storm  re-       Then  He  went  on  board  a  fishing-boat,  and  His  23 

buked  and    disciples  followed  Him.     But  suddenly  there  arose  24 

subdued.  ^  ,         x     ,  ,  , 

a  great  storm   on   the   Lake,  so   that   the  waves 

xxii.  13  ;  xxiv.  51  ;  xxv.  30;  and  in  Luke  xiii.  28.     These  were  terrible  words   to 
issue  from  the  gentle  lips  of  our  blessed  Saviour. 
14-15.   Cp.  Mark  i.  29-31 ;  Luke  iv.  38,  39. 

14.  Found]  Lit.  'saw.' 

15.  Rose]  Or  'roused  herself.'  IVaifed]  Imperfecl  tense,  implying  prolonged 
action.  She  proceeded,  as  mistress  of  tlie  house,  to  discharge  all  the  duties  of 
hospitality  towards  her  Guest. 

16-17.   Cp.  Mark  i.  32-34  ;  Luke  iv.  40,  41. 

16.  in  the  evening]  It  was  the  Sabbath  (Mark  i.  21,  29,  32)  until  sunset  ;  but  after 
sunset  people  might  bring  their  sick  to  be  cured  without  violating  either  the  Law  or 
even  the  traditions  of  the  Elders. 

18.  Cp.  Mark  iv.  35  ;  Luke  viii.  22.     Great  crowds]  v.L.  'a  crowd.' 
19-22.  Cp.  Luke  ix.  57-62, 

19.  A  scribe]  Lit.  '  one  scribe.'     See  vi.  27,  n. 

20.  Nests]  Or  '  roosting-places.' 

22.  Dead  .  .  dead]  Spiritually  dead  .  .  naturally  dead.     See  Luke  ix.  59,  n. 

23-27.   Cp.  Mark  iv.  35-41  ;  Luke  viii.  22-25. 

24.  Suddenly]  Lit.  'see!*  or  'behold!'  In  the  Hebrew  of  the  O.T.  we  con- 
tinually find  the  interjection  hen  or  hinneh  used  in  narrative  in  the  sense  of 
'  behold  ! '  and  it  was  natural  that  the  N.T.  writers,  being  Jews,  should  in  this 
particular  follow  their  native  idiom.  But  this  'behold!'  is  aij  interjection,  not  a 
verb  :  see  John  i.  29,  n.  The  word  is  rarely  used  by  the  Classical  authors,  and 
apparently  by  no  prose  writer  among  them.  Nor  does  the  English  language  tolerate 
tins  frequent  use  of  the  interjection,  but  such  a  word  as  'suddenly'  will  sometimes 
convey  the  true  sense.     As  a  rule  we  must  simply  omit  it. 


MATTHEW   VIII.-IX.  21 

threatened  to  engulf  the  boat  ;  but  He  was  asleep.    So  they     25 
came  and  woke  Him,  crying,  "  Master,  save  us,  we  are  drown- 
ing !  "     He  replied,   "  Why  are  you  so  easily    frightened,  you     26 
men  of  little  faith  ? "     Then  He  rose  and  reproved  the  winds 
and  the  waves,  and  there  was  a  perfect  calm  ;  and  the  men,     27 
filled  with  amazement,  exclaimed,  "  What  kind  of  man  is  this? 
for  the  very  winds  and  waves  obey  him  !  " 
Two  Gadarene     ^"  ^'^  arrival  at  the  other  side,  in  the  country     28 

Demoniacs   of  the  Gadarenes,  there  met  Him  two  men  pos- 
sessed  with    demons,    coming    from    among    the 
tombs  :  they  were  so  dangerously  fierce  that  no  one  was  able  to 
pass  that  way.     They  cried  aloud,  ''  What  have  you  to  do  with     29 
us,  Son  of  God  ?    Have  you  come  here  to  torment  us  before  the 
time  ?"     Now  at  some  distance  from  them  a  vast  herd  of  swine     30 
were  feeding.     So  the  demons  entreated  Him,  "  If  you  drive  us     31 
out,  send  us  into  the  herd  of  swine."     He  replied,  "  Go."     They     32 
departed  from  the  men  and  went  into  the  swine,  whereupon  the 
entire  herd  instantly  rushed  down  the  cliff  into  the    Lake  and 
perished  in  the  water.     The  swineherds  fled,  and  went  and  told     ;^3 
the  whole  story  in  the  town,  including  what  had  happened  to  the 
demoniacs.     So  at  once  the  whole  population  came  out  to  meet     34 
Jesus  ;  and  when  they  saw  Him,  they  besought  Him  to  leave 
their  country.    Accordingly  He  went  on  board,  and  crossing  over     i  Q 
came  to  His  own  town. 
The  Cure  of  a     Here  they  brought  to  Him  a  paralytic  lying  on  a     2 

paralysed     bed.     Seeing  their  faith  Jesus  said  to  the  paralytic, 
"  Take  courage,  my  child  ;  your  sins  are  pardoned." 
"  Such  language  is  impious,"  said  some  of  the  Scribes  among     3 
themselves.     Knowing  their  thoughts  Jesus  said,  "  Why  are  you     4 
cherishing  evil  thoughts  in  your  hearts  ?    Why,  which  is  easier  ?     5 
to  say,  '  Your  sins  are  pardoned,'  or  to  say  '  Rise  up  and  walk '? 
But,  to  prove  to   you  that  the  Son   of  Man   has  authority  on     6 
earth  to  pardon  sins" — He  then  says  to  the  paralytic,  "Rise, 

28-34.  Cp.  Mark  v.  1-20;  Luke  viii.  26-39. 

28.  Frofn  among]  Or  'out  of,'  '  from  within.'     Cp.  xxvii.  53  ;  Phil.  iii.  11. 

32.  Instantly]  Cp.  verse  24. 

33.  Swineherds]  "  Although  they  were  not  herdsmen  by  profession,"  says  Bengel. 
15ut  the  term  employed  is  the  precise  ecjiiivalent  ©f  the  Hebrew  word  that  commonly 
means  '  shepherd,'  being  the  present  participle  of  a  verb  meaning  '  to  tend  and  feed,' 
which  however  is  not  applied  exclusively  to  keepers  of  sheep,  Iv.it  also  to  keepers  of 
goats  (Cant,  i   8),  asses  (Gen.  xxxvi.  24),  and  cattle  generally  (Gen.  xiii.  7,  8). 

1-8.   Cp.  Mark  ii.  1-12  ;  Luke  v.  17-26. 

1.  His  own  toivn]  Capliarnahum.     See  iv.  1,3  ;  IVLirk  ii.  i. 

2.  Bed]  A  mere  mattress  or  thick  rug.     Cp.  Mark  ii.  4. 

3.  Amon::]  Or  '  within.' 

4.  Kuoiuing]  V.L.  'seeing.' 


2  2  MATTHEW   IX. 

and  take  up  your  bed  and  go  home,"     And  he  got  up,  and  went     7 
off  home.     And  the  crowd  were  awe-struck  when  they  saw  it,     8 
and  ascribed  the  glory  to  God  who  had  entrusted  such  power 
to  a  man. 

The  Call  of       Passing  on   thence   Jesus   saw    a    man    called     9 
Matthew.     Matthew  sitting  at  the  Toll  Office,  and  said  to  him, 
"  Follow  me."     And  he  rose  up  and  followed  Him.     And  while     10 
He  was  reclining  at  table,  a  large  number  of  tax-gatherers  and 
notorious  sinners  were  of  the  party  with  Jesus  and  His  disciples. 
This   the    Pharisees    observed  and   inquired  of  His  disciples,     il 
"Why   does   your   Teacher   eat    with    the   tax-gatherers    and 
notorious  sinners  ?"     He  heard  the  question  and  replied,  "  It  is     12 
not  men  in  good  health  who  require  a  doctor,  but  the  sick.     But     13 
go  and  learn  what  this  means,  '  It  IS  mercy  that  I  DESIRE, 
NOT  SACRIFICE'  (Hos.  vi.  6)  ;  for  I  did  not  come  to  appeal  to 
the  righteous,  but  to  sinners." 
The  Disciples'     ^^  *^^^  ^^^'^^  John's  disciples  came  and  asked     14 

Neglect  of   him,  "  Why  do  we  and  the  Pharisees  fast,  but  your 

disciples  do  not  ?  "     Jesus  replied,  "  Can  the  bride-     15 
groom's  party  mourn  as  long  as  the  bridegroom  is  with  them? 
But  other  days  will  come  (when  the  Bridegroom  has  been  taken 
from  them)  and  then  they  will  fast.     No  one  ever  mends  an  old     16 
cloak  with  a  patch  of  newly  woven  cloth  ;  if  they  did,  the  patch 
put  on  would  tear  away  some  of  the  old,  and  a  worse  rent  would 
ensue.     Nor  do  people  pour  new  wine  into  old  wineskins  ;  if     17 
they  did,  the  skins  would  split,  the  wine  would  escape,  and  the 
skins  be  destroyed  ;  but  they  put  new  wine  into  fresh  skins,  and 
both  are  saved." 

dair's  dead        While  He  was  thus  speaking,  a  Ruler  came  up     18 

Daughter,    ^j^^j  profoundly  bowing  said,  "  My  daughter  is  just 

8.  To  a  77ian]  Lit.  'to  men.'  Entrusted]  As  they  saw  and  confessed.  The 
same  verb  is  used  in  apparently  the  same  sense  in  Gen.  xxxix.  8,  LXX.  It  is  possible 
however  to  render  it  '  given.'  as  in. John  xvii.  2,  7,  8. 

9-13.  Cp.  Mark  ii.  13-17  ;  Luke  v.  27-32. 

9.  Sitting]  On  the  ground,  either  within  or  in  front  of  the  hut  or  tenement  that 
served  as  his  office.  Folloiu  me]  Perhaps  the  real  modern  English  equivalent  for 
this  is  'Come  with  me.' 

10.  At  table]  In  Matthew's  house,  as  we  learn  from  Luke  v  29.  Tax]  Inclusive 
of  tolls,  as  well  as  of  taxes  levied  on  houses,  lands,  and  persons. 

13.  Go]  To  your  teachers  of  the  Law.      The  righteous]  See  i  Cor.  i.  21,  n. 
14-17.   Cp.  Mark  ii.  18-22  ;  Luke  v.  33-39. 

14.  Fast]  v.L.  adds  'often.' 

16.  If  they  did  .  .  .  would  tear]  Lit.  'otherwise  .  .   .   tears.' 

17.  Wineskins]  Or  '  leather  bottles,'  which  were  commonly  made,  as  now  in  Spain  and 
many  parts  of  the  world,  of  goats'  skins,  but  sometimes  of  the  skins  of  asses  or 
camels.  If  they  did  .  .  wotild  split]  Lit.  'Otherwise  .  .  .split.'  Would  escape  .  . 
he  destroyed]  Lit.  'escapes  .   .  are  destroyed.' 

18-26.  Cp.  Mark  v.  21-43  -  Luke  viii.  40-56. 

18.  Ruler]  Of  the  synagooue  (Mark  v.  22).     A  Ruler]  Lit.  'one  Ruler.'     See  vi 


MATTHEW    IX.  23 

dead  ;    but   come  and  put  your  hand    upon  her  and    she   will 
return  to  life."     And  Jesus  rose  and  followed  him,  as  did  also     19 
His  disciples. 

A  permanent      But   a   woman   who   for  twelve  years  had  been     20 
Invalid  cured,  afflicted  with  haemorrhage  came  behind  Him  and 
touched  the  tassel  of  His  cloak  ;  for  she  said  to  herself,  "  If  I     21 
but  touch  His  cloak,  I  shall  be  cured."     And  Jesus  turned  and     22 
saw   her,  and  said,  "  Take  courage,  daughter  ;  your  faith  has 
cured  you."     And  the  woman  was  restored  to  health  from  that 
moment. 
Jair's  Child       Entering  the  Ruler's  house,  Jesus  saw  the  flute-     23 
brought  back  players  and  the  crowd  loudly  wailing,  and  He  said,     24 

"  Go  out  of  the  room  ;  the  little  girl  is  not  dead, 
but  asleep."     And  they  laughed  at  Him.     When  however  the     25 
place   was   cleared  of  the  crowd,  Jesus  entered,  and  on   His 
taking  the  little  girl  by  the  hand,  she  rose  up.     And  the  report     26 
of  this  spread  throughout  all  that  district. 

As   Jesus    passed    on,   two    blind  men    followed     27 
Tec°ei^veSi^h1?Him,  shouting  and  saying,  "Pity  us.  Son  of  David  ;" 

and  when  He  had  gone  indoors,  they  came  to  Him.  28 
"  Do  you  believe  that  I  can  do  this  ?"  He  asked  them.  They 
replied,  "  Yes,  Sir."  So  He  touched  their  eyes  and  said,  29 
"  According  to  your  faith  let  it  be  to  you  ;  "  and  their  eyes  were  30 
opened.  Then  assuming  a  stern  tone  Jesus  commanded  them  : 
"Be  careful  to  let  no  one  know."  But  they  went  out  and  31 
published  His  fame  in  all  that  district. 

And  as  they  were  leaving  His  presence  a  dumb  demoniac  was     32 

27,  n.  Instead  of  'one  Ruler  came  up,'  v.l.  (omitting  'one')  reads  'a  Ruler 
entered.'  Profoundly  f>07ving]  The  verb  is  the  same  as  in  ii.  2,  8,  ii  ;  xv.  25 ;  John 
ix.  38  (where  see  note). 

20.  Touched]  See  Lev.  xv.  19.     Tassrl]  Or  'fringe.'     See  Num.  xv.  38. 

21,  22.  Cured]  The  verb  here  employed  is  the  same  as  is  often  rendered  by  '  save.' 
It  signifies  to  deliver  either  (i)  as  here,  from  present  evil  of  any  kind,  or  (2)  from 
impending  or  future  evil.  Thie  former  is  the  sense  twice  as  frequently  as  the  latter. 
In  the  interpretation,  therefore,  of  i.  21,  we  shall  probably  be  right  in  considering  the 
thought  of  deliverance  from  sin  itself— the  abiding  stain  of  its  continued  existence 
within  lis — as  dominating  (though  doubtless  not  excluding)  that  of  immunity  from 
consequent  punishment.  It  is  this  view  of  Christ  as  the  Healer — of  '  Salvator  '  as 
meaning  '  Healer' — that  led  the  author  of  the  old  Westphalian  poem  The  Heliland 
to  celebrate  our  Lord's  praises  under  that  name,  and  that  induced  our  Anglo-Saxon 
sires  to  translate  the  name  Jesus  into  '  Se  Haelend  '  everywhere  in  the  Gospels  as 
well  as  in  sermons  and  religious  poems. 

23,  25.  The  crowd]  A  great  number  of  persons  were  in  the  house  who  had  full 
opportunity  of  satisfying  themselves  that  the  little  girl  was  dead,  and  thus  became 
eye-witnesses  of  the  miracle.  Jesus  while  He  often  repressed  mere  gossip  about  His 
wonderful  works,  nevertheless  desired  that  they  should  be  seen  by  many  witnesses. 

25.  Rose  up]  Lit.  '  woke  up.' 

28.  Sir]  See  viii.  2,  n. 

32-34.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  14,  15. 

32.  Dumb]  Perhaps  a  deaf-mute. 


24  MATTHEW    IX.-X. 

A  dumb      brought  to  Him.      When  the  demon  was  expelled,     33 
Madman      the  dumb  man  could  speak.      And  the  crowds  ex- 
claimed in  astonibhment,  "  Never  was  such  a  thing 
seen  in  Israel."     But  the  Pharisees  maintained,  "  It  is  by   the     34 
Prince  of  the  demons  that  he  drives  out  the  demons." 

And  lesus  continued  His  circuits  through  all  the     35 

Christ's  Com-  ^     ,         •„  ,  •        -       1     • 

passion  for  towns  and  the  villages,  teaching  m  their  synagogues 

*^PeC?^°"  and  proclaiming  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom, 

and   curing  every  kind  of  disease   and    infirmity. 

And  when  He  saw  the  crowds   He  was  touched  with  pity  for     36 

them,  because  they  were  distressed  and  were  fainting  on  the 

ground  like  sheep  which  have  no  shepherd.     Then  He  said  to     37 

His  disciples,  "  The  harvest  is  abundant,  but  the  reapers  are 

few  ;  therefore  entreat  the  Owner  of  the  Harvest  to   send  out 

reapers  into  His  field." 

.    ,  Then   He  called   to  Him  His  twelve   disciples     i 

He  selects  .  ^      ,        .   .  ,  . 

twelve         and  gave  them  authority  over  foul  spirits,  to  drive 

Apostles.  them  out  ;  and  to  cure  every  kind  of  disease 
and  infirmity. 

Now  the  names  of  the   twelve  apostles  were    these  :    first,     2 
Simon  called  Peter,  and  his  brother  Andrew  ;    James  the  son 
of  Zabdai,    and   his    brother  John  ;    Philip  and  Bartholomew,     3 
Thomas    and    Matthew   the    tax-gatherer,  James    the    son    of 
Alphaeus,  and  Thaddaeus  ;    Simon  the  Cananaean,  and  Judas     4 
the  Iscariot  who  also  betrayed  Him. 

These  twelve  Jesus   sent   on   a  mission,  after     5 

Their    Mission       .    .  ,  1     •     • 

tothecommon  giving  them  their  instructions  : 

People.  a  Qq  j^qj.^»  ^le  said,   "among  the  heathen,  and 

enter  no  Samaritan  town  ;    but,  instead  of  that,  go  to  the  lost     6 
sheep  of  Israel's  race.     And  as  you  go,  proclaim,  '  The  King-     7 
dom  of  Heaven  is  close  at  hand.'     Cure  the  sick,  raise  the  dead     8 
to  life,  cleanse  lepers,  drive  out  demons  :    you   have   received 
without  payment,  give  without  payment. 

34.  By]  Lit.  '  in.'     See  Luke  xi.  15,  n. 
35-38.  Cp.  Mark  vi.  6. 
38.  F/cid]  Lit.  'harvest.' 

1.  Cp.  Mark  vi.  7  ;  Luke  ix.  i. 

2.  Apostles]  The  word  occurs  here  for  the  first  time.  The  meaning  is  '  those 
who  were  sent,'  'emissaries,'  'missionaries.'  This  noun  {aposto/os)  is  derived 
from  the  verb  {apostello)  that  occurs  in  verse  5,  and  is  there  translated  'sent.' 

4.  Cananaean]  This  is  a  totally  different  word  from  '  Canaanite,' and  probably 
means  '  Zealot.'     Iscariot]  i.e.  '  man  of  Kerioth '  (Josh.  xv.  25). 

5-15.  Cp.  Mark  vi.  7-13  ;  Luke  ix.  1-6. 

5.  Sent]  Frcbably  two  and  two,  like  the  Seventy  at  a  later  time  (Luke  x.  i). 

6.  Lost  Sheef>]  Or,  as  we  should  say,  '  lapsed  masses.' 
8.  Raise  to  ii/e\  Lit.  '  wake.' 


MATTHEW   X. 


25 


"  Provide    no    gold    or    even    silver    or    copper     9 
Their  Food      to    carry    in    vour    pockets  ;    no    handbag-,    nor     10 
promised.  c  v      ^  u  11  •         .•    1        r 

change  of  linen,  nor  shoes,  nor  walkingstick  ;  for 

the  labourer  deserves  his  food. 

"Whatever  town  or  village  you  enter,  inquire  for     1 1 

Where  they  some  good  man;  and  make  his  house  your  home 
were  to  lodge.      .  ^  ^ 

till   you  leave  the  place.       When  you  enter  the     12 

house,  salute  it  ;    and  if  the  house  deserves  it,  the  peace  you     13 

invoke  shall  come  upon  it  ;    if  not,  your  peace  shall  return  to 

yourselves.    And  whoever  refuses  to  receive  you  or  even  to  listen     14 

to  your  Message,  as  you  leave  that  house  or  town,  shake  off  the 

very  dust  from  your  feet.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  it   will   be     15 

more  endurable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  on  the 

day  of  Judgement  than  for  that  town. 

"Remember  it  is  I  who  send  you  out,  as  sheep     16 

Cruel  ......  -^  '  ^ 

Persecution     mto  the  midst  of  wolves  ;  prove  yourselves  as  saga- 
foretold,       cious  as  serpents,  and  as  innocent  as  doves.      But     17 
beware  of  men  ;    for  they  will  deliver  you  up  to  appear  before 
Sanhedrins,  and  will  flog  you  in  their  synagogues  ;    and  you     18 
will  even  be  put  on  trial  before  governors  and  kings  for  my  sake, 
to  bear  witness  to  them  and  to  the  nations.     But  when  they  have     19 
delivered  you  up,  have  no  anxiety  as  to  how  you  shall  speak  or 
what  you  shall  say  ;  for  at  that  very  time  it  shall  be  given  you 
what  to  say  ;  for  it  is  not  you  who  will  speak,  but  the  Spirit     20 
of  your  Father  speaking   through    you.      Brother  will   betray     21 
brother  for  death,  and  father,  child  ;  and  children  will  denounce 
their  parents  and  put  them  to  death.     And  you  will  be  objects  of    22 
universal  hatred  because  you  are  called  by  my  name  ;  but  he  who 
holds  out  to  the  end — he  will  be  saved.     Whenever  they  perse-     23 

12.  Salute  it]  When  the  two  apostles  entered  the  building,  they  were  to  salute 
the  household,  doubtless  in  the  words  prescribed  in  Luke  x.  5,  "  Peace  to  this 
house  ! " 

14.  Shake  off  &'c.\  Cp.  xviii.  17  ;  Acts  xiii.  51.  From  your  feet]  Or  '  that  is  on 
your  feet.' 

16.  Cp.  Luke  X.  3.     Doves]  Lit.    '  pigeons.' 
17-22.  Cp.  Mark  xiii.  9-13  ;  Luke  xxi.  12-17. 

17.  Satihedrins]  Or  '  High  Courts  of  Justice.'     See  the  Commentators. 

19.  The  innocent  seldom  need  to  make  the  same  elaborate  defence  as  the  guilty. 
They  can  afford  to  speak  the  simple  truth  and  to  rely  upon  God  and  the  justice  of 
their  cause ! 

20.  Through  you]  Lit.  '  in  you.' 

22.  The  End]  This  phrase  also  occurs  xxiv.  6,  13,  14  ;  i  Cor.  i.  8  ;  Heb.  iii.  6,  14  ; 
vi.  11;  I  Peter  ii.  7;  Rev.  ii.  26;  and  in  a  different  sense  i  Cor.  xv.  24.  See  also 
Heb.  ix.  26,  n.  ;  i  Cor.  x.  11. 

23-25.  Cp.  Lukevi.  40.  • 

23.  Escape]  "  Preserving  yourselves  for  further  service"  (Haxter).  Be/ore  the 
Son  of  Man  comes]  Some  have  supposed  that  the  reference  is  to  a  spiritual  and 
judicial  Coming  of  Christ  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70,  a.d. 
Cp.  xvi.  28  ;  xxiv.  34. 


26  MATTHEW  X. 

cute  you  in  one  town,  escape  to  the  next ;  for  I  solemnly  tell 
you  that  you  will  not  have  gone  the  round  of  all  the  towns  of 
Israel  before  the  Son  of  Man  comes. 

"  The  learner  is  never  superior  to  his  teacher,     24 

Like  their  ,     ,  .  ^       .  ,  . 

Master  they    and  the  servant  is  never  superior  to  his  master, 
would  suffer.    Enough  for  the  learner  to  be  on  a  level  with  his     25 
teacher,  and  for  the  servant  to  be  on  a  level   with  his  master. 
If  they   have  called  the  master  of  the  house  Baal-zebul,  how 
much  more  will   they  slander  his   servants?     Fear  them  not,     26 
however  ;  there  is  nothing  veiled  which  will  not  be  uncovered,  nor 
secret  which  will  not  become  known.  What  I  tell  you  in  the  dark,     27 
speak  in  the  light ;  and  what  is  whispered  into  your  ear  proclaim 
upon  the  roofs  of  the  houses. 

"  And  do  not  fear  those  who  kill  the  body,  but     28 
not  be^afrard!    cannot  kill  the  soul  ;    but  rather  fear  him  who  is 
able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  Gehenna. 
Do  not  two  sparrows  sell  for  a  halfpenny  ?    Yet  not  one  of  them     29 
will  fall  to  the  ground  without  your  Father's  leave.     But  as  for     30 
you,  the  very  hairs  on  your  heads  are  all  numbered.     Away  then     31 
with  fear  ;  you  are  more  precious  than  a  multitude  of  sparrows. 
The  vital  "Every  man  who  shall  acknowledge  me  before     32 

Importance     men   I  also   will  acknowledge  before  my  Father 

'  ^  '  ^'      who  is  in  heaven.     Him  who  disowns  me  before     3;^ 
men  I  also  will  disown  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 

^    ^.  ,        ^        "  Do  not  suppose  that  I  came  to  bring  peace     34 
Conflict  must  ,  ,        t    , •  1  ,     •  , 

precede        to  the  earth  :   I  did  not  come  to  bring  peace  but  to 

eace.        introduce    a   sword.      For  I   came  to  set  a  man     35 

against  his  father,  a  daughter  against  her  mother,  and 

A   DAUGHTER-IN-LAW   AGAINST  HER  MOTHER-IN-LAW  ;   AND   A      36 

24,  25.  Learner]  Or  'disciple.'     Ser7'ant'\  Or  'slave.'    Master]  Or  'owner.' 

25.  Baal-zebul]  See  2  Kings  i.  3,  6. 
26-33.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  2-9. 

28.  Fear  hint]  i.e.  the  devil.  Or  'fear  Him.'  i.e.  God.  Against  the  latter 
rendering  it  may  be  urged  that  the  word  translated  '  power  '  in  the  parallel  passage, 
Luke  xii.  5,  usually  denotes  'delegated  authority,'  '  power  enjoyed  on  sufTerance,* 
and  that  in  Matt.  x.  31  fear  of  the  Heavenly  Father  is  forbidden.  See  also  Luke 
xxii.  53  ;  John  xix.  11 ;  Acts  xxvi.  18  ;  Col.  i.  13  ;  Rev.  xiii.  7.  In  Heb.  ii.  14  the 
'power  of  death  '  is  expressly  attributed  to  the  Evil  one,  but  a  different  word  is  used 
for  'power.'     Soul]  Or 'life.'      Cp.  verse  ^9. 

29.  Halfpenny]  The  coin  named  (the  '  assarion ')  was  probably  worth  a  farthing 
and  four-fifths.  Contrast  Luke  xii.  6  :  "  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny?" 
The  birds  were  reckoned  as  being  of  such  little  value,  that  upon  double  the  number 
being  bought,  an  extra  one  was  given  gratis  ! 

31.  Precious]  Implying  not  merely  worth,  but  high  worth,  great  value. 

32.  Acknowleds^e  tne]  Or  '  AVOW  \n&\QyA^y\.o  m&.'  Lit.  '  confess  (confiilence)  in.' 
The  expression  occurs  only  in  this  verse  and  in  Luke  xii.  8.  IVi II  acknowledge]  He 
shall  find  me  on  my  part  loyal  to  him.     See  Rom.  iii.  3,  n. 

34-36.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  51-53. 

34.  Bring  peace  to]  Lit.  '  cast  peace  upon.' 


MATTHEW   X.-XI.  27 

MAN'S  OWN  FAMILY  WILL  BE  HIS  FOES  (Mic.  vii.  6).     Any  one     37 
wholovesfatlierorniother  morethan  meis  not  worthy  of  me,  and 
any  one  who  loves  son  or  daughter  more  than  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me  ;  and  any  one  who  does  not  take  up  his  cross  and  follow     38 
where  I  lead  is  not  worthy  of  me.     To  save  your  life  is  to  lose     39 
it,  and  to  lose  your  life  for  my  sake  is  to  save  it. 
He  gives  the         "Whoever  receives  you  receives  me,  and  who-     40 
Apostles  divine  ever    receives   me   receives    Him   who   sent   me. 

Authority.      £^gj.y  one  who  receives  a  prophet,  because  he  is     41 
a  prophet,  will  receive  a  prophet's  reward,  and  every  one  who 
receives  a  righteous  man,  because  he  is  a  righteous  man,  will 
receive  a  righteous  man's  reward  ;    and  whoever  gives  one  of    42 
these  despised  ones  even  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  drink  because  he 
is  a  disciple,  I  solemnly  tell  you  that  he  will  not  lose  his  reward." 

When  Jesus  had  concluded  His  instructions  to  His  twelve     i   1  l 
disciples.  He  left  in  order  to  teach  and  to  proclaim  His  Message 
in  the  neighbouring  towns. 

The  ^^^^  -^°^"  ^^^  heRvd  in  prison  about  the  Christ's     2 

Baptizer's  sore  doings,  and   he    sent    some    of    his    disciples  to     3 

Perplexity,      j^quire  :  "  Are   you   the  Coming  One,  or  is  it    a 
different  person  that  we  are  to  expect  ? "     Jesus  replied,  "  Go    4 
and  report  to  John  what  you  see  and  hear.     Blind  eyes  receive     5 
sight,  and  cripples  walk  ;    lepers  are  cleansed,  and  deaf  ears 
hear  ;  the  dead  are  raised  to  life,  and  the  poor  have  the  Good 
News  proclaimed  to  them  ;   and  blessed  is  every  one  wlio  does     6 
not  stumble  and  fall  because  of  my  claims." 

Christ's  When  the  messengers    had  taken  their  leave,     7 

Testimony  as    Jesus  proceeded  to  Say  to  the  multitude  concern- 
Character  and  ing  John  :  "  What  did  you  go  out  into  the  desert 
Work.         ^Q  g^2e  at  ?    A  reed  waving  in  the  wind  ?     But     8 

37-38.  Cp.  Luke  xiv.  26,  27. 

38.  Cross]  Our  Lord  thus  iiints  at  His  being  about  to  die  on  the  cross.  See  John 
xii.  16. 

39.  Cp.  Luke  xvii.  33.  Lt/e']  Or  'soul.'  The  literal  rendering  of  the  verse  is, 
'  He  who  shall  have  found  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  who  shall  have  lost  his  liie  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it.'     Cp.  v.  19  ;  and  see  Aorist  vi.  5. 

40-41.   Cp.  Luke  X.  16. 

41.  Prophet]   Preacher  or  teacher  of  the  truth.     See  1  Cor.  xiv.  3,  n. 

42.  Cp.  Mark  ix.  41.  Despised]  Lit.  'little.'  Possibly  some  children  were  present. 
Even]  Lit.  'only.' 

1.  Proclaitn  His  message]  One  word  in  the  Greek.  The  exact  sense  of  the  word 
{kerusso)  is  to  perform  the  function  of  a  public  herald  or  crier.  'Preach' has 
associations  which  ke'usso  does  not  suggest. 

2-6.   Cp.  Luke  vii.  18-23. 

2.  Some  of]  Lit.  'by.'  We  learn  from  Luke  vii.  i3  that  the  messengers  were 
two  in  number.  In  Matthew,  according  to  the  four  most  ancient  MSS.,  the  number 
is  not  specified. 

5.  Receive]   Cp.  Luke  vii.  2a.    A  re  raised  to  li/e]   Lit.  '  awake  ' 
7-19.  Cp.  Luke  vii.  24-35. 


28  MATTHEW   XI. 

what   did   you  go  out  to  see  ?     A   man  luxuriously  dressed  ? 
Those  who  wear  luxurious  clothes  are  to  be  found  in  kings' 
palaces.     But  why  did  you  go  out  ?     To  see  a  prophet  ?     Yes,  I     9 
tell  you,  and  far  more  than  a  prophet.     He  it  is  about  whom     10 
it  is  written  : 
*  See,  I  AM  SENDING  My  messenger  before  thy  face, 
And  he  will  make  thy  road  ready  before  thee' 

(Mai.  iii.  i). 
I  solemnly  tell  you  that  among  all  of  woman  born  no  greater     11 
has  ever  been  raised  up  than  John  the  Baptist  ;    yet  one  who 
is  of  lower  rank  in  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  is  greater  than 
he.     But  from  the  time  of  John  the  Baptist  till  now,  the  Kingdom     12 
of  the  Heavens  has  been  suffering    violent   assault,   and   the 
violent  have  been  seizing  it  by  force.      For  all  the  Prophets  and     13 
the  Law  taught  until  John.     And  (if  you  are  willing  to  receive     14 
it)  he  is  the  Elijah  who  was  soon  to  come.     Listen,  every  one     15 
who  has  ears  ! 
_.     _  .^        "  But   to   what   shall   I    compare    the    present     16 

The  Perversity  .        ^       ^      .      ,.,  ,  .,  ,  •         , 

of  the  Jews     generation.?      It  is  like  children    sitting    in    the 
then  hvmg.     ^p^^^  places,  who  call  to  their  playmates.     'We     17 
have  played  the  flute  to  you,'  they  say,   '  and  you   have   not 
danced  :  we  have  sung  dirges,  and  you  have  not  beaten  your 
breasts.'     For  John  came  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  and  they     18 
say,  'He  has  a  demon.'     The  Son  of  Man  came  eating  and     19 
drinking,  and  they  exclaim,  ^  See  this  man  ! — given  to  gluttony 
and  tippling,  and  a  friend  of  tax-gatherers  and  notorious  sinners  ! ' 
And  yet  Wisdom  is  vindicated  by  her  actions." 

Then   began  He   to   upbraid   the  towns  where     20 
Bethsaida,      most  of  His  mighty  works  had  been  performed, 
Capharnahum.  ^^cause  they  had  not  repented.     "Alas  for  thee,     21 

10.  Messenger]   Or 'angel.' 
12-13.   Cp.  Luke  xvi.  16. 

12.  T/te  time\  i.e.  the  early  time  of  his  ministry,  John  being  still  alive.  _  Has 
been  suffering  .  .  Aa7'e  been  seizing]  These  verbs  are  in  the  present  tense  in  the 
Greek  in  accordance  with  the  idiom  of  that  language.     See  Aorist  iii.  2,  3.  _ 

13.  Taught]  Lit.  '  prophesied  ;'  but  in  modern  English  this  verb  is  limited  in  its 
meaning  to  tlie  mere  prediction  of  future  events,  which  is  not  the  proper  force  of 
the  Greek  word.     See  the  Commentators. 

14.  IF'as  soon  to  come]  Or  'is  soon  to  come.'     Cp.  xvii.  11. 

15.  Ears]    v.L.  adds  '  to  hear.' 

16.  To  t/teir playmates]  v.L.  '  to  the  other  party,'  the  sense  being  the  same.  _ 

19.  Eating  and  drinking]  Like  other  men,  with  no  asceticism  or  austerity  of 
diet.  Is  vindicated]  Lit.  {see  Aorist  iv.  4,5)  'has  been  vindicated,' implying  'is 
wont  to  be.'     Actions]  v.i,.  reads  *  children,'  as  in  Luke  vii.  35. 

20-24.  Cp.  Luke  X.  1-16. 

21.  Aias/or]  Or  perhaps  'woe  to.'  "The  interjection  here  is  declarative,  not 
imprecative"  (Bengel).  Cp.  Luke  vi.  24,  n.  77id't']  Not  'you:'  for  even  in 
2oth  century  English  '  thou  '  and  '  thee  '  might  be  used  in  an  apostrophe  such  as  this. 
Bethsaida]  v.L.  '  Bethsaidan  ;'  and  so  elsewhere.  Both  of  you]  Lit.  'you,'  in  the 
plural. 


MATTHEW   XI.-XII.  29 

Chorazin  !      Alas  for  thee,  Bethsaida  '       For  had  the  mighty 
works  been  performed  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  which  have  been  per- 
formed in  both  of  you,  they  would  long  ere  now  have  repented, 
covered  with   sackcloth  and  ashes.     Only  I  tell  you  that  it  will     22 
be  more  endurable  for  Tyre  and   Sidon  on  the  day  of  Judge- 
ment  than   for   you.      And  thoti,  Capharnahum,  shalt  thou  be     23 
exalted  even  to  heaven  ?     Even  to  Hades  shalt  thou   descend. 
For  had  the  mighty  works  been  performed    in  Sodom  which 
have  been  performed  in  thee,  it  would  have  remained  until  now. 
Only  I  tell  you  all,  that  it  will  be  more  endurable  for  the   land     24 
of  Sodom  on  the  day  of  Judgement  than  for  thee." 

About  that  time  Jesus   exclaimed,  "  I  heartily     25 
forThe"^    praise  Thee,  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  of  earth, 

Success  of  the  lYi^f  Thou    hast  hidden  these  things  from  sages 
Seventy.  *^  ^ 

and  men  of  discernment,  and  hast  unveiled  them 

to  babes.     Yes,  Father,  for  such  has  been  Thy  gracious  will.  26 

"All  things  have  been  handed  over  to  me  by     27 

^  cl^lm^^      "^y  Father,  and  no  one  fully  knows  the  Son  except 

the  Father,    nor  does    any    one    fully    know    the 

Father  except  the   Son  and  all  to   whom  the  Son  chooses  to 

reveal  Him. 

"Come   to   me,   all  you  toiling  and  burdened     28 

tnvitat'ion^      ones,  and  J  will  give  you  rest.     Take   my  yoke     29 

upon  you  and  learn  from  me  ,  for  I  am  gentle  and 

lowly  in  heart,  and  you  will  find  rest  for  your  souls.     For  it     30 

is  good  to  bear  my  yoke,  and  my  burden  is  light," 

.    .  ^        About  that  time  Tesus  passed  on  the  Sabbath     i  ' 

A  charge  of       ,  ,     ,         ,  ,    ;,  ,   tt-      i-      •    .       , 

Sabbath-       through  the  wheathelds  ;  and  His  disciples  became 

breaking.       hungry,  and  began  to  gather  ears  of  wheat  and  eat 

23.  Hades]  The  unseen  World,  the  abode  of  departed  spirits.  In  the  A.V.  both 
this  word  and  '  Gehenna  '  are  rendered  '  Hell.'  Each  occurs  twelve  times  In  this 
translation  the  two  words  are  everywhere  kept  distinct.  Descend]  v.l.  'be  caused 
to  descend.' 

24.  Vou  air\  Lit.  'you'  in  the  plural,  either  as  addressed  to  all  three  of  the  towns 
named,  or  parenthetically  to  the  bystanders  who  heard  these  denunciations. 

25-30.   Cp.  Luke  X.  17-24. 

25.  About  that  time]  See  xii.  i,  n.  Jesus  exclaimed]  A  too  literal  rendering  is 
"Jesus  answered  and  said."  There  is  no  'answer'  here  in  the  English  sense  of  the 
word.  The  expression  is  simply  a  late  Hebraism.  In  late  Hebrew,  under  the 
influence  of  the  Chaldee,  the  verb  that  had  commonly  meant  '  to  answer'  came  to 
signify  '  to  commence  speaking '  (Gesenius).  Father]  This  is  our  Lord's  first  public 
mention  of  God  as  His  Father.  Lord  of  heaven  and  of  earth]  "  He  does  not  address 
the  Father  as  His  Lord  "  (Bengel). 

29.  Gentle]  Or  '  meek.'     Cp.  v.  5. 

30.  It  is  good  ^^c]  Lit.  'my  yoke  is  good.'  Cp.  Lam.  iii.  27.  The  'good' 
conveys  the  idea  not  so  much  (as  in  the  'Vulgate)  of  easiness  to  bear,  which  is  the 
thought  in  the  next  clause,  as  of  actual  benefit  received  from  bearing  it. 

1-8.  Cp.  Mark  ii.  23-28  ;  Luke  vi.  1-5. 

I.  About  that  time]  Lit.  '  at  that  time.'    The  word  '  time'  here  (as  indeed  often) 


30  MATTHEW    XII. 

them.     But  the   Pharisees   saw  it   and   said  to  Him,  "  Look  !     2 
your  disciples  are  doing  what  the  Law  forbids  them  to  do  on  the 
Sabbath."     "  Have  you  never  read,"  He  replied,  "  what  David     3 
did  when  he  and  his  men  were  hungry  ?    how  he  entered  the     4 
House  of  God  and  ate  the  Presented  Loaves,  which  it  was  not 
lawful  for  him  or  his  men  to  eat,  nor  for  any  except  the  priests 
(i  Sam.  xxi.  1-6)  ?    And  have  you  not  read  in  the  Law  how  on     5 
the  Sabbath  the  priests  in  the  Temple  break  the  Sabbath  with- 
out guilt .?    But  I  tell  you  that  there  is  here  that  which  is  greater     6 
than  the  Temple.     And  if  you  knew  what  this  means,  '  It  is     7 

MERCY  I  DESIRE,  NOT    SACRIFICE  '   (Hos.    vi.  6),  yOU    WOuld  not 

have  condemned  those  who  are  without  guilt.     For  the  Son  of    8 
Man  is  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath." 

Departing  thence  He  went  to  their  synagogue,     9 
restored  on  a  where  there  was   a  man    with   a    shrivelled  arm.     10 

Day  of  Rest,     ^^^   ^^^^  questioned  Him,   "  Is  it  right  to  cure 
people  on  the  Sabbath  ?"    Their  intention  was  to  bring  a  charge 
against  Him.     "Which  of  you  is  there,"  He  rephed,  "who,  if     11 
he  has  but  a  single  sheep  and  it  falls  into  a  hole  on  the  Sabbath, 
will  not  lay  hold  of  it  and  lift  it  out  ?    Is  not  a  man,  however,     12 
far  superior  to  a  sheep  ?    Therefore  it  is  right  to  do  good  on  the 
Sabbath,"     Then  He  said  to  the  man,  "  Stretch   out  your  arm."     13 
And  he  stretched  it  out,  and  it  was  restored  quite  sound  like  the 
other. 

But  the  Pharisees  after  leaving  the  synagogue     14 
^  '^Jesus  **'"    consulted  together  against  Him,  how  they  might 

destroy  Him.     Aware  of  this,  Jesus  departed  else-     15 
where  ;  and   great    numbers    followed    Him,    all   of  whom    He 
cured.       But    He   gave    them    strict    injunctions   not    to   blaze     16 
abroad  His  doings,  that  the- words  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  might     17 
be  fulfilled, 

signifies,  not  a  definite  minute  or  hour  or  even  day,  but  a  period  including  several 
days,  one  of  which  was  a  Sabbath.  Moreover  the  verb  is  '  passed,'  not  '  was  pass- 
ing : '  the  action  is  regarded  as  a  whole.  The  most  idiomatic  rendering  would 
perhaps  be,  '  On  one  occasion  about  that  time.'  The  same  expression  with  the 
following  verb  in  the  same  tense  is  found  in  xi.  25;  xiv.  i.  Became  hungry]  Or 
'  were  hungry,'  as  in  verse  3.    On  the  'plucking  '  see  Deut.  xxiii.  25  ;  Lev   xxiii,  14. 

4.  And  ate]  v.l.  '  and  they  ate.'     Nor /or  any  except]  Or  '  but  only.'     Cp.  Luke 
iv.  26,  27,  n. 

5.  Break  the  Sabbath]  Not  so  much  by  offering  sacrifices  as  by  baking    bread 
(Lev.  xxiv.  8  ;  1  Chron.  ix.  32  ;  2  Chron.  ii.  4). 

6.  That  which  is  greater]  Or  'a  Being  greater.* 

8.  Cp.  Mark  ii.  27,  28. 

9-14.  Cp.  Mark  iii.  1-6  ;  Luke  vi.  6-11. 

9.  J/e  went  &j'c.]  At  another  and  perhaps  distant  place,  and  (Luke  vi.   9)  *  on 
another  Sabbath.' 

10.  Arm]  Rather  than  'hand.'     So  Shadwell  rightly,  and  see  Aorist,  p.  5.     Is  it 
right  to  cure]  Or  '  Is  there  any  authority  for  curing.' 


MATTHEW   XII.  31 

"This  is  My  servant  whom  I  have  chosen,  18 

My  dearly  loved  One  in  whom  My  soul  takes  pleasure. 

I  will  put  My  Spirit  upon  Him, 

And  He  will  announce  judgememt  to  the  nations.         19 

He  will  not  wrangle  or  raise  His  voice, 

Nor  will  His  voice  be  heard  in  the  broadways. 

A  crushed  reed  He  will  not  utterly  break,  20 

Nor  will  He  quench  the  still  smouldering  wick, 

Until  He  has  led  on  Justice  to  victory. 

And  on   His  name  shall  the  nations  rest  their      21 
HOPES  "  (Isa.  xli.  8  ;  xlii„  i). 
He  replies  to        ^^  ^^^^  time  a  demoniac  was  brought  to  Him,     22 
an  infamous     blind  and   dumb  ;    and    He  cured   him,    so   that 

Slander.        ^j^^  dumb  man  could   speak  and  see.     And  the     23 
crowds  of  people  were  all  filled  with  amazement  and  said,  "  Can 
this  be  the  Son  of  David?"    The  Pharisees  heard  it  and  said,     24 
"This  man  only  expels  the  demons  by  Baal-zebul,  the  Prince 
of  the  demons,"     Knowing  their    thoughts   He    said    to  them,     25 
"  Every  kingdom  in  which  civil  war  has  raged  suffers  desola- 
tion ;  and  every  city  or  house  in  whicli  there  is  internal  strife 
will  be  brought  low.     And  if  Satan   is  expelling  Satan,  he  has     26 
begun  to  make  war  on  himself:  how  therefore  shall  his  kingdom 
last.?    And  if  it  is  by  Baal-zebul's  power  that  I  expel  the  demons,     27 
by  whose  power  do  your  disciples  expel  them  ?    They  therefore 
shall  be  your  judges.     But  if  it  is  by  the  Spirit  of  God  that  I     28 

18.  This  is]  The  more  lit.  'Behold!'  is  not  the  verb,  but  only  an  interjection 
of  verbal  origin.  In  French  it  might  be  rendered  '  Voici '  or  '  Voila.'  See  viii.  24,  n  ; 
John  i.  29,  n.     Takes  pleasure]  On  the  tense  see  Aortst,  p.  21. 

20.  A  crushed  reed]  The  idea  is  possibly  that  of  a  shepherd  who  picks  up  a  reed 
in  order  to  play  a  tune  upon  it.  But  discovering  that  it  is  bruised  and  crushed,  and 
therefore  little  suited  for  his  purpose,  he  breaks  it  in  two  and  throws  it  away.  Reeds 
seem  also  to  have  been  used  as  pens  to  write  with  (3  John  13),  and  even  as  canes  or 
light  walking-sticks.  Cp.  Isa.  xxxvi.  6  ;  Rev.  xi.  i,  n.  The  first  interpretation, 
however,  yields  the  best  sense.  Christ,  the  chosen  and  dearly-loved  Servant  of  the 
Lord,  does  not  cast  us  away  because  our  lives  yield  such  imperfect  music,  and  when 
our  light  burns  dimly  He  trims  instead  of  utterly  extinguishing  it.  Led  on  Justice] 
Headed  its  charge  through  the  host  of  foes  and  brought  it  clear  of  them  all. 

21.  Rest  their  hopes]  This  is  one  of  no  fewer  than  18  passages  in  the  A.V.  of  the 
N.T.  in  which  '  trust  '  is  erroneously  used  for  'hope.' 

22-37.  Cp.  Mark  iii.  19-30 ;  Luke  vi.  43-45  ;  xi.  17-23. 

22.  Dwnb]  The  word  perhaps  means  a  deaf-mute. 

23.  The  Son  0/ David]  This  title  had  already  been  applied  to  Jesus  (ix.  27)  by 
persons  who  perhaps  but  dimly  discerned  its  significance. 

26.  Begun]  The  tense  implies  this.  See  Aorist  vi.  6.  We  may  render  '  has 
engaged  in  conflict  with  himself.' 

27.  Disciples]  Lit.  'sons.'  So  'the  sons  of  the  prophets'  are  repeatedly  men- 
tioned in  the  O.T.  Your  disciples]  The  disciples  of  the  Pharisees  (verse  24)  and 
Scribes,  who  had  come  down  from  Jerusalem  (Mark  iii.  22). 

28.  Kingdi'fn  0/ God]  Matthew  here  (as  also  in  vi.  2?'\  xix.  24;  xxi.  31,  43)  for- 
sakes his  usual  expression  '  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens,'  and  adopts  this  other  which 
alone  is  found  in  other  parts  of  the  N.T.     Has  come  upon  you]  The  verb  here 


32  MATTHEW   XII. 

expel  the  demons,  it  is  evident  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  has 

come  upon  you.     Again,  how  can  any  one  enter  a  strong  man's     29 

house  and  carry  off  his  goods,  unless  first  of  all  he  masters  and 

secures  the  strong  man  :  then  he  will  plunder  his- goods 

"  The  man  who  is  not  with  me  is  agamst  me,     30 
The  Awfulness  ^  ^  ,       ■  1       •  •  , 

of  rejecting     and  he  who  is  not  gathermg  with  me  is  scattering 

**^Li'"ht^'^'^  abroad.  This  is  why  I  tell  you  that  men  may  31 
find  forgiveness  for  every  other  sin  and  impious 
word,  but  that  for  impious  speaking  against  the  Holy  Spirit 
they  shall  find  no  forgiveness.  And  whoever  shall  speak  32 
against  the  Son  of  Man  may  obtain  forgiveness  ;  but  whoever 
speaks  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  neither  in  this  nor  in  the  coming 
age  shall  he  obtain  forgiveness. 

"  Either  grant  the  tree  to  be  wholesome  and  its     33 
declared  to  be  ffuit  wholesome,  or  the  tree  poisonous  and  its  fruit 
rotten  at       poisonous  ;  for  the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.     O     34 
vipers'  brood,  how  can  you  speak  what  is  good 
when  you  are  evil  ?    For  it  is  from  the  overflow  of  the  heart  that 
the  mouth  speaks.     A  good  man  from  his  good  store  produces     35 
good  things,  and  a  bad  man  from  his  bad  store  produces  bad 
things.     But   I  tell  you  that  for  every  careless  word  that  men     36 
shall  speak  they  will  be  held  accountable  on  the  day  of  Judge- 
ment.    For  by  his  words  shall  each  one  of  you  be  justified,  or     ^7 
by  his  words  be  condemned." 

Then  He  was  accosted  by  some  of  the  Scribes     38 
guilty  than  the  and  Pharisees  who  said,  "  Teacher,  we  wish  to  see 
He"a^then        ^  ^'^^  given   by  you."      "  Wicked  and  faithless     39 
generation!"    He   replied,    "they  clamour  for  a 
sign,  but  none  shall  be  given  to  them  except  the  sign  of  the 
Prophet  Jonah.     For  just  as  Jonah  was  three  days  in  the     40 
sea-monster's  belly  (Jonah  i.  17),  so  will  the  Son  of    Man 

employed  (found  nowhere  else  in  the  Gospels  except  in  the  parallel  passage  Luke  xi. 
20)  probably  implies  '  Before  you  were  expecting  its  arrival.'  Cp.  xxiv.  42,  44.  This 
sense  of  the  verb  is  preserved  in  Modern  Greek. 

29.  A  strong  man]  Lit.  '  the  strong  man  '  named  generically,  like  '  The  Sower." 
xiii.  3.  The  overthrow  of  the  prince  of  evil  would  be  followed  by  the  sure  but 
gradual  undoing  of  the  mischief  he  had  wrought. 

31.  Men]  V.L.  'you  men.' 

32.  Shall  speak]  Cp.  Luke  xii.  10,  n. 
34.   Brooii]  See  lii.  7  and  note. 

38  42.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  16,  29-36. 

38.   Ginen  by]  Lit.  'from.' 

40.  Three  days]  lAt.  '  three  days  and  three  nights,' a  striking  Hebraism.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Talmud  a  day  and  a  night  together  make  up  a  'nightday,'  and  any  part 
of  such  a  period  is  counted  as  a  whole,  i'hus  in  our  .Saviour's  case  the  three  '  niglit- 
days  consist  of  about  three  hours  of  the  Friday,  the  whole  of  the  Saturday  (reckoned 
in  the  Jewish  mode  from  sunset  to  sunset),  and  the  first  half— t'ne  night— of  the 
Sunday. 


MATTHEW    XII.-XIIL  33 

be  three  days  in  the  heart  of  the  earth.  There  will  stand  up  41 
men  of  Nineveh  at  the  Judgement  together  with  the  present 
generation,  and  will  condemn  it  ;  because  they  repented  at  the 
preaching  of  Jonah,  and  mark  !  there  is  One  greater  than  Jonah 
here.  The  Queen  of  the  south  will  awake  at  the  Judgement  42 
together  with  the  present  generation,  and  will  condemn  it  ; 
because  she  came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon,  and  mark  !  there  is  One  greater  than  Solomon 
here. 

Thev  would  be-     "  ^^°  sooner  however  has  the  foul  spirit  gone  out     43 
come  utterly    of  the  man,  than  he  roams  about  in  places  where 
emora  ise  .    ^^^^^  jg  ^^  water,  seeking  rest  but  finding  none. 
Then  he  says,  '  I  will  return  to  my  house  that  I  left  ; '  and  he     44 
comes  and  finds  it  unoccupied,  swept  clean,  and  in  good  order. 
Then  he  goes  and  brings   with  him  seven  other  spirits  more     45 
wicked  than  himself, *and  they  come  in  and  dwell  there  ;  and  in  - 
the  end  that  man's  condition  becomes  worse  than  it  was  at  first. 
So  will  it  be  also  with  the  present  wicked  generation." 
Christ's  Reia-       While  He  was  still  addressing  the   people  His     46 
tives  desire  to  mother  and  brothers  were  standing  on  the  edge 
speak  to  Him.    ^j  ^.j^^  crowd  desiring  to  speak  to  Him.     So  some     47 
one  told  Him,  "  Your  mother  and  brothers  are  standing  outside, 
and  desire  to  speak  to  you."     He  replied  to  the  man,  "  Who  is     48 
my  mother  ?    And  who  are  my  brothers  ? "    And  pointing  to  his     49 
disciples  He  added,  "  See  here  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers. 
To  obey  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven — that  is  to  be  my  brother     50 
and  sister  and  mother." 
A  Series  of         That  same  day  Jesus  had  left  the  house  and  was     i   1  Q 
Parables.    _  sitting   on  the  shore  of  the  Lake,  when  a  vast     2 
multitude   of.  people   crowded   round   Him.     He 

41,42.  One  greater]  Lit.  'more.' 
43-45.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  17-26. 

43.  T/ie  foul  spirit  gone  oiit\  An  apparent  reference  to  the  temporary  moral 
reformation  produced  among  the  Jews  by  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist,  Jesus 
and  the  Apostles.  Roams  about]  To  a  variety  of  places.  Such  is  the  force  of  the 
same  verb  in  Acts  viii.  4  and  elsewhere. 

44.  In  good  order]  Decoration  and  ornament  may  be  the  sense  here  intended, 
rather  than  orderly  arrangement.  For  the  former  sense  see  Rev.  xxi.  2,  19  ;  for  the 
latter  Matt.  xxv.  7  ('  trimmed  "). 

45.  The  present  wicked  generation]  Cp.  Josephus,  Wars,  v.  10,  5  ;  13,  6  ;  vii.  8,  i. 
The  Jewish  historian  declares  that  his  countrymen  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  were  far  more  ungodly  than  the  people  of  Sodom  had  been,  Cp.  Rev. 
xviii.  2. 

46-50.  Cp.  Mark  iii.  31-35  ;  Luke  viii.  19-21. 

47.  v.L.  omits  this  verse. 

1-3.  Cp.  Mark  iv.  i,  2  ;  Luke  viii.  4. 

I.  That  same  day]  So  the  same  words  plainly  signify  in  Mark  iv.  35,  but  in  Acts 
viii.  I  they  seem  to  mean  only  'about  that  time.'  The  preposition  and  the  con- 
strucvioii  are  the  same  here  as  in  xii.  i. 


34  MATTHEW   XIII. 

therefore  went  on  board  a  boat  and  sat  there,  while  all  the 
people  stood  on  the  shore.       He  then  spoke  many  things  to     3 
them  in  figurative  language.     "  The  sower  goes  out,"  He  said, 
"  to  sow.     As  he  sows,  some  of  the  seed  falls  by  the  way-side,     4 
and  the  birds   come   and  peck  it  up.     Some  falls  on   rocky     5 
ground,  where  it  has  but  scanty  soil.     It  quickly  shows  itself 
above  ground,  because  it  has  no  depth  of  earth  ;  but  when  the     6 
sun  is  risen,  it  is  scorched  by  the  heat,  and  through  having  no 
root   it  withers    up.     Some   falls   among  the   thorns  ;  but    the     7 
thorns  spring  up  and  stifle  it.     But  a  portion  falls  upon   good     8 
ground,  and  gives  a  return,  some  a  hundred  for  one,  some  sixty, 
some  thirty.     Listen,  every  one  who  has  ears  !  "  9 

(And  His  disciples  came  and  asked  Him,  "  Why     10 
Vn  ParabJes*!^   ^^  V^^  speak  to  them  in   figurative  language?" 

He  replied,  "  Because  while  to  you  it  is  granted  to     1 1 
know  the  secrets  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  He'avens,  to  them  it  is 
not.     For  whoever  has,  to  him  more  shall   be  given,  and  he     12 
shall  have  abundance  ;  but  whoever  has  not,  from  him  even 
what  he  has  shall  be  taken  away.     I  speak  to  them  in  figurative     13 
language  for  this  reason,  that  while  looking  they  do  not  see, 
and  while  hearing  they  neither  hear  nor  understand.     And  in     14 
regard  to  them  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  is  receiving  signal  fulfil- 
ment : 
'you  will  hear  and  hear  and  by  no  means  understand, 

And  you  will  look  and  look  and  by  no  means  see. 

For  this  people's  mind  is  stupefied,  15 

Their  hearing  has  become  dull, 

And  their  eyes  they  have  closed  ; 

To  prevent  their  ever  seeing  with  their  eyes 

Or  hearing  with  their  ears, 

Or  understanding  with  their  minds, 

And  turning  back. 

So  THAT  I  might  HEAL  THEM  '  (Isa.  vi.  9,  lo). 

3-9.  Cp.  Mark  iv.  3-9  ;  Luke  viii.  5-8. 

3.  Figurative  language]  Or     'parables.'     Goes   out]    Or    'went  out;'  and    so 
throughout  the  parables  in  this  chapter.     Cp.  Luke  viii.  5,  n. 

7.  Atnong]  Lit.   'upon;'  i.e.   upon  ground  full  of  the  roots  of  the  plants  here 
called  '  thorns.'     See  Matt.  vii.  16,  n. 

8.  Gives]  Or  'begins  to  give.'     The  verbs  in  the  original  are  all  in  past  tenses,  but 
this  one  alone  is  in  the  imperfect,  indicating  prolonged  action. 

9.  Ears]  v.L.  adds  'to  listen  with.' 

10-17.   Cp.  Mark  iv.  10-12  ;  Luke  viii.  9,  10. 

10.  Ca7ne  and  asked]  Later  in  the  day,  as  we  learn  from  Mark  iv.    10.     After 
verse  23  the  series  of  parables  (verse  3)  is  resumed. 

11.  Secrets]  Or  '  mysteries.'     See  Phil.  iv.  12,  n. 

15.  Minaj  Lit.   '  heart,'   a  common   Hebraism.     The  ordinary  Greek   word  for 


MATTHEW   XIII.  35 

"  But  as  for  you,  blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see,  and  your     16 
ears,  for  they  hear.    For  I  solemnly  tell  you  that  many  prophets     17 
and  holy  men  have  longed  to  see  the  sights  you  see,  and  have 
not  seen  them,  and  to  hear  the  words  you  hear,  and  have  not 
heard  them. 

The  story  of        "  To  you  then  I  will  explain  the  parable  of  the     18 
the  Sower      Sower.    When  a  man  hears  the  Message  concern-     19 
ing  the  Kingdom  and  does  not  understand  it,  the 
Evil  one  comes  and  catches  away  what  has  been  sown  in  his 
heart.     This  is  he  who  has  received  the  seed  by  the  road-side. 
He  who  has  received  the  seed  on  the  rocky  ground  is  the  man     20 
who  hears  the  Message  and  immediately  receives  it  with  joy  ; 
it  has  struck  no  root,  however,  within  him  :  he  continues  for  a     21 
time,  but  when  suffering  comes,  or  persecution,  because  of  the 
Message,  he  at  once  stumbles  and  falls.     He  who  has  received     22 
the  seed  among  the  thorns  is  the  man  who  hears  the  Message, 
but  the  cares  of  the  present  age  and  the  delusions  of  riches 
quite  stifle  the  Message,  and  it  becomes  unfruitful.     But  he  who     23 
has  received  the  seed  on  good  ground  is  he  who  hears  and 
understands.     Such    hearers   give   a   return,    and   yield    one  a 
hundred  for  one,  another  sixty,  another  thirty.") 

•.-ru    »*/u    *        Another  parable    He    put  before  them.     "  The     24 
"The  Wheat  ,  "^  ^ 

and  the        Kuigdoni  of  the  Heavens  may  be  compared  to  a 
Darnel."        ^^^^  ^j^^  ^isis  sown  good  Seed  in  his  field,  but     25 
during  the  night  his  enemy  comes,  and  over  the  first  seed  he 
sows  darnel  among  the  wheat,  and  goes  away.     But  when  the     26 
blade  shoots  up  and  the  grain  is   formed,   then  appears   the 
darnel  also.     So  the  farmer's  men  come  and  ask  him,  '  Sir,  was     27 
it  not  good  seed  that  you  sowed  on  your  land  ?    Where  then 
does  the  darnel  come  from  .'"    He  answers,  '  Some  hostile  hand     28 
has  done  this.'      The  men  inquire,  '  Shall  we  go,  and  collect  it .'' ' 

'  mind '  or  '  intellect '  is  nowhere  used  by  Matthew  or  Mark,  /s  siu^ejied]  Lit.  '  has 
grown  thick  '  (or  '  fat ').  So  that  I  tnight\  Lit.  '  and  I  shall.'  This  use  of  '  and  '  is 
a  common  Hebraism.  For  instance  "  that  it  may  save  us"  (i  Sam.  iv.  3)  is  literally 
in  the  Hebrew  "  and  it  shall  save  us."     See  Mark  i.  20,  n.,  and  Aorist,  pp.  54,  55. 

18-23.   Cp.  Mark  iv.  13-20;  Luke  viii.  11-15. 

19,  20,  22,  23.  Has  received  ike  seed]  Namely,  as  land  receives  seed.  Lit.  '  has 
been  sown,'  as  we  talk  not  only  of  sowing  wheat,  but  of  sowing  a  field  with  wheat. 
For  the  latter  is  not  peculiarly  an  English  idiom.  It  occurs  in  several  passages  of 
the  O.T.,  both  in  the  Hebrew  original  and  in  the  Greek  LXX.  ;  for  instance,  Gen. 
xlvii,  23  ;  Exod.  xxiii.  10  ;  Lev.  xxv.  3,  4  ;  while  in  Deut.  xxix.  23  and  E?ek.  xxxvi. 
9  the  verb  in  the  same  sense  is  used  in  the  passive,  just  as  in  these  verses  of  St. 
Matthew. 

24-30.  Cp.  Mark  iv.  26-29. 

24.  May  be  compared  td\  Lit.  '  has  been  made  like.'  The  same  form  of  the  verb 
occurs  in  xviii.  23;  xxii.  2. 

25.  During  the  night]  Lit.   '  while  men'  (or  'his  men  ')  'were  sleeping.' 
27,  28.  Men]  Lit.  'slaves.' 


36  MATTHEW   XIII. 

'  No,'  he  replied,  'for  fear  that  while  collecting  the  darnel  you     29 
should  at  the  same  time  root  up  the  wheat  with  it.     Leave  both     30 
to  grow  together  until  the  harvest,  and  at  harvest-time  I  will 
direct  the  reapers,  Collect  the  darnel  first,  and  make  it  up  into 
bundles  to  burn  it,  but  bring  all  the  wheat  into  my  barn.'" 

Another  parable    He  put  before  them.     "The     31 
" '^'seed""**''^  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  is  like  a  mustard-seed, 

which  a  man  takes  and  sows  in  his  ground.     It  is     32 
the  smallest  of  all  seeds,  and  yet  when  full-grown  it  is  larger 
than  any  herb  and  forms  a  tree,  so  that  the  wild  birds  come  and 
build  in  its  branches." 

Another  parable  He  spoke  to  them.  "  The  King-     33 
dom  of  the  Heavens  is  like  yeast  which  a  woman 
takes  and  buries  in  a  bushel  of  flour,  for  it  to  work  there  till  the 
whole  mass  has  risen." 

All  this  Jesus  spoke  to  the  people  in  figurative     34 
^"^ParabVes.  °^  language,  and  except  in  figurative  language  He 

spoke  nothing  to  them,  in  fulfilment  of  the  saying     35 
of  the  Prophet, 
"  I  WILL  OPEN  MY  MOUTH  IN  FIGURATIVE  LANGUAGE, 

I  WILL   UTTER  THINGS    KEPT  HIDDEN  SINCE  THE    CREATION 
OF   ALL  THINGS  "  (Ps.  Ixxviii.  2). 

.. -ru    »A„-    X        When  He  had  dismissed  the  people  and  returned     36 

"The  Wheat  ,       ,  ^,.      ..      .    ,  ^      ^   ^^.  .  ,      ,  ^ 

and  the        to  the  house,  His  disciples  came  to  Him  with  the 

^mraningl*^    request,  "  Explain  to  us  the  parable  of  the  darnel 

sown  in  the  field."    He  replied,  "The  sower  of  the  37 

good  seed  is  the  Son  of  Man  ;  the  field  is  the  world  ;  the  good  38 

seed,  the  sons  of  the  Kingdom  ;  the  darnel,  the  sons  of  the  Evil 

one.      The  enemy  who  sows  the  darnel  is  the  devil  ;  the  harvest  39 

is  the  Close  of  the  age  ;  the  reapers  are  the  angels.     As  then  40 

30.  First]  An  interesting  indication  that  the  distinction  in  time  which  some  would 
make  between  the  Epiphany  (Christ's  Coming  to  take  away  His  people)  and  the 
Parousia  (His  Coming  later  on,  to  judgement)  is  groundless.  The  '  harvest-time  '  is 
one  and  the  same,  and  judgement  precedes,  instead  of  following,  the  gathering  of 
believers  into  the  heavenly  home.  Bring]  v.L.  a  form  of  the  verb  that  signifies 
prolonged  action;  'go  on  bringing.'     All]  Lit.  'together.' 

31-33.   Cp.  Mark  iv.  30-32  ;  Luke  xiii.  18-21. 

32.  The  smallest  o/]  Lit.  '  smaller  than.'     Herb]  Or  '  garden  vegetable.' 

33.  Veast]  Or  '  leaven,'  '  barm.' 
34-35-   Cp.  Mark  iv.  33,  34. 

35.    The  Prophet]  Asaph.     See  Ps.  Ixxviii.  2  and  heading. 

38.  Sons]  A  Hebraism,  on  which  see  the  Commentators,  and  cp.  xii.  27. 

39.  Close]  Or  '  consummation.'  See  xxviii.  20,  n.  Age]  Cp.  verse  49 ;  xxiv.  3,  n.  ; 
xxviii.  20,  n.  Some  understand  the  'age'  in  question  to  have  been  the  Jewish 
dispensation  which  ended  in  70,  A.D.,and  infer  from  our  Lord's  teaching  that  the 
physical  destruction  of  the  Hebrew  nation  at  that  time  was  immediately  followed  by 
their  spiritual  judgement  in  the  unseen  world.  Such  an  interpretation  does  not 
iiecess.Tiily  diminish  the  solemn  interest  and  significance  of  this  parable  for  us.     An 


MATTHEW   XIII.  37 

ibe  darnel  is  collected  together  and  burnt  up  with  fire,  so  will  it 

be  at  the  Close  of  the  a'ge.      The  Son  of  Man  will  commission     41 

His  angels,  and  they  will  gather  out  of  His  Kingdom  all  causes 

of  sin  and  all  who  violate   His  laws  ;  and  these  they  will    throw     42 

mto  the  fiery  furnace.     There  will  be  the  weeping  aloud  and  the 

gnashmg  of  teeth.     Then  will  the  righteous  shine  out  like  the     43 

sun  in  their  Father's  Kingdom.     Listen,  every  one   who   has 

ears  ' 

ujiyQjj.^^,         "The  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  is  like  treasure     44 

sure  found      buried  in  the  open  country,  which  a  man  finds,  but 

and  buried."     ,        •  •  j    •       i  •      •  i        .^    -^  i 

buries  agam,  and,  m  his  joy  about  it,  goes  and 

sells  all  he  has  and  buys  that  piece  of  ground. 

"The  one  "Again  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  is  like  a    45 

Pearl  of  sur._^  jewel  merchant  who  is  in  quest  of  choice  pearls, 
passing  a  ue.     ^^  ^^^j^  ^^^  most  costly  pearl  ;  he  goes  away  ;     46 
and  though  it  costs  all  he  has,  he  buys  it. 

"Again  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens  is  like  a     47 
"man'sl^etr'   draw-net  let  down  into  the  sea,  which  encloses  fish 

of  all  sorts.     When  full,  they  haul  it  up  on  the     48 
beach,  and  sit  down  and  collect  the  good  fish  in  baskets,  while 
the  worthless  they  throw  away.     So  will  it  be  at  the  Close  of  the     49 
age.     The  angels  will  go  forth  and  separate  the  wicked  from 
among  the  righteous,  and  will  throw  them  into  the  fiery  furnace  :     50 
there  will  be  the  weeping  aloud  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth." 
Learners  must       "  Have  you   understood  all  this  ? "    He  asked.     51 
_become        "  Yes,"  they  said.    He  replied,  "Therefore  remem-     52 
ber  that  every  Scribe  well  trained  for  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Heavens  is  like  a  householder  who  brings  out  of  his  store- 
house new  things  and  old." 

A  visit  to  Jesus  concluded  this  series  of  parables  and  then     53 

Nazareth  and   departed.     And  He  came  into  His  own  country     ^4 
Its  Synagogue.         \,  j    j  ,  ,    .       ,     .  , 

and  proceeded  to  teach  in  their  synagogue,  so  that 

equally  certain  separation  between  the  righteous  and  wicked,  of  later  generations, 
comes  either  at  the  death  of  the  individual  or  at  the  close  of  the  Christian  era.  See 
John  V.  29  ;  Rev.  xx.  7,  11-13. 

41.  Causes  q/si'n]  Lit.  '  stumbling-blocks.'     Cp.  v.  29  ;  xv.  12. 

42.  T/te  zveeping]  See  viii.  12,  n. 

43.  Like  the  sutr]  "Like  Christ  Himself  Rev.  i.  16"  (Wordsworth).  Their 
Fathers  Kingdom\  Cp.  xxvi.  29.     Ears\  v.l.  adds  '  to  hear.' 

45.  A  jewel  merchant\  Lit.  (according  to  most  authorities)  '  a  man,  a  merchant.' 
So  in  verse  52  and  in  xx.  i,  xxi.  33,  '  a  man,  a  householder  ; '  xviii.  23,  xxii.  2,  '  a 
man,  a  king.' 

j8.   The  worthless]  The  legally  unclean.  Lev.  xi.  9-12. 

49.   Close  of  the  age]  Cp.  xxiv.  3,  n.  ;  xxyiii.  20,  n. 

52.    Therefore  remember]  Or  '  well  then  '  (Alford). 

54-58.   Cp.  Mark  vi.  1-6. 

54,57.   Country]  Lit.    'fatherland.' 


38  MATTHEW   XIIT.-XIV. 

they  were  filled  with  astonishment  and  exclaimed,  "Where  did 
he  obtain  such  wisdom,  and  these  wondrous  powers  ?    Is   not     55 
this  the  carpenter's  son  ?    Is  not  his  mother  called  Mary?    And 
his   brothers,    James,   Joseph,    Simon    and    Judah  ?    And   his     56 
sisters — are  they  not   all  living  here  among  us  ?    Where  then 
did  he  get  all  this  ?"      So  they  turned  angrily  away  from  Him.     57 
But  Jesus  said   to  them,  "  There  is  no  prophet  left   without 
honour  except  in  his  own  country  and  among  his  own  family." 
And  He  performed  but  few  mighty  deeds  there  because  of  their 
want  of  faith. 

The  Imprison.       About  that  time   Herod  the  Tetrarch  heard  of 
ment  and       the  fame  of  Jesus,  and  said  to  his  courtiers,  "This     _ 

Murder   of       .       .    ,         ,        „         •  i       1  1        i  i-/- 

John  the       IS  John  the  Baptist  :  he  has  come  back  to  life — 
Baptist.        ^^^   ^^^^   jg    ^yjjy  these  miraculous   Powers   are 
working  in  him." 

For  Herod  had  arrested  John,  put  him   in   chains,   and  im-     3 
prisoned  him,  for  the  sake  of  Herodias  his  brother  Philip's  wife, 
because  John  had  persistently  said  to  him,  "  It  is  not  lawful  for     4 
you  to  have  her."     And  he   would  have  liked  to  put  him  to     5 
death,  but  was  afraid  of  the  people,  because  they  regarded  John 
as  a  prophet.     But  when  Herod's  birthday  came,  the  daughter     6 
of  Herodias  danced  before  all  the  company,  and  so  pleased 
Herod  that  with  an  oath  he  promised  to  give  her  whatever  she     7 
asked.     So  she,  instigated  by  her  mother,  said,  "  Give  me  here     8 
on  a  dish  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist."  The  king,  though  deeply     9 
vexed,  yet  for  the  sake  of  his  repeated  oath  and  of  the  guests 
at  his  table  ordered  it  to  be  given  her,  and  sent  and  beheaded     10 
John  in  the  prison.     The  head  was  brought  on  a  dish  and  given     11 
to  the  young  girl,  and  she  took  it  to  her  mother.     Then  John's     12 
disciples  went  and  removed  the  body  and  buried  it,  and  came 
and  informed  Jesus. 
A  Crowd  of         Upon  receiving  these  tidings,  Jesus  went  away     13 
b'oo'o  PecMjle    ^y  ^^^^  ^^  ^"  Uninhabited  and  secluded  district  ; 
fed.  but  the  people  heard  of  it  and  followed  Him  in 

crowds  from  the  towns  by  land.     So  Jesus  went  out  and  saw  an      14 

55.    r/i/s]   Or  'this  fellow.' 

57.  Turned  angrily  away\  Lit.  'they  were  caused  to  stumble.'  Cp.  verse  41. 
Faviily\  Or  '  house.' 

1-2.   Cp.  Mark  vi.  14-16  ;  Luke  ix.  7-g. 

3-5.    Cp.  Mark  vi.  17-20;   Luke  iii.  19,  20. 

6-12.   Cp.  Mark  vi.  21-29. 

12.  //]  Lit.  'him;'  according  to  the  best  authorities:  in  Mark  the  pronoun  is 
neuter. 

13-21.    Cp.  Mark  vi.  30-44;  Luke  ix.  10-17  ,  John  v.  1-14. 

14.    Went  out]  Jesus  seems  to  have  retired  to  meditate  in  perfect  solitude  (near 


MATTHEW   XIV.  39 

immense  multitude,  and    felt  compassion  for  them,  and  cured 
those  of  them  who  were  out  of  health.     But  when  evening  was     15 
come,  the  disciples  came  to  Him  and  said,  "This  is  an  un- 
inhabited place,  and  the  best  of  the  day  is  now  gone  ;  send  the 
people  away  to  go  into  the  villages  and  buy  something  to  eat/' 
Jesus  replied,  "They  need  not  go  away  :  you  yourselves  must     16 
give  them  something  to  eat."     "We  have  nothing  here,"  said     17 
they,  "but  five  loaves  and  a  couple  of  fish."      "Bring   them     18 
here  to  me,"  He  replied,  and  He  told  all  the  people  to  sit  down     19 
on  the  grass.     Then  He  took  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fish, 
and  after  looking  up  to  heaven  and  blessing  them.  He  broke  up 
the  loaves  and  gave  them  to  the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  dis- 
tributed them  to  the  people.     So  all  ate,  and  were  fully  satisfied.     20 
The   broken    portions   that  remained   over   they   gathered  up, 
filling  twelve  baskets.     Those  who  had  eaten  were  about  5,000     21 
adult  men,  without  reckoning  women  and  children. 

Immediately  afterwards  He  made  the  disciples     22 

i'i^lotifude^  go  on    board  the  boat  and  cross  to  the  opposite 

shore,  leaving  Him  to  dismiss  the  people.     When     23 
He  had   done  this,  He  climbed   the  hill  to    pray   in  solitude. 
Night  came  on,  and  He  was  there  alone.     Meanwhile  the  boat     24 
was  far  out  on  the  Lake,  buffeted  and  tossed    by  the  waves, 
the  wind  being  adverse. 

But  towards  daybreak  He  went  to  them,  walking     25 

"t1iellake°"     ^^er  the  waves.     When  the   disciples   saw  Him     26 
walking  on  the  waves,  they  were  greatly  alarmed. 
"  It  is  a  spirit,"  they  exclaimed,  and  they  cried  out  with  terror. 
But  instantly  Jesus  spoke  to  them  :  "There  is  no  danger;  it  is  I  ;     27 
do  not  be  afraid."    Peter  answered,  "  iMaster,  if  it  is  you,  bid  me     28 

Bethsaida  Julias,  Luke  Ix.  lo),  and  then  to  have  been  called  by  His  disciples  to  see 
the  vast  concourse  of  people  who  were  coming  to  listen  to  His  teaching  and  obtain 
relief  for  the  afflicted  among  them.  Some  however  suppose  that  '  went  out '  means 
'landed  from  the  boat,'  and  that  the  crowds  were  already  assembled  on  the  shore. 
Some  undoubtedly  had  run  on  ahead  (Mark  vi.  32),  but  the  majority  appear  to  have 
followed  Him  (verse  13  and  Luke  ix.  11),  and  to  have  kept  on  coming  all  day  in 
increasing  numbers  (John  v.  15). 

15.  Evenhig]  Lit.  '  a  late  '  hour.  The  time  referred  to  is  probably  that  of  offer- 
ing the  evening  sacrifice,  about  3  p.m.  The  feeding  of  the  multitude  would  then  be 
'between  the  two  evenings,'  Exod.  xii.  6,  margin. 

2o.  Broken portio>is\  Those  into  which  the  Lord  had  broken  the  loaves;  not  mere 
.scraps  and  crumbs. 

22-33.  Cp.  Mark  vi.  45-52  ;  John  vi.  15-21. 

23.   Night]  Lit.  'a  late  '  hour,  the  same  word  as  in  verse  15. 

24  Fa?-  out  on  the  Lake]  Lit.  'in  the  middle  of  the  sea.'  v.l.  '  was  many  furlongs 
from  land.' 

25.  Totvards  daybreak]  Lit.  'in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night.'  See  the  Com* 
mentators. 

27.   It  is  I]  Lit.  '  I  am,'  as  ui  Jolin  viii.  58. 


40  MATTHEW   XIV.-XV. 

come  to  you  upon  the  water."  "Come,"  replied  Jesus;  and  29 
Peter  climbed  down  from  the  boat  and  walked  upon  the  water 
to  go  to  Him.  But  when  he  felt  the  wind  he  grew  frightened,  30 
and  beginning  to  sink  he  cried  out,  "Master,  save  me."  Instantly  31 
Jesus  stretched  out  His  hand  and  caught  hold  of  him,  saying  to 
him,  "O  little  faith,  why  did  you  doubt  .'*"  So  they  climbed  into  32 
the  boat,  and  the  wind  lulled  ;  and  the  men  on  board  fell  down  33 
before  Him  and  said,  "You  are  indeed  God's  Son." 

When   they  had   quite  crossed  over,  they  put     34 

olnneLa^ret.     ashore  at  Gennesaret  ;  and  the  men  of  the  place,     35 
recognizing  Him,  sent  word  into  all  the  country 
round.      So    they    brought    all    the    sick    to    Him,    entreating     36 
Him  that  they  might  but  touch  the  tassel  of  His  outer  garment  ; 
and  all  who  touched  were  restored  to  perfect  health. 
Real  Purity  an       Then  there  came  to  Jesus  a  party  of  Pharisees     i   ] 

"s^fritu^'i*^      and  Scribes  from  Jerusalem,  who  inquired,  "  Why     2 
Thing.         do  your  disciples   transgress  the  tradition  of  the 
Elders  in  not  washing  their  hands  before  meals  ?"     "  Why  do     3 
you,  too,"  He  retorted,  "  transgress  God's  commands  for  the 
sake  of  your  tradition?    For  God  said,  'HONOUR  THY  FATHER     4 
AND  THY  mother'  (Exod.  XX.  12)  ;  and  '  Let  him  who  reviles 

FATHER  OR  MOTHER  BE  CERTAINLY  PUT  TO  DEATH'  (Exod. 

xxi.  17)  ;   but  you,  this  is  what  you  say,  '  If  a  man  says  to  his     5 
father  or  mother,  That  is  consecrated,  whatever  it  is,  which  other- 
wise you  should  have  received  from  me — he  shall  be  absolved     6 
from  honouring  his  father  ;'  and  so  you  have  abrogated  God's 
Word   for  the  sake  of  your  tradition.     Hypocrites  !   well   did     7 
Isaiah  prophesy  of  you, 

'  This  is  a  People  who  honour  Me  with  their  lips,      8 
While  their  heart  is  far  away  from  Me  ; 
But  it  is  in  vain  they  worship  Me,  9 

While  they  lay  down  precepts  which  are  mere 
HUMAN  rules'"  (Isa.  xxix.   13). 

20.   Tc^-o]  v.L.  'and  went.'  v 

30.  feii]   Lit.    'saw.'      T/te    wind]    v.L.    'how   strong  the    wind    was.'      Gre7v 
/rightened]  Although  he  was  a  fisherman  and  a  swimmer  (John  xxi.  7). 
34-36.   Cp.  Mark  vi.  53-56. 
1-20.  Cp.  Mark  vii.  1-23. 

2.  Tradition    of  the   Elders]    See    the    Commentators.         Before   iiieals]    Lit. 
'  whenever  they  eat  bread.'     Cp.  Mark  vii.  5,  n. 

3.  For  the  sake  of]  I.E.  'in  order  to  do  honour  to.'     Vouf  tradition]  Yours,  not 
God's. 

4.  Reviles]  Or   'curses.'     Be  certainly  put  to  death]  Lit.    'die  by  death.'     Or, 
as  in  Mark  vii.  10,  '  die  the  death  ;'  or  'die  by  the  hand  of  justice.' 

5    Consecrated]  Lit.   '  a  gift  that  is  a  sacrifice  to  God.'     See  Mark  vii.  ir,  n. 

6.  The  first  clause   is    by    some  assigned  to   the   Pharisees,   as   completing    their 


MATTHEW   XV.  41 

Then,  when  He  had  called  the  people  to  Him,  Jesus  said,     10 
"Hear  and  understand.      It  is  not   what  goes  into   a  man's     11 
mouth  that  defiles  him  ;  but  it  is  what  comes  out  of  his  mouth — 
thai  defiles  a  man."     Then  His  disciples  came  and  said  to  Him,     12 
"  Do  you  know  that  the   Pharisees  were  greatly  shocked  when 
they  heard  those  words  ?"     "  Every  plant,"  He  replied,  "  which     13 
my  heavenly  Father  has  not  planted  will  be  rooted  up.     Leave     14 
them  alone.     They  are  blind  guides  of  the  blind  ;  and  if  a  blind 
man  leads  a  blind  man,  both  will  fall  into  some  pit."     "  Explain     15 
to  us  this  figurative  language,"  said  Peter.     "Are  even  you,"  He     16 
answered,  "  still  without  intelligence  ?     Do  you  not  understand     17 
that  whatever  enters  the  mouth  passes  into  the  stomach  and  is 
afterwards  ejected  from  the  body.'^     But  the  things  that  come     18 
out  of  the  mouth  proceed  from  the  heart,  and  it  is  these  that 
defile  the  man.     For  out  of  the  heart  proceed  wicked  thoughts,     19 
murder,  adultery,  fornication,  theft,  perjury,  impiety  of  speech. 
These  are  the  things  which  defile  the  man  ;  but  eating  with     20 
unwashed  hands  does  not  defile." 

Leaving   that   place,   Jesus   withdrew  into  the     21 
A  heathen  Girl  vicinity  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.      Here  a  Canaanitish     22 

cured.  ■'  ■' 

woman  of  the  district  came  out  and  persistently 
cried  out,  "  Sir,  Son  of  David,  pity  me  ;  my  daughter  is  cruelly 
harassed  by  a  demon."    But  He  answered  her  not  a  word.    Then     23 
the  disciples  interposed,  and  begged  Him,  saying,  "Send  her 
away  because  she  keeps  crying  behind  us."  So  He  answered  her,     24 
"  I  have  no  commission  except  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel."    Then  she    came   and  threw  herself  at  His  feet  and     25"* 
entreated  Him,  "Sir,  help  me."     He  replied,  "  It  is  not  right  to     26 

sentence  :  and  so  in  the  Resultant  Greek  Testament.  But,  after  all,  "  the  Pharisees 
were  too  shrewd  to  say  that "  (Wordsworth)  in  barefaced  opposition  to  God's  com- 
mand. It  is  better  to  supply  words  to  add  to  verse  5  (cp.  Luke  xiii.  g,  n)  ;  "  that  is 
an  exceptional  case,"  or,  as  in  the  A.V.,  "  he  shall  he  free,"  or  with  Luther  "  he  acts 
rightly  "(^^r  thut  wohl).  His  father]  v. ■l.  dt.Ads  'or  his  mother.'  Word]  wi^.  reads 
Maw.' 

11.  Defiles]  Lit.  'makes  common.'     See  Heb.  ix.  13,  n. 

12.  Shocked]  As  when  in  walking  one  strikes  one's  foot  violently  against  some 
obstacle.     Cp.  v.  29. 

14.  Of  the  blind]  v.L.  omits  these  words.  Pit]  Or  'hole.'  Cp.  xii.  11,  where  the 
same  word  is  used. 

15.  This  figurative  lang-uao-e].     See  verse  11. 
19.    Thoughts]  Or  '  reasonings.' 

21-28.   Cp.  Mark  vii.  24-30. 

22.  Persistently  cried]  Or  tlie  tense  (imperfect)  may  mean  '  began  to  cry  out  to 
Him,'  as  in  Mark  iii.  8. 

24.  Lost  sheep]  Or,  as  we  should  say,  '  lapsed  masses.' 

25.  Catne]  Into  the  house.  See  Mark  vii.  24.  Thre^v  herself  at  His  feet]  See 
John  ix.  38,  n.     The  tense  (imperfect)  indicates  that  she  remained  there. 

26.  Dogs]  Lit.  'puppies,'  or  '  whelps  '  (McClellan).  Dogs  are  not  domesticated 
animals  in  Palestine.  Puppies  are  often  cared  for  and  petted  while  still  young, 
especially  by  the  children,  but  when  full  grosvn  they  are  driven  away  to  herd  with 


42  MATTHEW   XV. 

take  the  children's  bread  and  throw  it  to  the  dogs."     "  Be  it  so,     27 
Sir,"  she   said,   "  for  even  the  dogs  eat  the  scraps  which  fall 
from  their  masters'  tables."     Jesus   replied,   "  Woman,  great  is     28 
your  faith  :  be  it  done  to  you  as  you  desire."     And  from  that 
moment  her  daughter  was  restored  to  health. 

Again,  moving  thence,  Jesus  went  along  by  the     29 

'^MPracfes^.^'*    Lake  of  Galilee  :   and  ascending  the  Hill,  He  sat 

down  there.  Soon  great  crowds  came  to  Him,  30 
bringing  with  them  those  who  were  crippled  in  feet  or  hands, 
blind  or  dumb,  and  many  besides,  and  they  hastened  to  lay 
them  at  His  feet.  And  He  cured  them,  so  that  the  people  were  31 
amazed  to  see  the  dumb  speaking,  the  maimed  with  perfect  hands, 
the  lame  walking,  the  blind  seeing  ;  and  they  gave  the  glory  to 
the  God  of  Israel. 

A  Crowd  of  ^^^  Jesus  called  His  disciples  to  Him  and  said,     32 

morethan4,ooo  "  Mv  heart  yearns  over  this  mass  of  people,  for  it 

People  fed.       .         -        ,        ,  •    ,    j         ,  ,         ,  1  ■  , 

IS  now  the  third  day  that  they  have  been  with  me 

and  they  have  nothing  to  eat.   I  am  unwilling  to  send  them  away 

hungry,  lest  they  should  faint  on  the  road."     "Where  are  we,"     33 

asked  the  disciples,  "in  this  remote  place  to  get  bread  enough 

to  satisfy  so  vast  a  multitu  de  ? "     Jesus  replied,  "  How  many     34 

loaves  have  you  ? "     "  Seven,"  they  said,  "  and  a  few  small  fish." 

So  He  bade  all  the  people  sit  down  on  the  ground,  and  He  took  35,  36 

the  seven  loaves  and  the  fish,  and  after  giving  thanks  He  broke 

them  up  and  then  distributed  them  to  the  disciples,  and  they 

to  the  people.     And  they  all  ate  and  were  satisfied.    The  broken     ;^y 

portions  that  remained  over  they  took  up — seven  full  hampers. 

Those  who  ate  were  4,000  adult  men,  without  reckoning  women     38 

and  children. 

He  then  dismissed  the  people,  went  on  board  the  boat,  and    39 

came  into  the  district  of  Magadan. 

their  savage  congeners  which  are  so  serious  a  nuisance  and  terror  to  most  eastern 
cities. 

27.  Be  it  sd\  Namely,  that  the  Gentiles  resemble  the  dogs.  For\  The  rendering 
'  yet '  is  wholly  unauthorized.  She  means  that  if  we  are  like  the  dogs  that  very 
fact  constitute^;  our  claim.   Masters\  Or  'owners'.' 

29.  The  Hill}  Cp.  V.  I.  Sat  down]  The  sense  (imperfect)  implies  '  and  continued 
sitting  ; '  or  '  took  up  His  abode  '  ("  y  demeura,"  Stapfer).     See  v.  i,  n. 

30.  Dumb\  Or  '  deaf-mutes.' 

31.  The  maimed  ivith  perfect  hands]    v.L.  omits  these  words. 
32-38.  Cp.   Mark  viii.  1-9. 

32.  Tiie  third  day]  Lit.  "three  days.'  According  to  English  idiom  'two  days' 
would  probably  express  the  true  sense,  the  time  indicated  being  one  full  day  and 
some  fraction  of  the  day  preceding  and  of  the  day  following.  Cp.  xii.  40  with  note, 
and  Luke  ii.  46. 

37.  Hampers]  Or  ' store-ba.skets,'  or  (Westcott)  'frails.'  Except  in  connexion 
with  this  miracle,  the  word  is  only  found  in  Acts  ix.  25.  The  baskets  used  in  feeding 
the  5,000  were  hand-baskets. 

39-xvi.  4.   Cp.  Mark  viii.  10-12. 


MATTHEW   XVI.  -43 

Here  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  came  to  Him;     i  ]_g 
^  Helven!*°'"  ^"^'  ^^  """^^^^  trial  of  Him,  they  asked  Him  to  show 

them   a    sign  in  the   sky.      He  repHed,    "In   the     2 
evening  you  say,   '  It  will  be  fine  weather,  for  the  sky  is  red  ; ' 
and  in  the  morning, 'It  will  be  rough  weather  to-day,  for  the     3 
sky  is  red  and  murky.'    You  learn  how  to  distinguish  the  aspect 
of  the    heavens,  but    the  signs  of  the   times  you   cannot.      A     4 
wicked  and  faithless  generation  are  eager  for  a  sign  ;  but  none 
shall  be  given  to  them  except  the  sign  of  Jonah."     And  He  left 
them  and  went  away, 

^  .     .^      ,.  When  the  disciples  arrived  at  the  other  side,  tliey     5 

False  reaching    .         ,,  ,         ,,r  ,•  ij 

compared  to    found  that  they  had  forgotten  to  brmg  any  bread  ; 

Yeast.  ^^^  when  Jesus  said  to  them,  "See  to  it :  beware     6 

of  the  yeast  of  the    Pharisees  and   Sadducees,"  they  reasoned     7 
among  themselves,  saying,  "  It  is  because  we  have  not  brought 
any  bread."      Jesus  perceived  this  and  said,   "  Why   are  you     8 
reasoning  among  yourselves,  you  men  of  little  faith,  because  you 
have    no    bread?     Do    you    not    yet    understand?    nor    even     9 
remember    the    5,000  and    the    five    loaves,    and    how    many 
basketfuls  you  carried  away,  nor  the  4,000  and  the  seven  loaves,     10 
and  how  many  hampers  you  carried  away  ?     How  is  it  you  do     ir 
not  understand  that  it  was  not  about  bread  that  I  spoke  to  you  ? 
But  beware  of  the  yeast  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees."    Then     12 
they  perceived  that  He  had  not  warned  them  against  bread-yeast, 
but  against  the  teaching  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 
Peter  acknow-     When  He  arrived  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Philip's     13 

'^"^^^God's"^  ^^^^^'^^^  Jesus    questioned  His  disciples,    "Who 

Messiah,      do  people  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  is?"     "Some     14 
say   John   the  Baptist,"  they  replied;  "others   Elijah;   others 
Jeremiah  or  one  of  the  Prophets."     "  But  you,  who  do  you  say     15 
that   I   am?"  He  asked  again.     "You,"  replied  Simon  Peter,     16 

1.  In  the  sky\  Cp.  Mark  viii.  ii  and  note. 
2-3.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  54. 

2,  3.  In  the  evening .  .you  cannot^  v.l.  omits. 
4-12.  Cp.  Mark  viii.  13-21. 

5.  The  other  side]  Of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Had  forgotten]  From  Mark  viii.  14  it 
appears  that  they  made  this  discovery  before  they  left  the  boat.  See  Aorist  vi. 
2,  3.  P-  19- 

6.  II,  12.    Yeast]  Or    leaven,'    barm.' 

7.  It  is  because]  Or  these  words  may  be  omitted,  as  in  the  R.V. 

8.  You  ha'>e\  v.l.  '  you  have  taken.' 

13-28.   Cp.  Mark  viii.  27-29  ;  Luke  i.x.  18-27  ;  John  vi.  66-71. 

13.  Questioned]  Repeatedly.  See  note  on  ii.  4,  where  the  tense  is  the  same, 
though  the  verb  is  different.  Say  that  the  Son  0/  Man  is]  v.l.  '  say  that  I  the  Son 
of  Man  am.' 

16.  Siynon  Peter]  Now,  as  frequently,  the  mouth  of  the  Apostles  (Chrysostom). 
Ever- living]  Lit.  '  living.' 


44  MATTHEW   XVI. 

"  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  ever-living  God."  "  Blessed  are 
you,  Simon  Bar-Jonah,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  for  mere  human  nature 
has  not  unveiled  this  mystery  to  you,  but  my  Father  in  heaven. 
And  I  declare  to  you  tiiat  you  are  Peter,  and  that  upon  this 
Rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  might  of  Hades  shall  not 
triumph  over  it.  I  will  give  you  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of 
the  Heavens  ;  and  whatever  you  bind  on  earth  shall  remain 
bound  in  heaven,  and  whatever  you  loose  on  earth  shall  remain 
loosed  in  heaven."  Then  He  urged  His  disciples  to  tell  no  one 
that  He  was  the  Christ. 

Jesus  predicts  From  this  time  Jesus  began  to  explain  to  His 
"'^  °and°^^*^  disciples  that  He  must  go  to  Jerusalem.,  and 
Resurrection,  suffer  much  Cruelty  from  the  Elders  and  High 
Priests  and  Scribes,  and  be  put  to  death,  and  on  the  third  day 
be  raised  to  life  again.  Tlien  Peter  took  Him  aside  and  began 
taking  Him  to  task.  "  Master,"  he  said,  "  God  forbid  ;  this  will 
not  be  your  lot."  But  He  turned  and  said  to  Peter,  "  Get 
behind  me.  Adversary  ;  you  area  hindrance  to  me,  because  your 
thoughts  are  not  God's  thoughts,  but  men's." 
Nor  may  His  Then  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  "  If  any  one 
Followers  re-  desires  to  follow  me,  let  him  renounce  self  and  take 
up  his  cross,  and  so  be  my  follower.  For  whoever 
desires  to  save  his  Hfe  shall  lose  it,  and  whoever  loses  his  life 
for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  Why,  what  benefit  will  it  be  to  a  man 
if  he  gains  the  whole  world  but  forfeits  his  life  .'*     Or  what  shall 

17.  Human  nature]  Neither  your  own  nor  any  one  else's.     Lit.  '  flesh  and  blood.' 

18.  Peter  .  .  Rock\  In  the  Greek  '  Petros'  and  '  Petra.'  In  classical  Greek  these 
signify  '  stone  '  and  '  rock '  respectively.  But  the  latter,  being  feminine,  would  be 
manifestly  unsuitable  as  the  name  of  a  man.  Cp.  John  i.  42,  4,3,  n.  ;  Acts  xii.  13. 
Might]  Lit.  'gates.'  Cp.  the  expression  "The  Ottoman  Porte."  The  Jews  regarded 
Sheol,  or  Hades,  as  the  place  where  all  the  dead  upon  their  departure  from  this  world 
were  imprisoned  for  a  time.  But  so  far  as  His  real  saints  are  concerned  Christ 
has  abolished  this  Intermediate  State.  Not  for  a  single  moment  do  the  prison 
gates  of  Hades  detain  them  from  entering  the  very  Presence  of  God.  See  Rev. 
xiv.  13. 

19.  Vou]  Peter.  In  John  xx.  23  the  pronoun  is  plural.  Seethe  Commentators. 
Remain  bound]  See  Aorist  vii.  3,4.   Bind  .  .  ioose]  See  the  Commentators. 

21.  Jesus]  V. L.  'Jesus  Christ.'  Must]  According  to  God's  appointment.  Cp. 
Luke  xxiv.  26  ;  John  iii.  14.  High  Priests]  See  ii.  4,  n.  Be  raised  to  life]  Lit. 
'awake.' 

22.  Took  Him  aside  and]  Lit.  'having  taken  Him  to  him.'  God  forbid]  Lit. 
(The  Lord  be)  'merciful  to  you.'  Will  not]  Or  '  shall  not,'  for  there  is  no  difference 
in  the  Greek — if  we  may  suppose  the  forward  and  energetic  Peter  to  assume  on 
this  occasion  a  tone  of  authority  towards  his  Master. 

23.  Adversary]  Lit.  'Satan,'  a  Hebrew  word  signifying  'Adversary.'  Peter,  as  a 
Jew,  would  at  once  understand  the  meaning.  H indrance\  Stumbling-block  in  my 
way.     See  v.  29,  n. 

25.   Shall  lose  .  .  shall fnd]  Or  '  will  lose  .  .  will  find.' 

25,  26.  Life]  Or  '  soul.' 

26.  Forfeits]  Cp.  Luke  ix.  25,  n.  To  buy  back  his  life]  After  he  has  lost  it,  hav- 
ing paid  it  as  the  penalty  of  his  misdeeds. 


MATTHEW   XVI.-XVII, 


45 


a  man  give  to  buy  back  his  life  ?     For  the  Son  of  Man  is  soon  to     27 
come  in  the  glory  of  the  Father  with  His  angels,  and  then  will 
He  requite  every  man  according  to  his  actions.     I  solemnly  tell     28 
you  that    there  are   some  of  those   who    stand  here  who  will 
certainly  not  taste  death  till  they  have  seen  the   Son  of  Man 
coming  in  His  Kingdom." 
The  Trans-  Six  days  later,  Jesus  took  with  Him  Peter  and     i   J^^T 

figuration,      the  brothers  James  and  John,  and  brought  them 
up  a  high  mountain  to  a  solitary  place.    There  in  their  presence     2 
His  form  underwent  a  change  ;  His  face  shone  like  the  sun,  and 
His  raiment  became  as  white  as  the  light.     And  suddenly  Moses     3 
and   Elijah  appeared   to  them  conversirig  with    Him.       Then     4 
Peter  said   to   Jesus,  "  Master,  we  are  thankful  to  you  that  we 
are  here.     If  you  approve,  I  will  put  up  three  tents  here,  one 
for  you,    one  for  Moses,  and   one  for  Elijah."      He  was  still     5 
speaking  when  a  luminous  cloud   spread    over   them  ;    and   a 
voice   was  heard  from   within  the    cloud,    "  This  is    My    Son 
dearly  beloved,  in  whom  is  My  delight.      Listen  to  Him."     On     6 
hearing  this  voice,  the  disciples  fell  on  their  faces  and  were 
filled  with  excessive  terror.     But  Jesus  came  and  touched  them, 
and   said,    "Rouse    yourselves    and  have  no   fear."      So  they  7,  8 
looked  up,  and  saw  no  one  but  Jesus. 
_.     „      .  As  they  were  descending  the  mountain,  Jesus     9 

The  Baptizer        ,  ^\  u  ^   ^^  r      1  •    1 

the  second      charged   them.      Tell  no  one  of  the    sight    you 
Elijah.         \xave  seen  till  the  Son   of  Man  has  risen  from 
among  the  dead."     "Why  then,"  asked  the  disciples,  "do  the     10 
Scribes  say  that  Elijah  must  first  come  ? "     "  Elijah  was  indeed     1 1 
to  come,"  He  replied,  "and  would  reform  everything.     But  I     12 
tell  you  that  he  has  already  come,  and  they  did  not  recognize 
him,  but  dealt  with  him  as  they  chose.    And  before  long  the  Son 
of  Man  will  be  treated  by  them  in  a  similar  way."     Then  it     13 
dawned  upon  the  disciples  that  it  was  John  the  Baptist  about 
whom  He  had  spoken  to  them. 

27.  His  angels]  Cp.  xiii.  41.  Actions]  Lit.  'doing,'  the  life  he  has  led,  but  'life' 
in  a  different  sense  from  that  in  the  preceding  verse. 

28.  SeeTt  the  Son  of  Man  coming]  Some  have  supposed  that  the  reference  is  to  a 
spiritual  and  judicial  Coming  of  Christ  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in 
70,  A.D.     Cp.  X.  23  ;  xxiv.  34. 

1-13.  Cp.  Mark  ix.  2-13  ;  Luke  ix.  28-36. 
I.  See  Luke  ix.  28,  n. 

4.  We  are  thankful  to  you]  Cp.  Acts  x.  33  ;  Phil.  iv.  14. 

5.  Spread  over]  Lit.  'overshadowed;'  but  that  which  is  all  light,  there  being  no 
second  object,  can  throw  no  shadow  on  its  only  object.  We  must  understand  tiiis 
luminous  cloud  as  outspread  to  cover  the  disciples  in  the  form  and  manner  of  a 
common  cloud  shading  men  from  the  sun.     Is  My  delight]  See  iii.  17,  n. 


46  MATTHEW   XVII. 

When  they  had  returned  to  the  people,  there  came     14 

^Boyclfred*^    to  Him  a  man  who  fell  on  his  knees  before   Him 

and  besought  Him.    "  Sir,"  he  said,  "  have  pity  on     15 

my  son,  for  he  is  an  epileptic  and  is  very  ill.    Often  he  falls  into 

the  fire  and  often  into  the  w^ater.     I  have  brought  him  to  your     16 

disciples,    and    they    have  not   been  able   to  cure  him."     Jesus     17 

answered,  "  O  unbelieving  and  perverse  generation  !     How  long 

shall  I  be  with  you  ?  how  long  shall  I  endure  you  ?     Bring  him 

to  me."     So  Jesus  reprimanded  the  demon,  and  he  came  forth     18 

and  left  him  ;  and  the  boy  was  cured  from  that  moment. 

_..     .  Then  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  privately  and     ig 

The  immense  ^  J  f  J  y 

Power  of       asked    Him,    "Why    could    not    we    expel    the 
^^'*^'  demon  ? "       "  Because   of  your   little   faith,"    He     20 

rephed  ;  "  for  I  solemnly  declare  to  you  that  if  you  have   faith 
like  a  mustard-seed,  you  shall  say  to  this  mountain,  'Remove 
from  this  place  to  that,'  and  it  will  remove  ;  and  nothing  shall 
be  impossible  to  you.      But  an  evil  spirit  of  this  kind  is  only     21 
driven  out  by  prayer  and  fasting." 
,  „     ^  „.  As  they  were  travelling  about  in  Galilee,  Jesus     22 

Jesus  again  •'  °  '  -' 

predicts  His     said  to  them,    "  The  Son  of  Man  is  about  to  be 

and^Resurrec-  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  men  ;  they  will   put     23 

tion.  f^jj-^-j  tQ  death,  but  on  the  third  day  He  will  be 

raised  to  life  again."     And  they  were  exceedingly  distressed. 

After  their  arrival   at   Capharnahum  the  collec-     24 
Tem'^pTTax.     tors   of  the   half-shekel   came  and  asked  Peter, 

"  Does  not  your  Teacher  pay  the  half-shekel  ?"    He     25 
answered,   "  Yes,"  and  went  into  the   house.       But   before  he 
spoke  a  word  Jesus  said,    "  What  think  you,  Simon  ?     From 
whom  do  this  world's  kings  receive  customs  or  capitation  tax.? 
from  their  own  children,  or  from  others .''  "     "  From  others,"  he     26 

14-21.  Cp.  Mark  ix.  14-29  ;  Luke  ix.  37-43. 

17.  "  It  is  long  of  your  own  unbelief  and  perverseness  that  they  could  not  cure 
liim  "  (Baxter).  Perverse]  Or  '  crooked-minded.'  To  ine\  The  '  to,' not  expressed 
with  the  usual  preposition  (as  in  the  parallel  passage  in  Mark  ix.  19,  20),  implies 
"  Bring  him  for  me  to  deal  with."     Cp.  xxi.  2. 

20.  Little  faith]  v.l.  'unbelief.'     Like]  i.e.  evergrowing,  however  small  at  first. 

21.  V.L.  omits  this  verse. 

22-23.  Cp.  Mark  ix.  30-32  ;  Luke  ix.  43-45. 

22.  TraT'elling  about]  As  in  hunting,  in  which  sense  the  verb  and  its  cognate 
noun  are  used  in  the  LXX.,  Ezek.  xiii.  20,  21.  Some  render  (as  in  margin  of  the  R.V.) 
'were  gathering  themselves  togetiier.'  v.L.  'they  abode.'  Betrayed]  I.E.  by  Judas. 
Or  '  delivered  up,'  i.e.  by  the  Almighty.     Cp.  Rom.  viii.  32. 

23.  Be  raised]  Or  'awake.' 
24-27.   Cp.  Mark  ix.  33. 

24.  The  half-shekel]  Levied  on  all  Jews  for  the  support  of  the  Temple  services, 
Exod.  XXX.  13. 

26.  The  children  are  free]  Jesus,  as  God's  own  Son,  might  justly  have  claimed 
exemption  from  this  tax  for  the  maintenance  of  His  Father's  House. 


MATTHEW   XVII.-XVIII.  47 

replied.     "  Then  the  children  are  free,"  said  Jesus;  "however,     27 
lest  we  cause  them  to  sin,  go  and  throw  a  hook  into  the  Lake, 
and  take  the   first   fish  that    comes  up.     When   you  open  its 
mouth,  you  will  find  a  shekel  in  it  :  bring  that  coin  and  give  it 
to  them  for  yourself  and  me." 

Just  then  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  and  asked,     i    1  Q 
'^H'umiiity!"     "  '^Vho  ranks  higher  than  others  in  the  Kingdom 

of  the  Heavens  ?"     So  He  called  a  young  child  to     2 
Him,  and  bidding  him  stand  in  the  midst  of  them  said,   "  In     3 
solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  unless  you  turn  and  become  like 
little  children,  you  will  in  no  case  be  admitted  into  the   King- 
dom of  the  Heavens.     Whoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself    4 
as  this  young  child,  he  it  is  who  is  superior  to  others  in  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Heavens.    And  whoever  for  my  sake  receives  one     5 
young  child  such  as  this,  receives  me  ;  but  whoever  shall  occa-     6 
sion  the  fall  of  one  of  these  little  ones  who  believe  in  me,  it 
would  be  better  for  him  to  have  a  millstone  hung  round  his  neck 
and  be  drowned  in  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

^         "Alas  for  the  world  because  of  causes  of  fall-     7 
'  Beware  ot  ' 

leading  others  ing  !     They  Cannot  but  come,  but  alas  for  each 

man  through  whom  they  come  !     If  your  hand  or     8 
your  foot  is  causing  you  to  fall  into  sin,  cut  it  off  and  away  with 
it.     It  is  better  for  you  to  enter  into  Life  crippled  in  hand  or 
foot  than  in  possession  of  two  sound  hands  or  feet  be  thrown 


27.  Cause  them  to  sin\  Through  their  imitating  the  action  without  having  the 
reason.  Cp.  v.  29.  v.l.  a  difterent  tense  of  the  verb — 'should  be  causing  &c.' 
For  yourself  and  ine'l  Not  for  us,  '  because  the  footing  on  which  it  was  given  was 
different'  (Alford).     Cp.  John  xx   17. 

1-5.   Cp.  Mark  ix.  33-41  ;  Luke  ix.  46-50. 

I.  Then\  Their  discussion  of  this  question  among  themselves  while  on  their  way 
through  Galilee  (Mark  ix.  33,  34)  had  probably  been  suggested  by  the  special  fa\our 
twice  shown  (xvii.  i;  Mark  v.  37)  to  Peter,  James,  and  John.  Ranks  higher  than 
others]  Lit.  'is  greater.'  Or  perhaps  it  may  be  rendered  'is  greatest,'  the  orduiary 
form  of  the  superlative,  which  occurs  only  in  2  Peter  i.  4,  being  almost  obsolete  in 
the  language  of  the  N.T.  (as  it  is  quite  obsolete  in  Modern  Greek)  and  the  compar- 
ative being  substituted  for  it. 

3.  Turn]  From  such  ambitious  rivalry  and  self-seeking. 

4.  Is  superior  to  others]  Lit.  'is  greater.'     See  verse  i,  n. 
6-9.  Cp.  Mark  ix.  42-50  ;  Luke  xvii.  i,  2. 

6.  Occasion]  See  xvii.  27,  n.,  which  applies  also  to  the  three  verses  following. 
The  English  words  'offend'  and  'offence'  are  altogether  misleading.  Millstone] 
Lit.  'ass-millstone,'  i.e.  a  millstone  which  an  ass  turns. 

8.  0/  the  ages]  Greek  'aeonian.'  Li  tiie  present  Translation  this  word,  which 
occurs  here  for  the  first  time,  is  thus  rendered  in  each  of  the  seventy  passages  in 
which  it  occurs.  Etymologicaily  this  adjective,  like  others  similarly  formed,  does 
not  signify  '  during,'  but  'belonging  to  '  tlie  aeons  or  ages.  Whether  usage  gives  it 
a  different  sense  is  another  question.  That  the  word  sometimes  means  'everlasting' 
in  the  strongest  sense  of  that  word,  cannot  reasonably  be  doubted.  Let  the  reader 
judge  for  himself  in  every  case.  (Where  '  of  the  ages,'  as  in  Gal.  i.  5,  represents  the 
article  and  noun  in  the  Greek,  and  not  the  adjective,  no  note  is  added.) 

8,  9.  Into  Life]  Or  'into  the  Life.'     See  xix.  16,  n. 


48  MATTHEW   XVIII. 

into  the  fire  of  the  ages.     And  if  your  eye  is  causing  you  to     9 
fall  into  sin,  tear  it  out  and  away  with  it  ;  it  is  better  for  you  to 
enter  into  Life  with  only  one  eye,  than  in  possession  of  two  eyes 
be  thrown  into  the  Gehenna  of  fire. 

"Beware  of  ever  despising  one  of  these  little     10 
'Despise  no     ones,  for  I   tell  you  that  their  angels  in  heaven 

one.       A  stray-  '  .  ■'  _     ?        .       , 

ing  Sheep  is     have  continual  access  to  my  Father  in  heaven, 
''owner .'*^      What  do  you  yourselves  think  ?     Suppose  a  man     12 
gets  a  hundred  sheep   and  one    of  them    strays 
away,  will  he  not  leave  the  ninety-nine  on  the  hills  and  go  and 
look  for  the  one  that  is  straying  ?     And  if  he  succeeds  in  finding     13 
it,  in  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  he  rejoices  over  it  more  than 
he  does  over  the  ninety-nine  that  have  not  gone  astray.    Just  so     14 
it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  in  heaven  that  one  of  these  little 
ones  should  perish. 

"  If  your  brother  acts  wrongly  towards  you,  go     i? 
Howtotreata  ,  •    ,         .    u"       r     u   .      u-  u  1 

sinning  fellow  and   pomt  out  his    fault  to  hmi  when   only   you 
Christran.       ^j^^j  j^g  ^j.g  thej-g^     jf  hg  listens  to  you,  you  have 
gained  your  brother.     But  if  he  will  not  listen  to  you,  go  again,     16 
and  ask  one  or  two  to  go  with  you,  that  every  word  spoken  may 
be  attested  by  two  or  three  witnesses.     If  he  refuses  to  hear  them,     17 
appeal  to  the  church  ;  and  if  he  refuses  to  hear  even  the  church, 
regard  him  just  as  you  regard  a  Gentile  or  a  tax-gatherer.     I      18 
solemnly  assure  you  that  whatever  you  as  a  church  bind  on 
earth  will  in  heaven  be  held  as  bound,  and  whatever  you  loose 
on  earth  will  in  heaven  be  held  to  be  loosed.     I  also  solemnly     19 
assure  you  that  if  two  of  you  agree  on  earth  concerning  anything 
whatever  that  they  shall  ask,  the  boon  will  come  to  them  from 
my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.     For  where  there  are  two  or  three     20 
assembled  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them." 


9.  Gehenna  of  fire\  On  the  primary  reading  of  this  expression  see  v.  22,  n.,  the 
only  other  place  where  it  occurs. 

10-14.  Cp.  Luke  XV.  3-7. 

10.  Their  anjse/s]  Seems  to  mean  the  angels  who  have  special  charge  of  them. 
Have  continual  access  to]  Lit.  'continually  behold  the  face  of.' 

11.  v.L.  inserts  here  '  For  the  Son  of  Man  came  to  save  that  which  is  lost.' 

12.  IVhat  do  you  think]  Cp.  Luke  xii.  57. 

14.  Of  your  Father]  Lit.  'before  your  Father,'  a  Hebraism.  v.L.  'of  my 
Father.' 

15.  Acts  wrongly]  Lit.  'shall  have  sinned.'  Towards  you]  v.L.  omits  these 
words  here,  as  they  are  omitted  by  all  the  best  authorities  in  the  parallel  passage 
Luke  xvii.  3. 

17.  The  church]  Or  'assembly.'  Cp.  verses  19,  20.  The  term  is  obviously  used 
here  in  a  narrower  sense  than  in  xvi.  18,  where  our  Lord  uses  it  for  the  first  time. 
Regard  him  Sa^c]  No  longer  as  a  Christian  brother:  you  are  at  liberty  to  appeal  to 
the  Gentile  law. 

20.  In  the  midst  0/  them]  The  central  figure. 


MATTHEW   XVIII.  49 

How  often  he         ^^  ^^^'^  P°'"'  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^°  ^''^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^"^^'      ^I 
is  to  be  for-     tion,   "  Master,  how  often   shall  my  brother   act 
g'ven.  wrongly  towards  me  and   I    forgive  him  ?  seven 

times?"    Jesus  answered,  "I  do  not  say  seven  times,  but  seventy    22 
times  seven  times. 

"  For  this  reason  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens     23 
giverfessan     ^^V  be  compared  to  a  king  who  determined  to 
rfe^es'sir       ^^^^  ^  settlement  of  accounts  with  his  servants. 

But  as  soon  as  he  began  the  settlement,  one  was     24 
brought  before  him  vvho  owed  10,000  talents,  and  was  unable  to 
pay.     So  his  master  ordered  that  he  and  his  wife  and  children     25 
and  everything  that  he  had  should  be  sold,  and  payment  be  made. 
The  servant  therefore  falling  down  prostrated  himself  at  his  feet     26 
and  entreated  him,  '  Only  give  me  time,  and  I  will  pay  you  the 
whole.'     Whereupon  his  master,  touched  with  compassion,  set     27 
him  free  and  forgave  him  the  debt.     But  no  sooner  had  that     28 
servant  gone  out,  than  he  met  with  one  of  his  fellow  servants 
who  owed  him  100  shillings  ;  and  seizing  him  by  the  throat  and 
nearly  strangling  him  he  exclaimed,  'Pay  me  all  you  owe.'     His     29 
fellow  servant  therefore  fell  at  his  knees  and  entreated  him, 
*  Only  give  me  time,  and  I  will  pay  you.'     He  would  not  how-     30 
ever,  but  went  and  threw  him  into  prison  until  he  should  pay 
what  was  due.     His  fellow  servants  therefore,  seeing  what  had     31 
happened,  were  exceedingly   angry  ;  and  they  came  and  told 
their  master  without  reserve  all  that  had  happened.     At  once     32 
his  master  called  him  and  said,  '  Wicked  servant,  I  forgave  you 
all  that  debt,  because  you  entreated  me  :  ought  not  you  also     33 
to  have  had  pity  on  your  fellow  servant,  just  as    I   had  pity  on 
you?'     So  his  master,  greatly  incensed,  handed  him  over  to  the     34 
torturers  until  he  should  pay  all  he  owed  him. 

"  In    the   same    way    my    Heavenly   Father    will   deal    with     35 

21-35.  Cp.  Luke  xvli.  3,  4. 

22.  Seventy  times  seven  times]  i.e.  without  limit,  constantly,  and  always  (Chry- 
sostom).  Some  however  prefer  to  render  '  seventy  seven  times,'  comparing  this  pas- 
sage with  Gen.  iv.  24  (where  the  Greek  in  the  LXX.  is  the  same  as  here)  in  contrast 
witli  verse  15  of  that  same  chapter. 

23.  l\Iay  be  coinpared  to]  See  xiii.  24,  n.  A  king]  Lit.  '  a  man,  a  king.'  Ser- 
vants]  Or  'officials.'  Lit.  'slaves.'  Cp.  the  use  of  the  term  'servants'  (in  Exod. 
viii.  3,  etc.)  for  the  nobles  of  Pharaoh's  court. 

24.  10,000  talents]  Over  two  millions  sterling. 

25.  Mnsti'r]  Or  '  owner.'     So  in  verses  27,  31,  32,  34. 

27.  Dfht]  Lit.  'loan.'     Cp.  the  Parable  of  the  Pounds  in  Luke  xix. 

28.  Shillings]  This  is  McClellan's  rendering,  and  it  is  perhaps  the  best.  The  coin 
referred  to,  the  Roman  denarius,  was  a  silver  one  worth  a  little  more  than  our  six- 
pence.    '  Penny'  is  by  no  means  an  equivalent  term. 

34.  Torlurers]  Or  'Jailers.' 

35.  My]  Not  '  your,'  in  this  connexion.  "  The  unforgiving  servant  has  ceased  to 
be  a  true  child  of  God  "  (Chrysostom). 

E 


50  MATTHEW   XVIII.-XIX. 

you,  if  you  do  not  all  of  you  forgive  one  another  from  your 
hearts." 

When  Jesus  had  finished  these  discourses,   He     I    ] 
*^?he  Jordan^^    removed  from  Galilee  and  came  into  that  part  of 

Judaea  which  lay  beyond   Jordan.     And  a  vast     2 
multitude  followed  Him,  and  He  cured  them  there. 

Then  came  some  of  the  Pharisees  to   Him  to     3 
ab^S^ofvo^rce.  P^^  Him  to  the  proof  by  the  question,  "  Has  a 

husband  a  right  to  divorce  his  wife  whenever  he 
chooses?"     His  reply  was,  "Have  you  not  read  that  He  who     4 
made   them    '  made   them  '  from  the   beginning  '  male  AND 

FEMALE  (Gen.  i.  27),  and  said,  for  this  REASON  A  MAN  SHALL      5 
LEAVE    HIS    FATHER    AND    MOTHER    AND    BE    UNITED    TO    HIS 

WIFE,  AND  THE  TWO  SHALL  BE  ONE  '  (Gen.  ii,  24)  ?     Thus  they     6 
are   no   longer   two,    but    '  one '  !       What    therefore    God   has 
coupled,  let  not  man  separate."     "  Why  then,"  said  they,  "  did     7 
Moses  command  the  husband  to  give  her  'a  written  notice  of 
divorce,'  and  so  put  her  away  (Deut.  xxiv.  i)?"     "  Moses,"  He     8 
replied,  "  in  consideration  of  the  hardness  of  your  nature  per- 
mitted you  to  put  away  your  wives,  but  it  has  not  been  so  from 
the  beginning.     And  I  tell  you  that  whoever  divorces  his  wife    9 
for  any  reason  except  her  unfaithfulness,  and  marries  another 
woman,  commits  adultery."     "If  this  is  the  case  with  a  man  in     10 
relation  to  his  wife,"  said  the  disciples  to  Him,  "  it  is  better  not 
to  marry."     He  replied,  "  It  is  not  every  man  who  can  receive     11 
this  teaching,   but  only  those  on  whoni  the  grace  has  been 
bestowed.     There  are  men  who  from  their  birth  have  been  dis-     12 
abled  from  marriage,  others  who  have  been  so  disabled  by  men, 
and  others  who  have  disabled  themselves  for  the  sake  of  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Heavens.     He  who  is  able  to  receive  this,  let 
him  receive  it." 

1-2.  Cp.  Mark  x.  i  ;  Luke  xvii.  ii. 

I.  Patt  of  Judaea  &^c.]  'Judaea  beyond  Jordan'  is  mentioned  by  Josephus  also, 
though  'Judaea  '  in  the  N.T.  seems  generally  to  be  bounded  by  the  Jordan  on  the 
east,  as  in  iv.  25.     See  Kitto's  Biblical  Cyclopaedia,  s.v.  'Judaea.' 

3-T2.  Cp.  Mark  x.  2-12. 

3.  So7f!e  0/ the  Pharisees]  v.l.  'the  Pharisees.'  Whenever  &'c.]  Or  'on  any  and 
every  ground.' 

5.  Be  united]  The  same  verb  occurs  in  Luke  x.  11  ;  xv.  15  ;   Acts  viii.  29  :  xvii.  34. 
5,  6.  One]  Lit.  'one  fiesh.' 

8.  In  co7tsideration  of]  Lit.  '(looking)  to.'  Hardness]  Or 'cruelty.'  "  He  per- 
mitted divorce  in  order  to  prevent  murder"  (Jerome),  or  because  however  stringeiuiy 
he  might  have  forbidden  it  the  wickedness  of  human  nature  was  such  that  the  prohi- 
bition would  have  been  disregarded. 

9.  Connnits  adultery]  v.l.  reads  (as  in  verse  32)  '  causes  her  to  commit  adul- 
tery ;'  and  some  authorities  add,  '  and  he  who  has  married  her  when  so  put  away  ' 
(or  perhaps  '  lias  married  a  divorced  woman  '  )  'commits  adultery.' 

II.  Only]  Cp.  Luke  xvii.  10,  n. 


MATTHEW   XIX.  -51 

Little  Children       Then  youiig  children  were  brought  to  Him  for     13 
welcomed  and    Him  to  put  His  hands  upon  them  and  pray  ;  but 

®®'®  ■        the  disciples  interfered.    Jesus  however  said,  "Let     14 
the  little  children  come  to  me,  and  do  not  hinder  them ;  for  it 
is  to  those  who  are   childlike   that  the   Kingdom  of  Heaven 
belongs."     So  He  laid  His  hands  upon  them  and  went  away.     15 
"Teacher,"  said  one   man,  coming  up  to  Him,     16 
"""^Ruier!*^^     "  what  that  is  good  shall  I  do  in  order  to  win  the 

Life  of  the  ages  ?"  "  Why  do  you  ask  me,"  He  17 
replied,  "  about  what  is  good  ?  One  there  is  who  is  the  Good 
One.  But  if  you  desire  to  enter  into  Life,  keep  the  Command- 
ments." "  Which  Commandments  ?  "  he  asked.  Jesus  18 
answered,  "  'Thou  shalt  not  kill,'  'Thou  shalt  not  com- 
mit ADULTERY,'  'THOU  SHALT  NOT  STEAL,'  'THOU  SHALT  NOT 
LIE   IN   GIVING   EVIDENCE,'    '  HONOUR    THY    FATHER    AND  THY      I9 

MOTHER,'  (Exod.  XX.  i2-i6  ;  Deut.  v.  16-20),  and  '  THOU  SHALT 

LOVE  THY  FELLOW  MAN  AS  MUCH  AS   THYSELF'"    (Lev.  xix.  18). 

"All  of  these,"  said  the  young  man,  "  I   have  carefully  kept.     20 
What  do  I  still  lack?"     Jesus  replied,  "  If  you  desire  to  be  per-     21 
feet,  go  and  sell  your  possessions,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  you 
shall  have  wealth  in    Heaven  ;    and  come,  follow    me."       On     22 
hearing  those  words  the  young  man   went    away    much  cast 
down  ;  for  he  had  much  property, 
w    ith  h  ^^  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  "I  solemnly  tell     23 

serious  Disad-  you  that  it  is  with  difficulty  that  a  rich  man  will 

van  ages.       g^ij-gj-  ^\^q  Kingdom  of  the  Heavens.     I   repeat  it     24 
to  you  :    it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
These  words  utterly  amazed  the  disciples,  and  they  asked,  "  Who     25 

13-15.   Cp.  Mark  x.  13-16  ;   Luke  xviii.  15-17. 
16-30.   Cp.  Mark  x.  17-31  ;  Luke  xviii.  18-30. 

16.  Teac/ie^]  v.L.  ^  Good  Teacher.'  0/ t/ie  aj^es]  Greek  '  aeonian.'  See  xvii.  8,  n. 
The  compound  expression  '  Life  of  the  ages'  (or  '  Aeonian  Life')  seems  to  hnve 
been  regarded  by  the  sacred  writers  as  a  sort  of  proper  name,  and  therefore  to  have 
been  commonly  used  without  an  article  preceding.  (See  Theological  Monthly,  April, 
1889,  p.  275).  Yet  where  this  same  life  is  spoken  of  without  the  adjective  appended, 
the  article  is  generally  used  in  the  Greek  'the  Life  ;'  as  in  vii.  14  ;  xviii.  8,  9,  and  in 
the  Greek  of  the  next  verse  in  this  chapter. 

17.  Why  do  you  ask  .  .  the  Good  One]  V.L.,  as  in  Mark  x.  18  and  Luke  xviii. 
19,  '  Why  do  you  call  me  good  ?     None  is  good  but  one.  namely  God.' 

18.  IVhich]  The  assertion  that  this  is  literally  'of  what  kind'  is  inexact.  The 
word  here  rendered  'which,'  does  bear  the  meaning  of  '  of  what  kind'  in  Classical 
Greek  and  in  a  few  passages  in  the  NT.  (as  John  xii.  33  ;  i  Cor.  xv.  35  ;  i  Pet.  i.  11), 
but  not  in  the  majority  of  cases.  In  Hellenistic  Greek  the  sense  of  our  'what  '  in 
agreement  with  a  noun  which  is  ihe  name  of  a  thing  (not  of  a  person)  is  most  com- 
monly— and  in  the  LXX.  exclusively,  if  Trommius  may  be  trusted — expressed  by  this 
word. 

20.  Carefully  kept]  Lit.  'guarded.'     A  stronger  word  than  that  in  verse  17. 
24.  Camel]  A  similar  hyperbole  occurs  in  xxiii.  24. 


52  MATTHEW  XIX.-XX. 

then  can  be  saved?     Jesus   looked  at  them  and  said,  "With     26 
men  this  is  impossible,  but  with  God  everything  is  possible." 
Seif-Sacrific         Then  Peter  said  to  Jesus,  "  See,  we  have  for-     27 

for  Christ  saken  everything  and  followed  you  ;  what  then  will 
makes  us  rich,  be  ^^/r  reward  ? "  "I  solemnly  tell  you,"  replied  28 
Jesus,  "that  in  the  New  Creation,  when  the  Son  of  Man  has 
taken  His  seat  on  His  glorious  throne,  all  of  you  who  have  fol- 
lowed me  shall  also  sit  on  twelve  thrones  and  judge  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.  And  whoever  has  forsaken  houses,  or  brothers  29 
or  sisters,  or  father  or  mother,  or  children  or  lands,  for  my 
sake,  shall  receive  many  times  as  much  and  shall  possess  as  his 
inheritance  the  Life  of  the  ages. 

"But  many  who  are  now   first  will  be  last,  and  many  who     30 

are  now  last  will  be  first. 

"  For  the  Kingdom    of  the  Heavens  is  like  an     i   <■ 

'The  Vineyard ej^plQygj-yyl^Q  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire 
Labourers.'  ^     ^  •'  ^ 

men  to  work  in  his  vineyard,  and  having  made  an     2 

agreement  with  them  for  a  shilling  a  day,  sent  them  into  his 
vineyard.     About  nine  o'clock  he   went  out   and    saw  others     3 
loitering  in  the  market-place.    To  these  also  he  said,  '  You  also,     4 
go  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatever  is  right  I  will  give  you.'     So     5 
they  went.      Again  about  twelve,  and  about  three  o'clock,   he 
went  out  and  did  the  same.     And  going  out  about  five  o'clock     6 
he  found  others  loitering,  and  he  asked  them,  '  Why  have  you 
been  standing  here  all  day  long  doing  nothing.?'     '  Because  no     7 
one  has  hired  us,'  they  replied.    '  You  also,  go  into  the  vine- 
yard,' he  said. 

"  When  evening  came,  the  master  said  to  his  steward,  '  Call     8 
the  men  and  pay  them  their  wages.     Begin   with  the  last  set 
and  finish  with  the  first.'     When  those  came  who  had  begun  at     9 
five  o'clock,  they  received  a  shilling  apiece  ;  and  when  the  first     10 
came,  they  expected  to  get  more,  but  they  also  each  got  the 
shilling.     So  when  they  had  received  it,  they  grumbled  against     11 

28.  In  the  New  Creation^  or  'in  the  again-birth,'  Grt^'k  palin-genesia,  in  which 
there  will  be  a  new  Genesis  either  of  this  earth  and  all  this  is  in  it,  or  of  the  individ- 
ual man,  as  in  Tit.  iii.  5.  (The  word  occurs  only  in  these  two  passages.)  Some  are  of 
opinion  that  the  latter  is  the  meaning  in  this  place  also,  and  that  the  phrase  should 
be  taken  with  '  followed  me.'     His  glorious  throne\  Cp.  xxv.  31. 

29.  Or  mother]  v.L.  adds  'or  wife.'  Many  tunes]  v.l.  'a  hundred  times.'  Of 
the  ag^es]  Greek  '  aeonian.'     See  xviii.  8,  n. 

I.  An  employer]  Lit.  '  a  man,  a  master  of  a  house.'     See  xiii.  45. 

6.  Have  b  en  standing]  On  this  English  perfect  see  Theological  Monthly,  July, 
1890,  pp.  39,  40  ;  and  Aorist  pp.  10,  11. 

7.  No  one  has  hired  us]  The  whole  parable  turns  on  this  fact.  God's  call  comes  to 
different  individuals  at  different  times.  All  will  share  in  an  equal  bles-edness  who 
respond  to  it  with  equal  readiness. 

10.    The  shilling]  v.l.  'a  shilling.' 


MATTHEW   XX.  53 

the  employer,  saying,  '  These  who  came  last  have   done  only     12 
one  hour's  work,  and  you  have  put  them  on  a  level  with  us  who 
have  worked  the   whole   day   and    have   borne   the   scorching 
heat.'     He  answered  one  of  them,   '  My  friend,  I  am  doing  you     13 
no  injustice.     Did  you  not  agree  with  me  for  a  shilling  ?     Take     14 
your  money  and  go.     I  choose  to  give  this   last  comer  just  as 
much  as  I  give  you.    Have  I  not  a  right  to  do  what  I  choose  with     15 
my  own  property  ?    Or  are  you  envious  because  I  am  generous  ? ' 

"  So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last."  16 

Jesus  predicts       J^sus    was   now   going   up    to   Jerusalem,    and     17 
His  Death  and  He  took  the  twelve  disciples  aside  by  themselves, 

and  on  the  way  He  said  to  them,  "  We  are  going     18 
up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  the   Son  of  Man  will  be  betrayed 
to  the  High  Priests  and  Scribes.     They  will  condemn  Him  to     19 
death,  and  hand  Him  over  to  the  heathen  to  be  made  sport  of 
and  scourged  and  crucified  ;  and  on  the  third  day  He  will  be 
raised  to  life." 

A  Request  for       Then  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zabdai  came     20 
worldly        to  Him  with  her  sons,  and  knelt  before  Him  to 

make  a  request  of  Him.    "  What  is  it  you  desire?  '     21 
He  asked.     "  Command,"  she  replied,  "  that  these  my  two  sons 
may  sit  one  at  your  right  hand  and  one  at  your  left  in  your 
Kingdom."      "  None  of  you   know  what  you  are  asking  for,"     22 
said  Jesus  ;  "  can  you  drink  out  of  the  cup  from  which  I  am 
about  to  drink.?"     "We  can,"  they  replied.      "You  shall  drink     23 
out  of  my  cup,"  He  said,  "but  a  seat  at  my  right  hand  or  at  my 
left  it  is  not  for  me  to  allot,  but  it  belongs  to  those  for  whom  it 
is  destined  by  my  Father." 

The  other  ten  heard  of  this,  and  their  indignation  was  aroused     24 

12.  Have  done  .  •  ivo7-k\  The  verb  bears  the  same  meaning  in  Ruth  ii.  19,  LXX. 
Only\  In  the  English  language  the  numeral  needs  to  be  thus  emphasized, 
Cp.  xviii.  9  ;  xix.  11.      You  have]  Or  'have  you  ?  " 

13.  Did  not  yoK  agree  with  me\  v.l.    '  did  not  I  agree  with  you  ?  ' 

15.  Generous]  The  principle  seems  to  be  the  same  as  that  which  leads  a  kind- 
hearted  person  to  buy  an  article  from  a  beggar  or  street- arab  at  twice  its  known 
value. 

16.  V.L.  adds  '  For  many  are  called,  yet  few  are  chosen.' 
17-19.  Cp.  Mark  x.  32-34 ;  Luke  xviii.  31-34. 

19.  IVill  be  raised]  Or  'will  rise.'  Or — as  the  same  verbis  rendered  in  i.  24  and 
elsewhere— '  will  awake.'  Cp.  'be  united,' xix.  5,  where  also  the  verb,  although 
passive  in  form,  does  not  of  necessity  imply  a  separate  agent. 

20-28.   Cp.  Mark  X.  35-45. 

21.  Y^our  Kingdom]  Which  she  doubtless  conceived  of  as  an  earthly  one. 

22.  Old  of  .  .  from]  Words  not  in  the  Greek,  but  required  by  our  modern  English 
idiom. 

23.  But  it  belongs]  There  is  no  verb  in  the  .Greek,  and  some  translate  'except ' 
instead  of  but.'  (  I'he  possibility  of  this  rendering  seems  to  be  proved  by  Mark  iv. 
22.)    Destined]  See  Hatch,  Essays  in  Biblical  Greek,  pp.  51-55. 

24.  Other  ten]  Lit.  simply  'ten.'     Against]  Lit.  'concerning.' 


54  MATTHEW   XX.-XXI. 

Humble  Use-   ^o^'^^t  the  two  brothers.     But  Jesus  called  them     25 
fulness  is  true  and    Said,    "  You    know    that    the  rulers    of    the 
heathen  lord  it  over  them,  and  their  great  men 
exercise  authority  over  them.     Not  so  shall  it  be  among  you  ;     26 
but    whoever   desires   to  be   great   among   you   shall   be   your 
servant,  and  whoever  desires  to  be  first  among  you  shall  be     27 
your   bondslave  ;   just   as   the    Son    of   Man    came   not   to  be     28 
served  but  to  serve,  and  to  give  His  life  as  the  redemption-price 
for  many." 

As  they  were  leaving  Jericho,  an  immense  crowd     29 
receive"sight."  following  Him,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  the  road-     30 

side  heard  that  it  was  Jesus  who  was  passing  by, 
and  cried  aloud,  "Sir,  Son  of  David,  pity  us."      The  people     31 
angrily  tried  to  silence  them,  but  they  cried  all  the  louder,  "  Sir, 
Son  of  David,  pity  us."     So  Jesus  stood  still  and  called  them.     32 
"What  shall  I  do  for  you?"  He  asked.     "  Sir,  let  our  eyes  be     33 
opened,"  they  replied.     Moved  with  compassion,  Jesus  touched     34 
their    eyes,   and   immediately   they   regained   their   sight   and 
followed  Him. 

When  they  were  come  near  Jerusalem  and  had     i   ^ 

its  Colt  Ire     arrived  at   Bethphage  and  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
borrowed.      Jesus  sent  two  of  the  disciples  on  in  front,  saying     2 
to  them,  "  Go  to  the  village  you  see  facing  you,  and  as    you 
enter  it  you  will  find  a  she-ass  tied  up  and  a  foal  with   her. 
Untie  her  and  bring  them  to  me.    And  should  any  one  interfere     3 
with  you,  say,  '  The  Master  needs  them/  and  he  will  at  once 
send  them."      This   took   place   in   order   that   the   Prophet's     4 
prediction  might  be  fulfilled  : 

"Tell  the  Daughter  of  Zion,  5 

'See,  thy  King  is  coming  to  thee. 

Gentle,  and  yet  mounted  on  an  ass. 

Even  on  a  colt  the  foal  of  a  beast  of  burden  ' " 

(Isa.  Ixii.  II ;  Zech.  ix.  9). 

26.  Shall  it  bc\  v.l.  '  is  it.' 

28.  Redemption  price]  For  those  who  have  been  made  prisoners  and  are  now  in 
slavery.     For]  Or  'instead  of.' 
29-34.  Cp.  ^lark  X.  46-52  ;  Luke  xviii.  35-43. 
i-ii.   Cp.  Mark  xi.  i-ii  ;  Luke  xix.  29-44  ;  John  .\ii.  12-19. 

2.  Bring  them  to  me]  The  '  to,'  not  expressed  in  the  usual  form,  conveys  the 
idea  of  uiillty  or  convenience,  like  the  word  '  for  '  in  our  familiar  mode  of  expression, 
'  Fetch  it  for  me.'     Cp.  xvii.  17. 

3.  The  Master]  Or  perhaps,  'The  Lord,'  I.E.God.  So  Alford,  but  Olshausen, 
Stier,  and  others  understand  tlie  expression  as  referring  to  Jesus. 

4.  Took  place]  See  i.   22,  n.,and  Theological  Monthly,  Sept.,  1893,  p.  169,  n. 

5.  To  thee]  The  '  to '  as  inverse  2  ;  'for  thy  benefit,'  '  to  be  a  king  for  thee.'  And 
yet]  Such  is  often  the  force  of  the  simple  '  and  '  both  in  Hebrew  and  in  Hellenistic 
Greek.     Foul]  Lit.   '  son.' 


MATTHEW   XXI.  55 

Jesus  rides         ^^  ^^^   disciples    went   and    did   as  Jesus   had     6 
into  instructed  them  :  they  brought  the  she-ass  and  the     7 

foal,  and  threw  their  outer  garments  on  them.    So 
He   sat   on    them  ;   and   most   of  the    crowd    kept    spreading     8 
their  garments  along  the  road,  while  others  cut  branches  from 
the  trees  and  carpeted  the  road  with  them,  and  the  multitudes —     9 
some  of  the  people  preceding  Him  and  some  following — sang 
aloud, 
"  God  save  the  Son  of  David  ! 
Blessings  on  Him  who  comes  in  the  Lord's  name  ! 
God  in  the  highest  heavens  save  Him!" 

(Ps.  cxviii,  25,  26). 
When  He  thus  entered  Jerusalem,  the  whole  city  was  thrown     lo 
into   commotion,  every  one  inquiring,    "Who  is  this?"     The     11 
crowds  replied,  "  This  is  the  Prophet  Jesus,  from  Nazareth  in 
Galilee." 

Entering  the  Temple,  Jesus  drove  out  all  who     12 
d^fven'^from     were  buying  and  selling  there,  and  overturned  the 
the  Temple     money-changers'    tables   and    the   stools    of    the 

pigeon-dealers.      "It  is  written,"  He  said,  "'My     13 
House  shall  be  called  the  House  of  Prayer'  (Isa.  Ivi.  7), 
but  you  are  making  it  A  ROBBERS'  CAVE"  (Jer.  vii.  11).     And     14 
the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  Him  in  the  Temple,  and  He 
cured  them. 

But  when  the  High  Priests  and  the  Scribes  saw  the  wonderful     15 
things  that   He  had  done  and  the  children  who  were  crying 
aloud  in  the  Temple,  "  God  save  the  Son  of  David,"  they 

8.  Cui  .  .  caipetei{\  The  tense  (imperfect)  of  the  Greek  implies  that  they  kept 
on  doing  this  as  tlie  long  procession  gradually  wound  onwards  to  Jerusalem. 

9.  God  save]  'God'  is  not  expressed  herein  the  Greek.  Cp.  xvi.  22.  The  word 
'  Hosanna  '  is  apparently  the  Greek  form  of  the  Hebrew  words  th.U  finish  the  first 
clause  of  Ps.  Ixviii.  25,  which  may  be  literally  rendered  "  Ah,  I  pray,  O  Lord  ; 
save,  I  pray."  The  full  meaning  seems  to  be,  "  Grant  help  and  victory,  we  pray, 
to  the  Son  of  David!"  See  the  R.  V.  of  Ps.  iii.  8;  ix.  14;  xx.  5,  and  the  marginal 
renderings. 

11.  In  Galilee]  Lit.   'of  Galilee.' 

12-17.  Cp.  Mark  xi.  15-19  ;  Luke  xix.  45-48  ;  xxi.  37,  38. 

12.  The  Temple]  v.l.  reads  '  God's  Temple.'  Note  that  '  Temple'  here  does  not 
mean  the  Sanctuary  (see  xxiii.  16,  n.),  but  the  outer  enclosure,  with  its  porticos, 
balconies  and  courts.     Into  the  Sanctuary  itself  not  even  Jesus  entered. 

13.  The  House  0/ Prayer]  It  seems  better  to  regard  this  (as  coming  after  'shall  be 
called  ')  as  a  compound  proper  name,  'Belh-tephillah,'  as  in  the  Hebrew  of  Isa.  ivi.  7, 
In  such  compound  names  the  English  idiom  requires  the  definite  article,  although 
there  is  none  in  the  Hebrew,  or  where  occasionally  (as  in  Judges  xv.  17  ;  Mic.  iv.  8) 
the  LXX.  translates  the  word  as  Matthew  translates  it  here.  Thus  we  should  say  'The 
Hill  of  the  Jawbone  '  (Ramath-lehi),  '  The  House  of  Bread  '  (Beth-lehem),  '  The  Son 
of(niy)  Right  Hand  '  (Ben-jamin),  '  The  Villa'ge  of  Fountains  '  (Hatsar-enan),  'The 
Tower  of  the  Flock  '  (Migdol-eder),  '  The  Kid's  Fountain  '  (Aiu-gedi),  and  so  on. 

14.  The  blind  and  the  la7ne]  Lit.  '  blind  and  lame.'  but  the  English  idiom  requires 
the  insertion  of  the  article.      The  Temple]  i.e.,  the  Temple  Courts.   See  verse  12,  n. 


56  MATTHEW   XXL 

were  filled  with  indignation.     "  Do  you  hear,"  they  asked  Him,     i6 
"what  these  children  are  saying?"     "Yes,"  He  replied  ;  "have 
you  never  read,  '  Out  of  the  MOUTHS  OF  infants  and  of 

BABES   AT   THE    BREAST    THOU    HAST    BROUGHT    FORTH    THE 

PRAISE  WHICH  IS  DUE'  (Ps.  viii.  2)?"     So  He  left  them  and     17 
went  out  of  the  city  to  Bethany  and  passed  the  night  there. 

,  ,       Early  in  the  morning  as  He  was  on  His  way  to     18 

An    unfruitful  ,  •        tt  1  ,  • 

Fig  Tree       return  to  the  city  He  w^as  hungry,  and  seemg  a     19 
cursed.         ^^  ^^.^^  ^^  ^1^^  road-side   He  went  up  to   it,  but 
found  nothing  on  it  but   leaves.      "On   you,"    He    said,   "no 
fruit  .shall  ever  again    grow  ; ''    and    immediately    the   fig-tree 
withered    away.      When  the    disciples  saw  it  they   exclaimed     20 
in    astonishment,    "  How     instantaneously     the     fig-tree     has 
withered  away!"     "I  solemnly  tell  you,"  said  Jesus,  "that  if     21 
you  have  an  unwavering  faith,  you  shall  not  only  perform  such 
a  miracle  as  this  of  the  fig-tree,  but  that  even  if  you  say  to  this 
mountain,  '  Be  thou  lifted  up  and  hurled  into  the  sea,'  it  shall 
be  done  ;  and  that  everything,  whatever   it  be,  that  you  ask  for     22 
in  your  prayers,  if  you  believe,  you  shall  obtain." 

He   entered  the   Temple  ;  and    while    He    was     23 

The  Leadersof  ,  .  ,        ,x-    ,     t^   •  i      i        t-,  i  r     ^ 

the  People      teachmg,  the  High  Priests  and  the  Elders  of  the 
silenced.       people  came  to  Him  and  asked  Him,  "  By  what 
authority  are  you  doing  these  things  ?  and  who  gave  you  this 
authority  ?"     Jesus  replied,  "  I  also  have  a  question  to  ask  you,     24 
and  if  you  answer  me,  I  in  turn  will  tell  you  by  what  authority 
I  do  these  things      John's  Baptism,  whence  was  it  ? — had  it  a     25 
heavenly  or  a  human  origin  ? "     So  they  debated  the  matter 
among    themselves.      "If  we  say  *a  heavenly  origin,'"    they 
argued,  "he  will  say,    'Why  then  did  you  not  believe  him?' 
and  if  we  say   '  a  human  origin,'  we  have  the  people  to  fear,     26 
for  they   all   hold  John  to  have    been    a    Prophet.''     So    they     27 
answered  Jesus,  "  We  do  not  know."     "  Nor  will  I  tell  you," 
He  replied,  "  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things. 

18-19.  Cp.  Mark  xi.  12-14. 

18.  As  H e  was  on  H is  way  to  return]  More  lit.  'having  gone  to  return.'  The 
same  verb  in  Luke  v.  3,  4  signifies  'to  put  out  to  sea  again.'    v.L.  simply  'returning.' 

19.  A  Jig-tree]     Probably  a  single  and  solitary  tree  ;  but  see  vi.  27,  n. 
20-22.  Cp.  Mark  .\i.  20-25. 

23-27.  Cp.  Mark  xi.  27-33  ;  Luke  xx.  1-8. 

23.  IVhat]  Or  '  what  kind  of.'  Cp.  John  x.  32.  These  things]  They  use  an  ex- 
pression intentionally  vague,  and  will  not  recognize  the  '  things  '  as  miracles  or  signs. 

25.  Believe  hivi]  See  John  v.  33-36. 

27.  It  is  noteworthy  that  our  Lord  did  not  really  leave  their  question  unanswered. 
His  own  question  about  the  Baptist  was  in  reality  a  reply  to  theirs.  John,  whom  in 
their  secret  hearts  they  knew  to  have  been  a  true  prophet,  had  borne  eloquent 
testimony  to  Him  as  Redeemer  and  Judge. 


MATTHEW    XXL 


57 


Disobedience,       '*  ^"^  give  me  your  judgement.      There  was  a     28 
apparent  or    man  who  had  two  sons.     He  came  to  the  elder 

real  ?  i-icht  ■,  ,     •        , 

and  said,     My  son,  go  and  work  m  the  vmeyard 
to-day.'     '  I  will  not,'  he  replied ;  but  afterwards  he  was  sorry     29 
and  went.      He  came  to  the  second  and  spoke  in  the  same     30 
m,anner.     His  answer  was,    'I  will  go,   Sir;'    but  he   did   not. 
Which  of  the  two   did  as  his   father  desired.?"     "The  first,"     31 
they  said.      Jesus  replied,  "  I   solemnly  tell  you  that  the  tax- 
gatherers  and  the  notorious  sinners  are  entering  the   Kingdom 
of  Heaven  before  you.     For  John  came  to  you  observing  all     32 
sorts  of  ritual,  and  you  put  no  faith  in  him  :  the  tax-gatherers 
and  the  notorious  sinners  did  put  faith  in  him,  and  you,  though 
you  saw  this  example  set  you,  were  not  even  afterwards  sorry  so 
as  to  believe  him. 

"  Listen  to  another  parable.      There  was  a  house-     33 
Vile-di^'ssTrs '  ^^^^^^^  ^^'^^^  planted   a   vineyard,    made    a   fence 

round  it,  dug  a  wine-tank  in  it,  and  built  a  strong 
lodge  ;  then  let  the  place  to  vine-dressers,  and  went  abroad. 
When  vintage-time  approached,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the  vine-     34 
dressers  to  receive  his  grapes  ;  but  the  vine-dressers  seized  the     35 
servants,  and  one  they  cruelly  beat,  one  they  killed,  one  they 
pelted  with  stones.     Again  he  sent  another  party  of  servants     36 
more  numerous  than  the  first  ;  and  these  they  treated  in  the 
same  manner.     Later   still  he   sent  to   them  his  son,    saying,     37 
'  They  will  respect  my  son.'     But  the  vine-dressers,   when  they     38 
saw  the  son,  said  to  one  another,  '  Here  comes  the  heir  :  come,     39 
let  us  kill  him  and  get  his  inheritance.'     So  they  seized  him,     40 
dragged  him  out  of  the  vineyard,   and  killed  him.     When  then 
the  owner  of  the  vineyard  comes,  what  will  he  do  to  those  vine-     41 
drtssers.''"     "  He  will  put  the  wretches  to  a  wretched  death," 
was  the   reply,    "and  will  entrust  the  vineyard  to  other  vine- 
dressers who  will  render  the  produce  to  him  at  the  vintage  season." 
Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Have  you  never  read  in  the  Scriptures,     42 

28.   Sons  .  .  son]  Lit.    '  cliildren  .   .  child.' 

31.  The  first]  v.L.  'the  latter,'  inverting  also  the  order  ot  the  two  parts  of  the 
Paraljle.  The  sense  remains  the  .same.  Others  read  '  the  latter,'  without  inverting 
the  order  of  the  two  parts  of  the  Parable,  explaining  it  to  mean  '  he  who  afterwards 
(repented  and  went).'  But  this  seems  an  impossible  translation.  Before  you]  They 
walk  first,  taking  precedence  of  you. 

33-46.  Cp.  Mark  xii.  1-12  ;  Luke  xx.  9-19. 

34.  Servants]  Or  '  slaves  ; '  and  so  in  verses  35,36.  Grapes]  Or  perhaps  the  price 
obtained  by  the  sale  of  them  (Meyer).  i'he  rent  appears  to  have  been  a  share  of  the 
produce  ('his  grapes')  whether  paid  in  kind  or  in  money.     Cp.  Luke  xx.  10. 

37-  His  son]  Here  therefore  we  have  the  real  answer  to  the  question  in  verse  23. 
Saying]  To  those  about  him. 

42.  Came  from  the  Lord]  More  freely  '  is  the  Lord's  workmanship.'     Or  perhaps 


58  MATTHEW   XXI.-XXII. 

'The  Stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
Has  been  made  the  Cornerstone  : 
This  Cornerstone  came  from  the  Lord, 
And  is  wonderful  in  our  esteem'  (Ps.  cxviii.  22)? 
"  That,  I  tell  you,  is  the  reason  why  the  Kingdom  of  God  will     43 
be  taken  away  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  that  will  exhibit 
the  power  of  it.     He  who  falls  on  this  stone  will  be  severely    44 
hurt ;  but  he  on  whom  it  falls  will  be  utterly  crushed." 

After  listening  to  His  parables  the  High  Priests  and  Pharisees     45 
perceived  that  He  was  speaking  about  them  ;  but  though  they     46 
were  eager  to  lay  hands  upon    Him,  they  were   afraid  of  the 
people,  for  by  them  He  was  regarded  as  a  Prophet. 

Again  Jesus  spoke  to  them  in  figurative  language,     i   < 
•The  royal      "The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"   He  said,   "maybe     2 

Wedding  ,  ,  •  ,  ,    ,  i      ,  • 

Feast.'         compared  to  a  king  who  celebrated  the  marriage 

of  his  son,  and  sent  his  servants  to  call  the  invited     3 
guests  to  the  wedding,  but  they  were  unwilling  to  come.    Again     4 
he  sent  other  servants  with  a  message  to  those  who  were  invited. 
'  My  breakfast  is  now  ready,'  he  said,   '  my  bullocks  and  fat 
cattle  are  killed,  and  every  preparation  is  made :  come  to  the 
wedding.'     They   however  gave  no  heed,  but  went,  one  to  his     5 
home  in  the  country,   another  to  his  business  ;  and    the  rest     6 
seized   the   king's    servants,    maltreated   them,    and   murdered 
them.     So  the  king's  anger  was  stirred,  and  he  sent  his  troops     7 
and  destroyed  those  murderers  and  burnt  their  city.     Then  he     8 
said  to  his  servants,  '  The  wedding  banquet  is  ready,  but  those 
who  were  invited  were  unworthy  of  it.     Go  out  therefore  to  the     9 

the  meaning  of  the  clause  is,  '  this  (preference  for  the  rejected  stone)  is  the  Lord's 
act.'  The  latter  explanation  assumes  a  Hebraism,  thus.  The  word  'this'  is 
feminine  both  in  the  Greek  here  and  in  the  Hebrew  original  which  our  Lord  was 
quoting  from  Ps.  cxviii.  22,  23.  But  '  cornerstone '  in  both  these  languages 
is  feminine,  and  therefore  the  demonstrative  may  refer  to  that  noun.  In  Hebrew, 
however,  where  no  noun  is  distinctly  referred  to  and  in  English  the  word  '  thing '  is 
or  may  be  supplied,  as  in,  "At  this  (thing)  also  my  heart  trembleth  "  (Job  xxxvii.  i), 
the  Hebrew  feminine  is  regularly  used.  In  Latin  or  Classical  Greek  the  neuter 
would  be  employed,  but  in  Hebrew  there  is  no  neuter  gender.  The  LXX.  generally 
has  the  neuter  in  such  cases  ;  but  there  area  few  exceptions,  sufficient  to  demonstrate 
the  possibility  of  the  Hebrew  idiom  being  borrowed  into  Hellenistic  Greek,  and  the 
possibility  also  of  its  existence  in  the  passage  now  before  us.  Yet  the  other  seems  the 
preferable  rendering.      lVonde>/itl]  Or   '  admirable.'     Cp.  i  Pet.  ii.  9. 

43.  That  will  exhibit  the  P(nver\  Lit.  '  producing  the  fruits.'  Of  it]  i.e.,  '  of  the 
Kingdom.' 

44.  Falls]  It  is  possible  to  'stumble'  without  actually  falling.  See  xxvi.  31  ; 
Rom.  xi.  II.   v.L.  omits  this  verse. 

1.  Ag-aiu  Jesus]  Lit.  '  and  Jesus  answered.'     See  xi.  23,  n. 

2.  May  be  conpared  to]  See  xiii.  24,  n.     A  king]  Lit.  '  a  man  a  king.* 

3.  Scrr'ants]  Or  'slaves,'  five  limes  in  this  Parable. 

4.  Breakfast]  The  morning  meal,  whether  early  or  late,  as  among  ourselves. 
This  noun  occurs  also  in  Luke  xi.  38  ;  xiv.  12,  15 ;  and  the  cognate  verb  in  Luke  xi. 
37  ;  John  xxi,  12,  15.     But  some  take  it  here,  in  a  wider  sense,  for  any  meal. 


MATTHEW   XXII.  59 

cross-roads,  and  everybody  you  meet  invite  to  the  wedding.'  So     10 
they  went  out  into  the  roads  and   gathered   together  all   they 
could  find,  both  bad  and  good,  and  the  banquet  hall  was  filled 
with  guests. 

"Now  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests  :  and     11 

'A  wrongly-  ^u  u       j-  j  , 

dressed  Guest."  among   them    he  discovered   one    who    was    not 

wearing   a  wedding  robe.     '  My  friend,'  he  said,     12 
'  how  is  it  that  you  came  in  here  without  a  wedding  robe  ? '    The 
man  stood  speechless.      Then  the  king  said  to  the  servants,     13 
'Bind  him  hand  and  foot  and  fling  him  into  the  darkness  out- 
side :  there   will  be  the  weeping  aloud  and  the  gnashing  of 
teeth.'     For  there  are  many  called,  but  few  chosen."  14 

A  Question  Then  the  Pharisees  went  and  consulted  together     15 

about  paying    how  they  might  entrap  Him  in  His  conversation.     16 

So  they  sent  to  Him  their  disciples  together  with 
the  Herodians  ;  who  said,  "  Teacher,  we  know  that  you  are  a 
truthful  man  and  that  you  teach  God's  way  in  truth  ;  and  that 
no  fear  of  man  misleads  you,  for  you  are  not  biased  by  men's 
wealth  or  rank.     Give  us  your  judgement  therefore  :  is  it  allow-     17 
able  for  us  to  pay  a  poll-tax  to  Caesar,  or  not?"     Perceiving     18 
their  wickedness,  Jesus  replied,  "  Why  are  you  hypocrites  trying 
to  ensnare  me?    Show  me  the  tribute  coin."     And  they  brought     19 
Him  a  shilling.     "  Whose  likeness  and  inscription,"  He  asked,     20 
"is  this?"   "Caesar's,"   they    replied.      "Pay   therefore,"    He     21 
rejoined,  "  what  is  Caesar's  to  Caesar ;  and  what  is  God's  to 
God."    They  heard  and  were  astonished  ;  then  left  Him,  and     22 
went  their  way. 

'A  Woman  who      ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^  P^^^Y  ^^  Sadducees  came  to     23 
had  had  seven  Him  contending  that  there  is  no  resurrection,  and 
Husbands.         ,  ,  .  tt-  ,, 

they  put  this  case  to  Him.     "  Teacher,"  they  said,     24 

"Moses  enjoined,    Mf  A  man   should  die  childless,   his 

BROTHER   SHALL   MARRY  HIS  WIDOW,  AND  RAISE   UP  A  FAMILY 

FOR  HIM '  (Deut.  XXV.  5).    Now  we  had  among  us  seven  brothers.     25 
The  eldest  of  them  married,  but  died  childless,  leaving  his  wife 

10.  Could _/ind]  Lit.  'found,'  a  Hebraism.  So  in  Esther  ix.  2,  "no  man  could 
withstand"  is  lit.  "no  man  withstood."  Bdnquet-haW]  Lit.  'bridal-chamber.' 
v.L.  'wedding:.' 

12.  Stood  speechless^  Lit.  '  was  gagged' or  '  muzzled.'  The  same  verb  is  employed 
in  verse  34. 

15-22.  Cp.  Mark  xii.  13-17  ;  Luke  xx.  20-26. 

16.  \Vlio  said\  Or  'to  say:  '  lit.  'saying.'  v.L.  reads  'saving'  in  the  nominative, 
referring  to  '  tliey-'  The  sense  then  is  'saying.'  (by  the  mouth  of  these  messengers). 
Are  not  biased &>€.]  Lit.  'do  not  look  at  men's  faces'  (or  'outward  appearance  '). 
Cp.  Luke  XX.  21,  n. 

23-33-  Cp.  Mark  xii.  18-27  :  Luke  xx.  27-39. 


6o  MATTHEW   XXII. 

to  his  brother.      So  also  did  the  second  and  the  third,  down  to  26 

the  seventh,  till  the  woman  also  died,  after  surviving  them  all.  27 

At  the  Resurrection,  therefore,  whose  wife  of  the  seven  will  she  28 

be  ?  for  they  all  married  her."    Jesus  replied,  "  You  are  in  error,  29 

through  ignorance  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  power  of  God.    For  30 
in  the  Resurrection,  men  neither  marry  nor  are  women  given  in 

marriage,  but  they  are  like  angels  in  Heaven.     But  as  to  the  31 

Resurrection  of  the  dead,  have  you  never  read  what  God  says  32 
to  you,  '  I  AM  THE  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and 
THE  God  of  Jacob  '  (Exod.  iii.   6)  ?    He   is  not  the  God  of 
dead,  but  of  living  men." 

All  the  crowd  heard  this,  and  were  filled  with  amazement  at  33 
His  teaching. 

Now  the  Pharisees  came  up  when  they  heard  34 

supreme  Law.  ^^^^  ^e  had  silenced  the  Sadducees,  and  one  of  35 

them,  an  expounder  of  the  Law,  asked   Him  as  a 

test  question,  "Teacher,  which  is  the  greatest  Commandment  36 

in  the  Law  ?"     He  answered,  "  '  Thou  SHALT  LOVE  THE  LORD  37 
THY  God  with  thy    whole    heart,   thy  whole   soul,   THY 

WHOLE  MIND'  (Deut.  vi.  5).      This  is  the  greatest  and  foremost  38 

Commandment.  And  the  second  is  similar  to  it  :  'Thou  SHALT  39 

LOVE  THY   fellow  MAN  AS    MUCH  AS  THYSELF'   (Lev.  xix.  1 8). 

The  whole  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  is  summed  up  in  these     40 
two  Commandments." 

'David's  Son'       While  the  Pharisees  were  still  assembled  there,     41 
and        _  Jesus  put  a  question  to  them  :  "What  think  you     42 
about  the  Christ.?  whose  son  is  He.''"    "  David's,"     43 
they  replied.     "  How  then,"  He  asked,   "  does  David,  taught  by 
the  Spirit,  call  Him  Lord,  when  he  says, 

'  The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord,  44 

Sit  at  My  right  hand 

Until  I  have  put  thy  foes  beneath  thy  feet'  (Ps.  cx.i)? 
"If  therefore  David  calls  Him  Lord,  how  can  He  be  his  son .'' "     45 

30.  A  ngels]  V.  l.  '  God's  angels. ' 

34-40.   Cp.  Mark  xii.  28-34. 

34.  Had  silenced]  See  verse  12,  n. 

30.  IVhich]  Not  'of  what  kind.'  Cp.  xix.  18,  n.  Greatest]  Lit.  'great,' a 
Hebraism.  Adjectives  in  Hebrew  have  neither  the  comparative  nor  the  superlative 
degree,  but  only  the  positive.      See  also  xviii.  1,  n. 

37.    With]  Lit.  'in,'  three  times  rejieated. 

39.  As  7nuch  as  thyself]  This  of  course  implies  that  there  is  a  legitimate  love  of 
'self.'  '  Selfishness'  is  sinful  not  because  it  includes  care  for  one's  own  welfare, 
but  because  it  excludes  (or  subordinates  to  this)  care  for  the  welfare  of  others. 
There  is  sin  rather  than  virtue  in  mere  self-neglect ! 

41-46.    Cp.  Mark  xii.  35-37  ;  Luke  xx.  41-44. 

43.    Taught  by]  Lit    '  in. ' 


MATTHEW   XXII.-XXIII.  6i 

No  one  could  say  a  word  in  reply,  nor  from  that  day  did  any  one  46 
venture  again  to  put  a  question  to  Him. 

Preachers  Then  Jesus  addressed  the  crowds  and  His  dis-  i  23 

who  did  not     ciples  and  said,  "  The  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees  2 

practise.       gjj.   j^  ^^^   ^j^^j^  ^j.   [y^Qggg^     Therefore   do   and  3 

observe   everything   that    they    command    you  ;    but    do    not 
imitate  their  actions,  for    they  talk,  but  do  nothing.       Heavy     4 
and   cumbrous   burdens   they  bind    together   and   load   men's 
shoulders  with  them,   while   as   for  themselves,  not   with  one 
finger  do  they  choose  to  lift  them.    And  everything  they  do  they     r^ 
do  with  a  view  to  being  observed  by  men  ;   for  they  widen  thei-r 
phylacteries  and  make  the  tassels  large,  and  love  the  best  seats     6 
at  a  dinner  party  or  in  the  synagogues,  and  like  to  be  bowed  to     7 
in  places  of  public  resort,  and  to  be  addressed  by  men  as  '  Rabbi.' 

"As  for  you,  do  not   accept  the  title  of  '  Rabbi,'     8 
BrottieHiood    for  one  alone   is  your  Teacher,  and  you  are  all 
among         brothers.     And  call  no  one  on  earth  your  Father,     q 

Christians.        ^  ,  .  ^  ^  '       -^ 

for   one   alone    is    your    Father — the    Heavenly 
Father.      And  do  not  accept  the   name  of  'leader,'  for   your     10 
Leader  is  one  alone — the  Christ.     He  who  is  the  greatest  among     1 1 
you  shall  be  your  servant  ;  and  one  who  exalts  himself  shall     12 
be  abased,  while  one  who  abases  himself  shall  be  exalted. 

Stern  but  "  But  alas  for  you  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo-     13 

sorrowful  De-    crites,  for  you  lock  the  door  of  the  Kingdom  of 
nunciations.      tt  •      ^  1  -, 

Heaven   against   men  ;    you    yourselves    do   not 

enter,  nor  do  you  allow  those  to  enter  who  are  seeking  to  do  so. 

"Alas  for  you.  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,    for  you     15 
scour  sea  and  land  in  order  to  win  one  convert  —and  when  he  is 
gained,  you  make  him  twice  as   much  a  son  of  Gehenna  as 
yourselves. 

"Alas  for  you,  you  blind  guides,  who  say,  'Whoever  swears     16 
by  the  Sanctuary  it  is  nothing ;  but  whoever  swears  by  the  gold 
of  the  Sanctuary,  is  bound  by  the  oath.'     Blind  fools  !     Why,     17 
which    is    greater?— the    gold,    or    the    Sanctuary   which    has 

1-39.  Cp.  Luke  xiii.  34.  35. 

2.  Si'i]  Or  'have  seated  themselves.'  See  Aorist,  top  of  p.  21.  Cp.  Luke  i.  47  ; 
Phil.   iv.  10  ;  Rev.  xvii.  7. 

4.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  46.     And  cumbrous^  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

5.  Phylacteries]  Two  small  leather  cases,  worn  by  very  religious  Jews  on  the  left 
arm  and  the  forehead,  and  containing  passages  of  Scripture. 

14.  V.L.  adds,  either  here  or  after  verse  12,  '  Alas  for  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
hypocrites,  for  you  devour  widows'  houses  even  while  for  a  pretence  you  make  long 
prayers  :  therefore  you  will  receive  a  far  severer  sentence.' 

16.  The  Sanctuary]  i.e.  'the  central  building  of  the  Temple,'  which  contained 
only  the  Holy  Place  and  the  Holy  of  Holies.     The  word  occurs  here  for  the  first  time. 

17,  19.   IVhy]  See  xxvii.  23,  n. 


62  MATTHEW   XXIII. 

made  the  gold  holy  ?     And  you  say,   'Whoever  swears  by  the 
altar,  it  is  nothing  ;  but  whoever  swears  by  the  offering  lying  on 
it  is  bound   by  the  oath.'      You   are  blind  !      Why,  which  is 
greater  ? — the  offering,  or  the  altar  which   makes  the  offering 
holy  ?     He  who  swears  by  the  altar  swears  both  by  it  and  by     20 
everything  on  it  ;  he  who  swears  by  the  Sanctuary  swears  both     21 
by  it  and  by   Him  who  dwells  in  it  ;  and  he  who  swears  by     22 
Heaven  swears  both  by  the  throne  of  God  and  by  Him  who  sits 
upon  it. 

"  Alas  for  you,  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for  you  pay     23 
the  tithe  on  mint,  dill,  and  cumin,  while  you  have  neglected  the 
weightier  requirements  of  the  Law — ^just  judgement,  mercy,  and 
faithful  dealing.     These  things  you  ought  to  have  done,  and  yet 
you  ought  not  to  have  left  the  others  undone.    You  blind  guides,     24 
straining  out  the  gnat  while  you  gulp  down  the  camel  ! 

"Alas  for  you,   Scribes   and   Pharisees,  hypocrites,    for  you     25 
wash  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  or  dish,  while  within  they  are 
full  of  greed  and  self-indulgence.      Blind  Pharisee,  first  wash     26 
clean  the  inside  of  the  cup  or  dish,  and  then  the  outside  will  be 
clean  also. 

"  Alas  for  you.  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for  you  are 
just  like  whitewashed  sepulchres,  the  outside  of  which  pleases 
the  eye,  though  inside  they  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  of 
all  that  is  unclean.  The  same  is  true  of  you  :  outwardly  you  seem  28 
to  the  human  eye  to  be  good  and  honest  men,  but,  within, 
you  are  full  of  insincerity  and  disregard  of  God's  Law. 

"Alas  for  you.   Scribes   and   Pharisees,   hypocrites,  for  you     29 
repair  the  sepulchres  of  the   Prophets  and  keep  in  order  the 
tombs  of  the  righteous,  and  your  boast  is,  *  If  we  had  lived  in     30 
the  time  of  our  forefathers,  we  should  not  have  been  implicated 
with  them  in  the  murder  of  the  Prophets.'    So  that  you  bear  wit-     31 
ness  against  yourselves  that  you  are  descendants  of  those  who 
murdered  the  Prophets.     Fill  up  the  measure  of  your  forefathers'     32 
guilt.     O  serpents,  O  vipers'  brood,  how  are  you  to  escape  con-     ^^ 
demnation  to  Gehenna  ? 

21.  Dzvells]  v.L.  'has  dwelt,'  i.e.  'has  taken  up  His  abode.' 
23.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  42. 
25.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  39. 

25.  Self-indulgence]    Or    '  uncurbed    animal   passions.'       The  only    other   place 
where  the  word  is  found  in  the  N.T.  is  i  Cor.  vii.  5. 

26.  Or  disJi\  v.L.  omits  these  words. 

28.  Disregard oj God's  La-cv\  Lit.  in  one  word  'lawlessness.' 
29-31.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  47,  48. 

29.  Keep  in  order]  Or  'decorate.'     Cp.  xii.  44,  n. 

33.    To  escape]  Cp.  iii.  7,    where  the  same  verb  is  used.     Conde/nnaficn  to]  Lit. 
'  the  judgement  of.'     Gehenna]  The  metaphor  is  taken  from  '  the  valley  of  Hinnom,' 


MATTHEW    XXIII.-XXIV.  63 

"  For  this  reason  I  am  sendincr  to  you  Prophets     34 

The  awful  ,        .  j    c       i  c  r  .1 

Wickedness       and  wise  men  and  Scribes,     home  of  them  you 

°^*^®  "^.^^^      will  put  to  death — nay,  crucify  ;  some  of  them  you 
then  hving.  ^  j  ■>  j  ■>  j 

will  flog  in  your  synagogues  and  chase  from  town 
to  town  ;  that  all  the  innocent  blood  shed  upon  earth  may  come     35 
on  you,  from  the   blood    of    righteous   Abel  to   the   blood  of 
Zechariah  the  son  of  Berechiah  whom  you  murdered  between 
the  Sanctuary  and  the  altar.     I   tell  you  in  solemn  truth  that     36 
all  this  guilt  will  accumulate  upon  the  present  generation. 
,  ^.  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  thou  who  murderest     37 

over  the  Prophets  and  stonest  those  who  have    been 

erusaem.      gent  to  thee!  how  often  have  I  desired  to  gather 
thy  children  to  me,  just  as  a  hen  gathers  her  chickens  under  her 
wings,  and  you  would  not  come  !     See,  your  house  will  now  be     38 
left  to  you  desolate  !     For  I  tell  you  that  you  will  never  see  me     39 
again  until  you  say,   '  Blessed   be   He   who   COMES  IN  THE 

NAME   OF   THE    LORD  '  "  (Ps.  Cxviii.  26). 

Tesus  had  left  the  Temple  and  was  going  on  His     i   Q/L 

Jesus  pre-  •*  ,  „•        •,•      •    1  /        n    j     u-  ^^ 

diets  the       way,  when  His  disciples    came    and    called    His 
°t^he  Tempie°^  attention  to  the  Temple  buildings.      '  You  see  all     2 

this.-*"  He  replied;  "in  solemn  truth  I  tell  you 
that  there  will  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon  another  that  will 
not  be  pulled  down." 

Christ's  return       Afterwards  He  was  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  and     3 
at  the  End  of   was  Seated  there  when  the  disciples  came  to  Him, 
^  '        apart  from  the  others,  and  asked,  "  Tell  us  when 
this  will  be  ;  and  what  will  be  the  sign  of  your  Coming  and  of 
the  Close  of  the  age?"    Jesus  answered,  "Take  care  that  no  one     4 
misleads  you.     For  many  will  come  assuming  my  name  and     5 

just  outside  Jerusalem,  where  for  the  sake  of  the  city  a  fire  was  kept  burning  to  con- 
sume rubbish  and  refuse. 

34-36.  Cp.  Luke  xi.  49-51. 

35.  Shed]  The  tense  (present)  indicates  '  which  has  been,  or  at  any  time  may 
be,  shed.' 

38.  W-V//  now  be  left]  Lit.  'is  left,'  not  a  perfect  tense,  but  strictly  present—'  Now 
I  am  finally  leaving  you  :  now  I  am  abandoning  you  to  the  consequences  of  your 
persistence  in  sin.'  Desolate]  v.l.  omits  this  word.  Cp.  Luke  xiii.  35.  Blessed  .  . 
the  Lord]  Or,  possibly,  the  sense  may  be  '  He  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  is 
(the)  blessed  (One).' 

I.  The  Temple]  i.e.  the  Temple  Courts.  See  xxiii.  16,  n.  ;  xxi.  12.  Buildings\ 
'The  several  parts  were  great  buildings'  (Bengel).  The  masonry  itself  was  also 
remarked  on.     See  Mark  xiii.  i  ;  Luke  xxi.  5. 

3.  Coming]  Or  '  Presence.'  The  cognate  verb  occurs  xxvi.  49,  and  in  twenty- 
three  other  places.  A  capital  C  is  used  in  this  Translation  to  indicate  this  word  in 
the  17  passages  where  it  occurs  as  signifying  the  Second  Coming  of  our  Lord.  In  a 
more  general  use  it  occurs  2  Cor.  vii.  6,  7  and  in  six  other  places.  Age]  Not  'world.' 
Some  suppose  that  the  Age  referred  to  is  the  Jewish  rather  than  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation.     See  J.  Stuart  Russell,  The  Parousia,  London,  1878. 

5.  Assu7ning]  Lit.  'on.'  "Standing  upon  it,  and  usurping  it"  (Wordsworth) 
Cp.  Mark  xiii.  6. 


64  MATTHEW   XXIV. 

saying,  *  I  am  the  Christ  ; '  and  they  will  mislead  many.     And     6 
before  long  you  will  hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars.     Do  not 
be  alarmed,  for  such  things  must  be  ;  but  the  End  is  not  yet. 

For  NATION  WILL  RISE    IN    ARMS   AGAINST   NATION,    KINGDOM      7 

AGAINST  KINGDOM  (Isa.  xix.  2),  and  there  will  be  famines  and 
earthquakes  in  various  places  ;  but  all  these  miseries  are  but     8 
like  the  early  pains  of  childbirth. 

"  At  that  time  they  will  deliver  you  up  to  punish-     9 
A^o?£y!'an'd  "''^"^  ^"<^  ^ill  put  you  to  death  ;  and  you  will  be 
world-wide     objects  of  hatred  to  all  the  nations  because  you 

Preaching.  ,,     1     ,  ^i 

are   called   by   my    name.       Then    WILL    many     to 
STUMBLE  AND  FALL  (Isa.  viii.   1 5),  and  they  will  betray  one  an- 
other and  hate  one  another.     Many  false  prophets  will  rise  up     1 1 
and  lead    multitudes   astray  ;    and    because    of   the    prevalent     12 
disregard  of  God's  law  the  love  of  the  great  majority  will  grow 
cold  ;  but  those  who   stand  firm   to   the   End   shall  be  saved.     13 
And  this   Good   News  of  the    Kingdom    shall   be   proclaimed     14 
throughout  the  whole  world  to  set  the  evidence  before  all  the 
Gentiles  ;  and  then  the  End  will  come. 
_,      ,       .  "  When  you  have  seen  (to  use  the  lan^uao^e  of     i? 

'Theabomina-  ,  ^       .    ,s       ,  ,    .  »       o  J 

tion  of  Desoia-  the    Prophet     Daniel)    the    '  Abomination    of 
*'°""'  Desolation'  (Dan.  ix.  27),  standing  in  the  Holy 

Place" — let  the  reader  observe  those  words — "then  let  those  16 
who  are  in  Judaea  escape  to  the  hills;  let  him  who  is  on  the  17 
roof  not  go  down  to  fetch  what  is  in  his  house;  nor  let  him  18 
who  is  outside  the  city  stay  to  pick  up  his  outer  garment.  19 
And  alas  for  the  women  who  at  that  time  are  with  child  or 
have  infants  ! 

"  But  pray  that  your  flight  may  not  be  in  winter,  nor  on   the     20 

6.  The  En  /]  Referred  to  in  verse  3  as  '  the  Close  of  the  age.'  Evidence  as  to  the 
fuliihnent  of  many  of  the  'signs'  predicted  in  the  verses  that  follow  is  to  be  found  in 
Josephus,  Seneca,  Suetonius,  Tacitus  See  Alford  and  other  Commentators,  and  com- 
pare  the  condition  of  the  Seven  Churches  of  Roman  Asia  as  described  in  Rev.  ii.,  iii. 

10.  Stu-inble  and  fal[\  See  v.  29,  n.  Changing  the  figure,  we  might  render 
*  make  shipwreck  of  faitli.' 

12.  Disregard  of  God's  Law\  Lit.  'lawlessness.'  The  great  majority^  Lit.  'the 
many,'  not  merely  '  many.' 

14.  This  Good  Ne7vs  0/ the  Kingdom]  The  good  news  that  God's  heavenly  king- 
dom was  close  at  hand  (iii.  2  ;  iv.  17  ;  x.  7).  The  7vhole  world]  Lit.  '  all  the  inhab- 
ited '  (earth).  The  words  appear  to  be  used  in  Luke  ii  i  ;  Acts  xi.  28  ,  Rom.  x.  18  ; 
Rev.  iii.  10  ;  ot  the  Koman  empire — '  the  world  '  as  known  to  tlie  ancients.  For  the 
diffusion  of  the  Gospel  wiihin  these  limits  even  in  N.T.  times  see  Mark  xvi.  20; 
Acts  i  8  ;  Rom.  xvi  26  ;  Col.  i.  6,  23.  Gentiles]  Or  'nations.'  The  End]  Referred 
to  in  vers'-  3  as  '  the  Close  of  the  age.' 

15-42.  Cp.  M.irk  xiii.  14-37  '•  Luke  xxi.  20-36. 

19.  Alas  /or]  Cp.  xi.  21  ;  Luke  vi.  24  ;  and  notes. 

20.  In  winter]  Or  '  during  a  storm.'  Cp.  Acts  xxvii.  20.  The  Sabbath]  i.e.  the 
Jewish  Sabbatli,  on  which  the  Law  forbad  long  journeys. 


MATTHEW   XXIV.  65 

Sabbath  ;  for  it  WILL  BE  a  time  of  great  SUFFER-     21 

^Diltiissl^*'    ING,  SUCH   AS   NEVER    HAS    BEEN    FROM    THE    BE- 
GINNING OF  THE  WORLD  TILL  NOW  (Dan.  xii.  l), 

and  assuredly  never  will  be  again.     And  if  those  days  had   not     22 
been  cut  short,  no  one  would  escape  ;  but  for  the  sake  of  God's 
own  People  those  days  will  be  cut  short. 

.  .    ,,.  .        "  If  at  that  time  any  one  should  say  to  you,     23 

The  wide  Visi-   ,  ^  ,  •      .u       r-u   •   .  ,  ,  cu  .i       • 

biiityof        'See,    here  is  the   Christ!'  or  'Here!'  give  no 

*'^®  ChHst.^  °^  credence  to  it.     For  there  will  rise  up  false  Christs     24 

and  false  prophets,  displaying  wonderful  signs  and 

prodigies,  so  as  to  deceive,  were  it  possible,  even  God's  own 

People.    Remember,  I  have  forewarned  you.     If  therefore  they  25,  26 

should  say  to  you,  '  See,  He  is  in  the  desert  ! '  do  not  go  out 

there  :  or,  '  See,  He  is  indoors  in  the  room  ! '  do  not  believe  it. 

For  just  as  the  lightning  flashes  in  the  east  and  is  seen  to  the     27 

very  west,  so  will  be  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.     Where-     28 

ever  the  dead  body  is,  there  will  the  vultures  flock  together. 

The  Son  of         "But  immediately  after  those  times  of  distress     29 

Man  amid  the  THE  SUN  WILL  BE   DARKENED,    THE    MOON    WILL 
Clouds. 

NOT    SHED    HER    LIGHT,    THE   STARS    WILL    FALL 

FROM  THE  FIRMAMENT,  AND  THE  FORCES  WHICH  CONTROL  THE 

HEAVENS  WILL  BE  DISORDERED  AND  DISTURBED  (Isa.  xiii.   lO  ; 

xxxiv.  4).     Then  will  appear  the  Sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the     30 

sky  ;     and    THEN    will     all    THE    NATIONS    OF    THE     EARTH 

LAMENT  (Zech.  xii.  12),  when  they  see  the  SON  OF  Man  COM- 
ING ON  THE  CLOUDS  OF  THE  SKY  (Dan.  vii.  13)  with  great 
power  and  glory.     And  He  will  send  out  His  angels  with  a     31 

21.  Never  will  be  again]  These  words  have  little  meaning  if  the  suffering  referred 
to  is  to  come  at  the  very  end  of  Time. 

22.  Been  cut  short]  In  God's  decrees.  IVill  be  cut  short]  In  fact.  Cp.  Luke 
xviii.  8.      God's  ozun  People]  Lit.  'the  elect.'     So  in  verses  24,  31. 

23-28.  Cp.  Luke  xvii.  21-24,  37-  . 

28.  Vultures]  Perhaps  the  avenging  armies  of  Rome,  the  'dead  body'  being  in 
that  case  the  corrupt  Jewish  nation.  The  Jews  were  well-nigh  exterminated 
throughout  the  Roman  empire,  67-70,  a.d.  See  Josephus,  Wars  ii.  18  and  Luke' 
xiii.  3,  n. 

29.  Be  darkened]  Or  'grow  dark.'  Forces  &"€.]  Cp.  Rom.  viii.  38,  n.  The  whole 
verse  may  possibly  describe  the  complete  darkness  which  comes  over  human  beings 
in  the  moment  of  death  as  the  result  of  the  closing  of  all  their  ordinary  earthly 
senses.  If,  as  is  conceivable,  this  is  immediately  succeeded  by  a  vision  of  our 
glorified  Redeemer  and  King  (see  Acts  vii.  55  ;  ix.  17  ;  i  Cor.  xi,  i)  the  interpretg-tion 
of  verse  30  becomes  easier.  It  seems  certain  that  the  parallel  O.T..  passages  (Isa. 
xiii.  ID  ;  xxxiv.  4)  predicted  the  overthrow  of  the  inhabitants  of  Babylon  and  Bozrah 
in  the  darkness  of  death. 

30.  Nations  of  the  earth]  Or  '  tribes  of  the  land.'  Cp.  Rev.  i.  7.  See]  Cp.  Liikg 
xxi.  25,  n.  Lament]  Or  'beat  their  breasts.'  With  great  power  and  glory]  Cpi 
Luke  xxi.  27,  n. 

31.  With  a  loud  trtanpet  blast]  v.l.  'with  the  great  trumpet.'  Cp.  'with  the  trum- 
pet of  God,'  I  Thess.  iv.  16.  Bring  together]  Cp.  2  Thess.  ii.  i  ;  Rev.  vii.  1-3.  No 
iunl  is  given  here  as  to  whether  this  was  to  be   '  in  the  body  '  or   '  apart  from   the 

F 


66  MATTHEW    XXIV. 

LOUD  TRUMPET-BLAST  (Isa.  xxvii.    I3),   and   THEY   WILL    BRING 

together  His  own  People  to  Him  from  north,  south,  east 

AND  west — FROM  ONE  EXTREMITY  OF  THE  WORLD  TO  THE 

OTHER  (Deut.  xxviii.  64  ;  xxx.  4). 

"  Now    learn   from   the    fig-tree    the    lesson    it     32 
Limi?of  rime,  teaches.     As  soon  as  its  branches  have  now  be- 
come soft  and  it  is  bursting  into  leaf,  you  all  know 
that  summer  is  near.     So  you  also,  when  you  see  all  these  signs,     33 
may  be  sure  that  He  is  near — at  your  very  door.       I  tell  you  in     34 
solemn  truth  that  the  present  generation  will  certainly  not  pass 
away  without  all  these  things  having  first  taken  place.     Earth     35 
and  sky  will  pass  away,  but  it  is  certain  that  my  words  will  not 
pass  away. 

Uncertainty  as       "  ^"^  ^^  '°  ^^^^  ^^^  ^"^  ^^^  exact  time  no  one     36 
to  the  exact     knows — not  even  the   angels  of  heaven,  nor  the 

*^"  Son,  but  the  Father  alone.     For  as  it  was  in  the     37 

lime  of  Noah  (Gen.  vii.),  so  it  will  be  at  the  Coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man.    At  that  time,  before  the  Deluge,  men  were  busy  eating     38 
and  drinking,  taking  wives  or  giving  them,  up  to  the  very   day 
when  Noah  entered  the  Ark,  nor  did  they  realize  any  danger     39 
till  the  Deluge  came  and  swept  them  all  away ;  so  will  it  be  at 
the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.     Then  will  two  men  be  in  the     40 
open  country  :  one  will  be  taken  away,  and  one  left  behind. 
Two  women  will  be  grinding  at  the  mill  :  one  will  be  taken     41 
away,   and  one  left   behind.     Be   on  the    alert    therefore,    for     42 
you  do  not  know  the  day  on  which  your  Lord  is  coming.     But     43 
of  this  be  assured,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had  known 
the  hour  at  which  the  robber  was  coming,  he  would  have  kept 
awake,  and   not  have  allowed  his  house   to   be    broken    into. 

body.'      See  2  Cor.  xii.  2,  4  ;  i  Thess.  iv.  17  ;    Rev.  xii.  5  ;  where  there  is  the  same 
uncertainty. 

33.  He^  Or  '  it,'  '  His  coming.' 

34.  The  present gejieration\  Or  possibly  'this  race.'  The  word  is  found  in  the 
latter  sense  in  Classical  Greek,  but  not  in  the  N.T.,  unless  here  and  in  the  par- 
allel passages  (Mark  xiii.  30  ;  Luke  xxi.  32).  The  sense  in  which  St.  Maitliew 
generally  uses  the  phrase  may  be  gatliered  from  xi.  16  ;  xii.  41,  43,  45  ;  xxiii.  36. 

35.  Earth  and  sky^  This  phrase  possibly  denotes  the  then-existing  order  ot 
things — the  Jewish  dispensation — being  in  that  case  a  name  given  to  it  in  token  of  its 
supposed  permanence  and  fixity.     See  v.  18,  n. 

36.  Nor  the  Son\  v.l.  omits  these  words.  In  Mark  xiii.  32  their  genuineness  is 
not  questioned. 

37-41.  Cp.  Luke  xvii.  26,  34. 

40.  41.  Will  be  taken]  Lit.  'is  taken.'  Taken  mvay]  Or  'taken  home,'  as  in 
i.  20,  24.  Cp.  Luke  xvii.  34-36.  There  appears  to  be  ;t  special  reference  intended 
here  to  Palestine — a  country  where  men  worked  in  the  open  fields  and  women  ground 
at  the  mill. 

41.  Miir\  See  the  Bible  Dictionaries. 

42.  On  the  alert]  Or  '  w.nkeful.'     The  Greek  is  the  same  in  xxv.  13  ;  xxvi.  38,  41. 
43-51.  Cp.  Luke  xii.  39-46. 


MATTHEW   XXIV. -XXV.  67 

Therefore  you  also  must  be  ready  ;  for  it  is  at  a  time  when  you     44 
least  expect  Him  tliat  the  Son  of  Man  will  come. 

Faithful  and        "  Who  therefore  is  the  loyal  and  intelligent  ser-     45 
unfaithful      vant  to  whom  his  master  has  entrusted  the  control 
of  his  household  to  give  them  their  rations  at  the 
appointed  time?      Blessed  is  that  servant  whom    his    master     46 
when  he  comes  shall  find  so  doing  !     In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you     47 
that  he  will  give  him  the  management  of  all  his  wealth.     But  if    48 
that  man,  being  a  bad  servant,  should  say  in   his  heart,  '  My 
master  is  a  long  time  in  coming,'  and  should  begin  to  beat  his     49 
fellow  servants,  while  he  eats  and  drinks  with  his  drunken  asso- 
ciates ;  the  master  of  that  servant  will  arrive  on  a  day  when  he     $0 
is  not  expecting  him  and  at  an  hour  of  which  he  has  not  been 
informed  ;  he  will  treat  him  with  the  utmost  severity  and  assign     51 
him  a  place  among  the  hypocrites  :  there  will  be  the  weeping 
and  the  gnashing  of  teeth. 

"  Then  will  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  be  found  to     i   25 

'""'mafd's!'^^'    t)e  like  ten  bridesmaids  who  took  their  torches  and 

went  out  to  meet  the  bridegroom.     Five  of  them     2 
were  foolish  and  five  were  wise.     For  the  foolish,  when  they     3 
took  their  torches,  did  not  provide  themselves  with  oil  ;  but  the     4 
wise,  besides  their  torches,  took  oil  in  their  flasks.     The  bride-     5 
groom  was  a  long  time  in  coming,  so  that  meanwhile  they  all 
became  drowsy  and  fell  asleep.    But  at  midnight  there  is  a  loud     6 
cry,  'The  bridegroom  !    Go  out  and  meet  him  ! '    Then  all  those     7 
bridesmaids   roused    themselves   and    trimmed    their   torches. 
*  Give  us  some  of  your  oil,'  said  the  foolish  ones  to  the  wise,  'for     8 
our  torches   are  going  out.'     'But  perhaps,'  replied  the    wise,     9 
'  there   will   not   be   enough  for  all  of  us.       Go  to  the  shops 
rather,  and  buy  some  for  yourselves.'     So  they  went  to  buy.     10 
But  meanwhile  the  bridegroom  came  ;  those  bridesmaids  who 
were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the  wedding  banquet  ;  and  the 
door  was  shut.     Afterwards  the   other  bridesmaids  came  and     11 
cried,  '  Sir,  Sir,  open  the  door  to  us.'     'In  solemn  truth  I  tell     12 
you,'  he  replied,  '  I  do  not  know  you.' 

45.  Sey-vant]  Or  'slave.'  The  house-steward  among  the  Romans  was  only  a 
superior  slave.     Master]  Or  'owner.'     So  in  verses  46,  48,  50. 

51.  Treat  lain  xvitk  the  utmost  severity^  Lit.  '  cut  him  in  two.'  Hypocrites^  Ox 
perhaps  '  evildoers.'     See  Hatch,  Biblical  Greek,  p.  91. 

I.  Be  found  to  be  like]  See  v.  24,  26,  n.  Or  '  will  become  like,'  '  will  show  itself 
like.'  Cp.  vi.  8  ;  xiv.  11.  Torches]  See  the  detailed  description  from  Jarchi  given 
in  Kitto's /^/c/^r/«/  Bible,  Matt.  xxv.  i.  Ki,tto  adds,  "These  are  just  the  torches 
which  are  still  employed  on  similar  occasions  by  the  people  of  Arabia  and  Egypt." 
See  also  Trench's  Synonyms,  xlvi. 

4.  Flasks]  Or  'bottles,'     See  Trench  as  above. 


68  MATTHEW   XXV. 

"Keep  awake  therefore  ;  for  you  know  neither  the  day  nor     13 
the  hour. 

"  Why,  it  is  like  a  man  who,  when  going  on  his     14 
Resporf^ib^ntv  travels,  called  his  bondservants  and  entrusted  his 

property  to  their  care.    To  one  he  gave  five  talents,     15 
to   another   two,    to   another   one — to   each    according   to   his 
individual  capacity  ;  and   then   started    from    home.     Without     16 
delay  the   one   who   had   received  the  five   talents   went   and 
employed  them   in    business,  and   gained  five   more.      In   the     17 
same  way  he  who  had  the  two  gained  two  more.     But  the  man     18 
who  had  received  the  one  went  and  dug  a  hole  and  buried  his 
master's  money. 

"After  a  long  lapse  of  time  the   master  of  those    servants     19 
returned,  and  had  a  reckoning  with  them.     The  one  who  had     20 
received  the  five  talents  came  and  brought  five  more,  and  said, 
'Sir,  it  was   five   talents   that   you    entrusted   to   me:    see,   I 
have  gained  five  more.'     His  master  replied:  'You  have  done     21 
well,  good  and  trustworthy  servant  :  you  have  been  trustworthy 
in  the  management  of  a  little,  I  will  put  you  in  charge  of  much  : 
share  your  master's  joy.'     The  second,  who  had  received  the     22 
two  talents,  came  and  said,  'Sir,  it  was  two  talents  you  entrusted 
to  me  :    see,   I  have  gained  two  more.'      His  master  replied,     23 
'  You  have  done  well,  good  and  trustworthy  servant  :  you  have 
been  trustworthy  in  the  management  of  a  little,  I  will  put  you 
in  charge  of  much  :  share  your  master's  joy.'    But,  next,  the  man     24 
who  had  the  one  talent  in  his  keeping  came  and  said,  '  Sir,  I 
knew  you  to  be  a  severe  man,  reaping  where  you  had  not  sown 
and  garnering  what  you  had  not  winnowed  ;  so  being  afraid  I     25 
went  and  buried  your  talent  in  the  ground  :  there  you  have  what 
belongs  to  you.'      'You  wicked   and  slothful   servant,'  replied     26 
his  master,  '  did  you  know  that  I  reap  where  I  have  not  sown, 
and  garner  what  I  have  not  winnowed  ?     Your  duty  then  was     27 

14-30.  Cp.  Luke  xix.  11-28. 

14.  Bond  servants]  Such  an  employment  of  slaves  was  common  among  the  ancient 
Romans.     See  xxiv.  45,  n. 

15.  Talents]  See  the  Commentators  and  the  Bible  Dictionaries. 

18.  Master's]  Or  '  owner's.'     So  '  owner'  for  '  master'  in  verses  19,  21,  23. 

19.  After  a  long  lapse  of  ti)ne]  And  yet  within  the  limits  of  an  ordinary  lifetime  ! 
21.   Good]  Or  perhaps  'upright '  or  '  honest,'  but  this  idea  seems  to  be  included  in 

the  epithet  which  follows.  That  the  word  may  signify  kindness  of  heart  and  good 
feeling  is  plain  from  xx.  15  ;  i  Peter  ii.  18  ;  and  many  other  passages  ;  and  the 
teaching  of  xxii.  36-38  must  not  be  forgotten.  Cp.  John  x.  ir.  Trustworthy]  This 
slave  had  not  only  displayed  faithfulness,  that  is  loyalty  of  heart,  but  a  steadfastness 
of  rectitude  also,  and  was  on  every  ground  deserving  of  confidence. 

21,23.  Sliare]  Lit.    'enter  into.' 

24.  /  knew  you  to  be]  Lit.  'I  had  observed  you -that  you  were.'  What]  Lit. 
'  from  (a  thresliing-fioor)  where.' 


MATTHEW  XXV.  69 

to  deposit  my  money  in   some  bank,  and  so  when  I  came  I 
should  have  got  back  my  property  with  interest.     So  take  away     28 
the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  to  the  man  who  has  the  ten.' 
(For  to  every  one  who  has,  more  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall     29 
have   abundance  ;  but  from  him  who  has  nothing,   even   what 
he  has  shall  be  taken  away.)     'But  as  for  this  worthless  servant,     30 
put  him  out  into  the  darkness  outside  :  there  will  be  the  weeping 
and  the  gnashing  of  teeth.' 

'The Sheep         "When  the  Son  of  Man  comes  in  His  glory,     31 
and  the        and  all  the  angels  with  Him,  then  will  He  sit  upon 

His  glorious  throne,  and  all  the  nations  will  be     32 
assembled  before  Him.     And  He  will  separate  them   from  one 
another,  just  as  a  shepherd  separates  the  sheep  from  the  goats  ; 
and  will  make  the  sheep  stand  at  His  right  hand,  and  the  goats     33 
at   His  left.     Then  the   King  will  say  to   those  at   His   right,     34 
'Come,  my  Father's  blessed  ones,  receive  your  inheritance  of 
the  Kingdom  divinely  intended  for  you  since  the  creation  of  the 
world.     For  when  I  was  hungry,  you  gave  me  food  ;  when   I     35 
was  thirsty,  you  gave  me  drink  ;  when  I  was  homeless,  you  gave 
me  a  welcome  ;  when   I  was  ill-clad,  you  clothed  me  ;  when  I     36 
was  sick,  yoi  visited  me  ;  when  I  was  in  prison,  you  came  to 
see  me.'     '  When,  Lord,' the  righteous  will  reply,  '  did  we  see     37 
Thee  hungry,  and  feed  Thee  ;  or  thirsty,  and  give  Thee  drink  } 
When  did  we  see  Thee  homeless,  and  give  Thee  a  welcome  .?  or     38 
ill-clad,  and  clothe  Thee  1    When  did  we  see  Thee  sick  or   in     39 
prison,  and  come  to  see  Thee  ? '    But  the  King  will  answer  them,     40 
'  In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  in  so  far  as  you  rendered  such 
services  to  one   of  the   humblest  of  these   my   brethren,    you 
rendered  them  to  myself 

"Then  will  He  say  to  those  at  His  left,  '  Begone  from  me,     41 
with  the  curse  resting  upon  you,  into  the  Fire  of  the  ages,  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.     For  when  I  was  hungry,     42 

29.  Who  has  nothing;']  i.e.  '  who  acts  as  though  he  had  nothing  and  were  respon- 
sible for  nothing.'  But  the  bold  oxymoron  of  this  latter  half  of  the  verse  a  translator 
is  not  at  liberty  to  alter. 

31.  IFhen]  See  x.  23;  xvi.  27,  28;  xxiv.  34.  His  glorious  throne]  Cp.  Rev.  xiii. 
3,  n.  All  the  nations]  The  same  phrase  occurs  xxiv.  7,  9,  14  ;  xxviii.  19  ;  2  Tim. 
iv.  17. 

32.  Than]  The  individuals,  not  the  nations.  The  pronoun  in  the  Greek  here  is 
masculine,  but  'nations'  is  neuter.  Similarly  in  Actsxxvi.  17  '  whom  '  (after  nations) 
is  masculine  :  the  Gospel  message  is  sent  to  the  individiial  who  hears  it.  Goats]  Or 
'  kids.' 

34.  Divinely  intended]  Or  'made  sure.'  See  Hosea  vi.  3,  comparing  the  A.V. 
with  the  R.V. 

37>  38.  39-    Thee]  Empliatic. 

41.  Of  the  ages]  Greek  'aeonian.'  See  xviii.  8,  n.  Prepared]  Or  'divinely 
intended.'     The  same  word  as  in  verse  34. 


70  MATTHEW   XXV.-XXVI. 

you  gave  me  nothing  to  eat ;  when  thirsty,  you  gave  me  nothing 
to  drink ;  when  homeless,  you  gave  me  no  welcome  ;  ill-clad,  you     43 
clothed  me  not ;  sick  or  in  prison,  you  visited  me  not.'     Then     44 
will  they  also  answer,  '  Lord,  when  did  we  see  Thee  hungry  or 
thirsty  or  homeless  or  ill-clad  or  sick  or  in  prison,  and  not  come 
to  serve  Thee?'    But  He  will  reply,  '  In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you     45 
that  in  so  far  as  you  withheld  such  services  from  one  of  the 
humblest  of  these,  you   withheld  them  from  me.'     And   these     46 
shall  depart  into  the  Punishment  of  the  ages,  but  the  righteous 
into  the  Life  of  the  ages." 

Onceacain         When  Jesus  had  ended  all  these  discourses.  He     i   126 
Jesus  predicts  said  to   His   disciples,   "  You    know  that  in   two     2 

His  Death.      ^^^^^,  ^^^^^^  ^^^  Passover  comes.     And  the  Son  of 

Man  will  be  delivered  up  to  be  crucified." 

Then  the  High  Priests  and  Elders  of  the  People     3 
The  Plot  to     assembled  in  the  court  of  the  palace  of  the  High 

murder  Him.  ^  ^ 

Priest  Caiaphas,  and  consulted  how  to  get  Jesus    4 
into  their  power  by  stratagem  and  put  Him  to  death.     But  they     5 
said,  "  Not  during  the  Festival,  lest  there  be  a  riot  among  the 
people." 

Now  when  Jesus  was  come  to  Bethany  and  was     6 
costf*  G?ft    ^^  ^^^  house  of  Simon  the  Leper,  a  woman  came  to     7 
Him  with  a  jar  of  very  costly,  sweet-scented  oint- 
ment, which  she  poured  over  His  head  as  He  reclined  at  table. 
"  Why  such  waste?"    indignantly  exclaimed  the  disciples  ;  "for  8,  9 
this  might  have  been  sold  for  a  considerable   sum,  and   the 
money  given  to  the  poor."     But  Jesus  heard  it,  and  said  to     10 
them,  "Why  are  you  vexing  her?    For  she  has  done  a  most 
gracious  act  towards  me.     The  poor  you  always  have  with  you,     11 
but  me  you  have  not  always.     In  pouring  this  ointment  over     12 
me,  her  object  was  to  prepare  me  for  burial.     In  solemn  truth  I     13 
tell  you  that  whei^ever  in  the  whole  world  this  Good  News  shall 

46.  P7inish>iient\  The  same  noun  occurs  in  i  John  iv.  i8,  and  the  cognate  verb  in 
Acts  iv.  21  ;  2  Peter  ii.  9. 

1-5.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  i,  2  ;  Luke  xxii.  i,  2. 

I.  T^vo  days\  These  words  were  apparently  spoken  on  the  evening  of  the  Wednes- 
day. If  so,  this  was  in  the  early  hours  of  the  13th  of  Nisan  ;  for  the  Jewish  day 
begins  at  sunset,  and  the  13th  would  begin  at  sunset  on  Wednesday  and  continue  till 
sunset  on  Thursday.  Then  commenced  the  14th  of  Nisan,  the  day  on  which  the 
Passover  was  to  be  slain  '  between  the  two  evenings  '  (Exod.  xii.  6),  that  is  between 
noon  and  sunset,  namely  (in  this  case)  of  the  Friday.  Thus  the  interval  referred  to 
is  that  from  the  beginning  of  the  13th  to  near  the  close  of  the  14th  of  Nisan— from 
the  Wednesday  after  sunset  to  the  Friday  before  sunset. 

6-13.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  3-9;  John  xii.  i-ii. 

7.  A  woman]  Evidently  wealthy,  and  one  whom  social  propriety  would  now  style 
a  lady.     Compare  the  literal  renderings  of  xviii.  23  ;  xxii.  2  ;  .2  John  i. 


I 


MATTHEW   XXVI.  71 

be  proclaimed,  this  deed  of  hers  shall  be  spoken  of  in  memory 
of  her." 

At  that  time  one  of  the  Twelve,  the  one  called     14 
'^^of^Judis^''^  J^^^a5  Iscariot,  went  to  the  High  Priests  and  said,     15 

"What  are  you  willing  to  give  me  if  I  betray  Him 
to  you?"    So  they  weighed  out  to  him  thirty  shekels  (Zech.  xi. 
12),  and  from  that  moment  he  was  on  the  look  out  for  an  oppor-     16 
tunity  to  betray  Him. 

The  Disciples       ^"  ^^^  ^^^^  "^^^  ^^  ^^^  Unleavened  Bread  the     17 
prepare  the    disciples  Came  to  Jesus  with  the  question,  "Where 
shall   we  make   preparations   for  you  to  eat   the 
Passover?"    "Go  into  the  city,"  He  replied,  "to  such  a  one,     18 
and  tell  him,  '  The  Teacher  says.  My  time  is  close  at  hand.     It 
is  at  your  house  that  I  shall  keep  the   Passover  with  my  dis- 
ciples.'"   The  disciples  did  as  Jesus  directed  them,  and  got  the     19 
Passover  ready. 

'The  last  When  evening  came,  He  was  at  table  with  the     20 

^TrKr  indi'l^  ^^^^^^  disciples,  and  the  meal  was  proceeding,     21 

cated.         when  Jesus  said,  "  In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that 
one  of  you  will  betray  me."     Intensely  grieved  they  began  one     22 
after  another  to  ask  Him,  "Can  it  be  I,  Master?"    He  answered,     23 
"  One  who  has  dipped  his  fingers  in  the  bowl  with  me  is  the 
very  man   who  will  betray  me.     The  Son   of  Man  is  indeed     24 
going  as  is  written  concerning  Him  ;  but  alas  for  that  man  by 
whom  the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed  !     It  had  been  a  happy  thing 
for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been  born."     Then  Judas,  the  dis-     25 
ciple  who  was  betraying  Him,  asked,  "  Can  it  be  I,  Rabbi  ? " 
He  replied  "  It  is  you." 

The  memorial      During  the  meal  Jesus  took  a  Passover  biscuit,     26 
Meal  insti-     blessed  it  and  broke  it.     He  then  gave  it  to  the 
disciples,  saying,  "Take  this  and  eat  it  :  it  is  my 

14-16.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  lo,  ii  ;  Luke  xxii.  3-6. 
17-19.   Cp.  Mark  xiv.  12-16;   Luke  xxii.  7-13. 

20.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  17;  Luke  xxii.  14-18.  H'as  at  table]  Lit.  'reclined' (on  the 
couches).     Disciples']  v.l.  omits  this  word. 

21-25.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  18-21  ;  Luke  xxii.  21-23  ;  John  xiii.  21-35. 

23.  One  who]  Or  'he  who.'     Has  dipped]  Or  '  dipped.'     Or  '  will  have  dipped.' 

24.  Never]  Lit.  'not,'  a  Hebraism,  the  Hebrew  language  having  no  distinct  word 
signifying  'never.' 

25.  It  is  you]  Lit.   (it  is  as)  '  you  have  said.'     Cp.  verse  64. 
26-29.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  22-25  '<  Luke  xxii.  19,  20  ;  i  Cor.  xi.  23-25. 

26.  A  Passover bisctiit]  The  same  word  as  is  elsewhere  rendered  'a  loaf.'  But 
we  know  that  this  was  unleavened.  Is  my  body]  Or  'signifies,' '  represents,'  'sym- 
bolizes my  body.'  In  many  places  both  in  the  O.T.  and  the  N.T.  the  verb  '  is '  or 
'are, 'expressed  or  (as  here)  understood,  may  be  thus  rendered.  A  few  examples 
are— in  the  O.T.  Gen.  xl.  26  ;  Josh.  iv.  6  (where  the  literal  rendering  is,  "  What  (are) 
these  stones  to  you?")  ;  Isa.  v.  7,  and  numerous  instances  in  Zech.  iv.,  v.,  vi.  ;  and 


72  MATTHEW   XXVI. 

body,"  and  He  took  the  cup  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  27 
them,  saying,  "  Drink,  all  of  you  ;  for  this  is  my  blood  which  is  28 
to  be  poured  out  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins— the  blood 
which  ratifies  the  Covenant.  I  tell  you  that  I  will  never  again  29 
take  the  produce  of  the  vine  till  that  day  when  I  shall  drink  the 
new  wine  with  you  in  my  Father's  Kingdom."  So  they  sang  the  30 
hymD  and  went  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

Then   said  Jesus,   "This   night  all  of  you  will     31 
''^r^  '^d"'^'  stumble  and  fail  in  your  fidelity  to  me  ;  for  it  is 
written,  '  I  will  strike  the  shepherd,  and 

THE  SHEEP  OF  THE  FLOCK  WILL  BE  SCATTERED  IN  ALL 

DIRECTIONS'  (Zech.  xiii.  7).    But  after  I  have  risen  to  life  again     32 
I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee."     "  All  may  stumble  and  fail,"     33 
said  Peter,  "but  I  never  will."     "In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you,"     34 
replied  Jesus,  "  that  this  very  night,  before  the  cock  crows,  you 
will  three  times  disown  me."     "Even  if  I  must  die  with  you,"     35 
declared  Peter,  "  I   will  never  disown  you."     In  like  manner 
protested  all  the  disciples. 
^,    .  ^,    .  Then  came  Jesus  with  them  to  a  place  called     '?6 

Christ's  Agony  •'  r  j 

in  Gethse-      Gethsemane.      There    He    said   to    the    disciples, 
mane.         u  gj^  (^Qwn   here,  till    I   have   gone    yonder   and 
prayed."    And  He  took  with  Him  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of     37 


in  the  N.T.  Matt.  xiii.  19.  20,  22,  23  ;  Acts  x.  17  (lit.,  "what  the  vision  might  be")  ; 
Rev.  xvii.  18  ;  xix.  10. 

27.  Took  the CHp^  Or  '  took  his  cup.'  Lit.  'took  cup,'  though  v.l.  inserts  in  the 
Greek  the  article  which  the  English  Idiom  demands.  There  are  in  English  numerous 
phrases  consisting  of  a  noun  and  a  verb,  in  which  the  noun,  though  quite  definite  in 
sense,  is  used  without  the  article.  Such  are  '  to  take  horse,'  each  man  taking  his 
horse  ;  'to  lay  hands,'  laying  one's  own  hands  ;  'to  weigh  anchor,'  for  '  to  weigh  the 
anchor;'  '  to  set  sail,'  '  to  turn  tail,;'  etc.  And  so  in  Biblical  Greek  we  have  '  to 
throw  lot'  for  'to  throw  the  lot,' xxvii.  35;  'lift  up  voice,'  Luke  xi.  27;  'to  lay 
hands,'  as  in  English,  Mark  xvi.  18  ;  'to  divorce  wife,'  namely  his  wife,  Mark  x.  2  ; 
'  to  govern  husband,'  namely  lier  husband,  i  Tim.  il.  12.  To  this  class  '  to  take  cup  ' 
seems  to  belong.  Such  phrases  are  in  fact  equivalent  to  verbal  compounds,  which 
abound  in  Greek,  as  'to  good-do '  and  'to  bad -do  '  (Mark  iii.  4),  'to  good-work' 
(Pet.  iii.  6),  '  to  child-bear '  (i  Tim.  v.  14),  'to  knee-fall  '  (Matt.  xvii.  14),  '  to  sacred- 
rob'(Rom.  ii.  22).  If  this  is  the  correct  explanation,  it  serves  to  account  for  the 
article  inserted  in  many  MSS.  (the  copyist  having  endeavoured  to  make  the  true 
meaning  plainer),  and  for  the  undoubtedly  genuine  '  the  '  in  Luke  xxii.  20  ;  i  Cor. 
xi.  25.  Besides,  'took  a  cup  '  does  not  so  readily  agree  with  what  details  we  know 
of  the  Jewish  mode  of  celebrating  the  Passover.     Drink]  Lit.  'drink  out  of  it.' 

28.  The  Covenant]  v.l.  '  the  New  Covenant.'  as  in   Luke  xxii.  20. 

29.  See  Luke  xxii.  16,  n.  The  new  7vine]  Not  the  same  word  as  in  speaking  of 
the  new  (that  is,  newly  made)  wine  which  will  burst  old  wineskins  (ix.  17).  In  that 
use  the  '  new  '  (Greek  neos)  indicates  a  condition  opposed  to  the  future  maturity  : 
here  (Greek  kainos)  the  contrast  is  with  the  past.  The  wine  drunk  in  God's  Kingdom 
will  be  of  a  different  character  from  all  wine  they  have  hitherto  known,  and  infinitely 
superior.     See  Eph.  ii.  15  ;  Col.  iii.  10  ;  Heb.  xii.  24. 

30.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  26;  Luke  xxii.  39  ;  John  xviii.  i.  The  hymn]  i.e.  the  custom- 
ary Psalms.     Or  '  a  hymn.' 

31-35.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  27-31  ;  Luke  xxii.  31-38;  John  xiii.  36-38. 
36-46.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  32-42  ;  Luke  xxii.  40-46. 


I 


MATTHEW    XXVI.  73 

Zabdai.     Then  He  began  to  be  full  of  anguish  and  distress,  and     38 
said  to  them,  "  My  soul  is   crushed   with  anguish   to  the  very 
point  of  death  ;  wait  here,  and  keep  awake  with  me."     Going     39 
forward  a  short  distance  He  fell  on  His  face  and  prayed,  "  My 
Father,  if  it  is  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  away  from  me  ;  never- 
theless, not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wiliest.'"'     Then  He  came  to     40 
the  disciples  and  found  them  asleep,  and  He  said  to  Peter,  "Alas, 
none  of  you  could  keep  awake  with  me  for  even  a  single  hour  ! 
Keep  awake,  and  pray  that  you  may  not  enter  into  temptation  :     41 
the  spirit  is  right  willing,  but  the  body  is  frail."    Again  a  second     42 
time  He  went  away  and  prayed,  ''  My  Father,  if  it  is  impossible 
for  this  cup  to  pass  without  my  drinking  it.  Thy  will  be  done." 
He  came  and  again  found    them  asleep,  for  they  were  very     43 
tired.     So  He  left  them,  and  went  away  once  more  and  prayed     44 
a  third  time,  again  using  the  same  words.     Then   He  came  to     45 
the  disciples  and  said,  "  Sleep  on  and  rest.     See,  the  moment  is 
close  at  hand  when  the  Son  of  Man  is  to  be  betrayed  into  the 
hands  of  sinful  men.    Rouse  yourselves.     Let  us  be  going.     My     46 
betrayer  is  close  at  hand." 

He  had  scarcely  finished  speaking  when  Judas     47 
a^r^ed'^lvien^    Came — One   of  the   Twelve — accompanied    by    a 
great  crowd  of  men  armed  with  swords  and  blud- 
geons, sent  by  the  High  Priests  and  Elders  of  the  people.     Now     48 
the  betrayer  had  agreed  upon  a  sign  with  them,  directing  them, 
"  The  one  whom  I  kiss  is  the  man  :  lay  hold  of  him."     So  he     49 
went  straight  to  Jesus  and  said,  "Peace  to  you.  Rabbi  !"    and 
kissed   Him   eagerly.     "  Friend,"  said  Jesus,  "  carry  out  your     50 
intention."     Then  they  came  and  laid  their  hands  on  Jesus  and 

38.  Crushed  with  angiiish^  Cp.  Ps.  xlii.  5,  ii  ;  LXX. 

39.  Going /orT.uard\  See  Acts  xx.  5,  n. 

41.  The  spirit  .  .  .  tJte  body]  Or  '  my  spirit  .  .  .  my  body.'  In  that  case  the 
words  are  apathetic  appeal  on  the  part  of  Jesus  for  human  sympathy  and  companion- 
ship. Right  tvilling]  Or  '  eager.'  '  Willing '  alone  is  an  inadequate  rendering. 
Body\  Or 'human  nature.'    Lit.   'flesh.' 

43.    Theyivere  very  tired]  Lit.  'their  eyes  were  heavy.' 

47-56.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  43-52  ;  Luke  xxii.  47-53  ;  John  xviii.  2-11. 

4q.  Peace  to y Oil]  Lit.  'Rejoice.'  The  same  verb  is  used  also  as  a  form  of  greet- 
ing in  a  letter  (as  in  Acts  xv.  23  ;  Jas.  i.  1),  and  in  bidding  farewell  (2  John  10,  11). 
It  seems  probable  that  Judas  would  use  in  his  native  Aramaic  some  such  expression 
as  is  in  constant  use  in  Arabia  and  Syria  at  the  present  day,  '  Peace  to  you,'  an 
approach  to  which  we  find  in  the  O.T.,  and  which  we  find  literally  rendered  into 
Greek  in  Luke  x.  5  ;  xxiv.  36  ;  i  Pet  v.  14.  Our  modern  Western  equivalent  would 
be  simply  'Good  evening.'  Eagerly]  Or  'effusively,'  that  is  with  a  great  pretence 
of  affection.  Cp.  "  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend,  but  the  kisses  of  an  enemy 
are  profuse  "  (Pro v.  xx\'ii.  6,  R.V.).  The  same  word  is  used  Mark  xiv.  45;  Luke 
vii.  38,  45  ;  XV.  20  ;  Acts  xx.  37.  The  simple  'and  less  emphatic  word  is  employed 
in  verse  48  ;  i\Iark  xiv.  44  ;  Luke.xxii.  47. 

50.  Carry  out  your  intetition]  Lit.  (do  that)  'for  which  you  are  present'  or  'have 
come.' 


74  MATTHEW    XXVI. 

seized  Him  firmly.     But  one  of  those  with  Jesus  drew  his  s^'ord     51 
and  struck  the  High  Priest's  servant,  cutting  off  his  ear.     "  Put     52 
back   your  sword   again,"   said   Jesus,  "  for  all  who  draw  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword.     Or  do  you  suppose  I  cannot     53 
entreat  my    Father  and   He  would  instantly  send  more  than 
twelve  legions  of  angels  to  my  help?    In  that  case  how  are  the     54 
Scriptures  to  be  fulfilled  which  declare  that  thus  it  must  be.?" 
Jesusexpostu.      ^^^^   ^aid   Jesus   to   the   crowds,  "Have   you     55 
lates.    The     come  out  as  if  to  fight  with  a  robber,  with  swords 

and  bludgeons  to  apprehend  me  .''    Day  after  day 
I  have  been  sitting  teaching  in  the  Temple,  and  you  did  not 
arrest   me.     But   all   this    has   taken   place   in    order  that  the     56 
writings  of  the  Prophets  may  be  fulfilled."     At  this  point  the 
disciples  all  left  Him  and  fled. 

Jesus  arrested      ^"^  ^^^  officers  who  had  laid  hold  of  Jesus  led     57 
and  taken  to    Him  awav  to  Caiapbas  the  High  Priest,  at  whose 

house  the  Scribes  and  the  Elders  had  assembled. 
And  Peter  kept  following  Him  at  a  distance,  till  he  came  even     58 
to  the  court  of  the  High   Priest's  palace,  where  he  entered  and 
sat  down  among  the  officers  to  see  the  issue. 
False  Testi  Meanwhile   the    High    Priests    and   the    whole     59 

mony  and      Sanhedrin  were  seeking  false  testimony  against 

gross  Insults,    j^^^^    j^    ^^^^^    ^^    p^^    p^j^    ^^    ^^^^j^  .   ^^^^    ^^^^      ^^ 

could  find  none,  although  many  false  witnesses  came  forward. 
At  length  there  came  two  who  testified,  "This  man  said,  'I  am     61 
able  to  pull  down  the  Sanctuary  of  God  and  three  days  after- 
wards to  build  anew  one.'"     Then  the  High  Priest  stood  up     62 
and  asked  Him,  "  Have  you  no  answer  to  make  .-^    What  is  it 
these  men  are  saying  in  evidence  against  you.'"'    Jesus  however     63 
remained  silent.     Again  the  High  Priest  addressed  Him.     "  In 
the  name  of  the  ever-living  God,"  he  said,  "  I  now  put  you  on 
your  oath  :  tell  us  whether  you  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God." 

51.  Servant]  Or  'slave.' 

52.  Draw  t/te  szuord]  Lit.    'take  sword.'     Cp.  verse  27,  n. 

53.  Send]  Lit.   '  cause  to  be  present,'  or  'to  stand  by.' 

55.  Have  been  sitting]  See  A  oris t  in,  4-6. 

56.  Bj(t  .  .fulfilled]  Possibly  these  words  are  not  those  of  Jesus  but  of  the 
Evangelist,  in  which  case  we  should  render  'took  place  'rather  than  'has  taken 
place,'  notwithstanding  its  being  the  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek.     See  Aorist  vii.  9. 

57-58  and  69-75.  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  53,  54,  and  66-72  ;  Luke  xxii.  54-62  ;  John  xviii. 
12-18. 

58.  Officers]  I.E.  'police  officers  '  or  '  constables,'  with  whom  some  of  the  slaves  of 
the  High  Priest  are  associated  in  John's  narrative,  xviii.  18. 

63.  Ever-living]  Lit.  'living.'  I  now  put  yon  on  your  oath]  Cp.  Exod.  xxii.  11  ; 
Num.  V.  19-22  ;  i  Kings  viii.  31.  Jesus  by  replying,  instead  of  remaining  .silent, 
accepted  the  oath  which  the  Hi.<ih  Priest  administered  to  Him.  This  clearly  proves 
that  the  prohibition  of  v.  34  was  not  meant  to  apply  to  judicial  oaths. 


MATTHEW    XXVI.-XXVII.  75 

Jesus  replied,  "  I  am  He.     Rut  I  tell  you  all  that,  later  on,  you     64 
will  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of 
Omnipotence,  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of  the  sky"  (Ps. 
ex.  I  ;  Dan.  vii.  13).     Then  the  High  Priest  tore  his  robes  and     65 
exclaimed,  "  Impious  language  !    What  further  need  have  we 
of  witnesses!    See,  you  have  now  heard  the  impiety.     What  is     66 
your  verdict  ?  "    They   replied,   "  He  deserves    to   die."     Then     67 
they  spat  in  His  face,  and  struck  Him — some  with  the  fist,  some 
with  the  open  hand — while  they  taunted  Him,  saying,  "  Christ,     68 
prove  yourself  a  prophet  by  telling  us  who  it  was  that  struck  you." 

Peter  meanwhile  was  sitting  outside  in  the  court     69 
^  wTiviasteT."^  °^  ^^-  palace,  when  one  of  the  maidservants  came 
over  to  him  and  said,  "  You  too  were  with  Jesus 
the  Galilaean."      He   denied   it  before   them   all,   saying,   "  I     70 
do  not  know  what  you  mean."     Soon  afterwards  he  went  out     71 
and  stood  in  the  gateway,  when  another  girl  saw  him,  and  said, 
addressing  the  people  there,   "This  man   was  with  Jesus  the 
Nazarene."     Again  he  denied  it  with  an  oath,  "  I  do  not  know     72 
the  man."     A  short  time  afterwards  the  people  standing  there     73 
came  and  said  to  Peter,  "  Certainly  you  too  are  one  of  them,  for 
your  brogue  shows  that  you  are."     Then  with  curses  and  oaths     74 
he  declared,  "  I  do  not  know  the  man."     Immediately  a  cock 
crowed,  and  Peter  recollected  the  words  of  Jesus,  how  He  had     75 
said,  "  Before  the  cock  crows  you  will  three  times  disown  me." 
And  he  went  out  and  wept  aloud,  bitterly. 

When  morning  came  all  the  High  Priests  and     i   OU 
°  before  the^"  Elders  of  the  people  consulted  together  against 
Roman  Gov-   Jesus  to  put  Him  to  death;  and  binding  Him  they     2 
led  Him  away  and  handed  Him  over  to  Pilate  the 
Governor. 
Then  when  Judas,  who  had  betrayed  Him,  saw  that  He  was     3 

64.  / a/fi  He\  Lit.  (it  is  as)  'you  have  said.'  Cp.  verse  25  ;  xxvii.  11  ;  John  vi.  36. 
Later  on]  Or  '  before  long,'  '  in  the  near  future.'  Lit.  '  from  now.'  Cp.  the  Scotch 
and  north  of  England  use  of  'just  now,' referring  to  the  future,  incases  where  a 
Londoner  says  'directly,'  'immediately.' 

67.  IVt't/t  the  open  hand]  Or  '  with  rods.'     Cp.  verse  39,  and  Mic.  v.  i. 

68.  Prone  yourself .  .  struck  yoii\  Lit.  'prophesy  tons.  Who  is  it  that  struck 
you  ?' 

69.  One  of  the  maidservants]  Lit.  'one  maidservant  ;'  but  cp.  vi.  27,  n. 
.    71.    This  man]  v.l.  adds  '  also.' 

■] I-  Standing  there]  Ox  '?,\.7a\<X\\\%\>y'     Lit.,  simply,  '  st-inding.'    Cp.   Luke  v.  17. 

75.  Aloud,  bitterly]  Or  'with  bitter  sobs  and  cries.'  'I'he  verb  here  used  for 
'  wept '  does  not  signify  the  silent  shedding  of  tears,  although  another  verb  does  in 
John  xi.  35. 

1-2.   Cp.  Mark  xv.  i  ;  Luke  xxiii.  i  ;  John  xviii.  28. 

3-10.  Cp.  Acts  i.  t8. 

3.    Who  had  betrayed  Hitn]  v.l.  'the  betrayer.' 


76  MATTHEW   XXVII. 

The  Remorse  condemned,  smitten  with  remorse  he  brought  back 
and  Despair  of  the  thirty  skekels  to  the  High  Priests  and  Elders 

and  said,  "I  have  sinned,  in  betraying  for  death     4 
One  who  is  innocent."     "  What  does  that  matter  to  us  ?  "  they 
rephed  ;  "it  is  your  business."     Flinging  the  shekels  into  the     5 
Sanctuary  he  left  the  place,  and   went   and  hanged  himself. 
When  the  High  Priests  had  gathered  up  the  money  they  said,     6 
"  It  is  illegal  to  put  it  into  the  Treasury,  because  it  is  the  price 
of  blood."    So  after  consulting  together  they  spent  the  money  in     7 
the  purchase  of  the  Potter's  Field  as  a  burial  place  for  people 
not  belonging  to  the  City  ;  for  which  reason  that  piece  of  ground     8 
received  the  name,  which  it  still  bears,  of  '  the  Field  of  Blood.' 
Then  were  fulfilled  the  words  spoken  by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,     9 

"And    I    TOOK    THE   THIRTY    SHEKELS,    THE    PRICE   OF    THE 
PRIZED    ONE    ON   WHOM    ISRAELITES    HAD   SET   A   PRICE,    AND      lO, 
GAVE     THEM      FOR     THE     POTTER'S     FIELD,     AS     THE     LORD 
DIRECTED  ME"  (Zech.  xi.  1 3). 

Meanwhile  Jesus  was  brought  before  the  Gov-     1 1 
ti'onsVesus".    ernor,  and  when  the  latter  put  the  question,  "  Are 
you  the  king  of  the  Jews  ?  "  He  answered,  "  I  am 
their  king."     When  however  the  High  Priests  and  Elders  kept     12 
bringing  their  charges  against  Him,   He  said  not  a  word  in 
reply.      "Do  you  not  hear,"  asked   Pilate,    "what  a  mass  of     13 
evidence  they  are  bringing  against  you.'*"     But  He  made  no     14 
reply  to  a  single  accusation,  so  that  the  Governor  was  greatly 
astonished. 

Now  it  was  the  Governor's  custom  at  the  Festi-     15 

Jesus  sen-  ,  ,  •  1  ^1 

tenced  to      val  to  release  some  one  prisoner,  whomsoever  the 
Death.        populace  desired  ;  and  at  this  time   they  had  a     16 
notorious  prisoner  called  Barabbas.     So   when  they  were  now     17 
assembled  Pilate  appealed  to  them,  "  Whom  shall  I  release  to 
you,  Barabbas,  or  Jesus  the  so-called  Christ?"     For  he  knew     18 
that  it  was  from  envious  hatred  that  Jesus  had  been  brought  be- 

9.  Gave]  The  Greek  word  as  appearing  in  the  majority  of  MSS.  regularly  means 

they  gave,'  but  it  seems  to  be  here   employed  as  a   very  unusual  form  of  the   first 

person  singular.     Or  the  '  I  took  '  at  the  beginning  of  the  verse  may  be  rendered 

'they  took,'  which  however  departs  from  the  Hebrew  (Zech.  xi.  13).    On  'Jeremiah' 

see  the  Commentators. 

11-14.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  2-5  ;  Luke  xxiii.  3-5  ;  John  xviii.  33-38. 

II.  /  mn  their  king\  Lit.  (it  is  as)  'you  say.'     Cp.  xxvi.  25,  64. 

13.  Evidence]  A  word  spoken  in  bitter  irony,  for  their  statements  were  supported 
by  no  real  evidence.     Cp.  verse  18. 

15-23.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  6-14  ;  Luke  xxiii.  iS-23  ;  John  xviii.  39,  40. 

16,  17.  Barabbas]  A  very  interesting  v.l.,  known  to  Origen  but  having  only  the 
slenderest  MS.  authority,  is  'Jesus  Barabbas.'  If  the  robber  had  really  had  the 
same  name  as  the  Saviour,  it  is  unlikely  that  it  would  have  dropped  out  of  all  the 
best  MS. 


MATTHEW    XXVII.  *77 

fore  him.     (While  he  was  sitting  on  the  tribunal  a  message     19 
came  to  him  from  his  wife,  "  Have  nothing  to  do  with  that 
innocent  man,  for  I  have  had  terrible  dreams  during  the  night 
on  account  of  him.")      The   High    Priests,   however,   and  the     20 
Elders,  urged  the  crowd  to  ask  for  Barabbas  and  to  demand  the 
death  of  Jesus.     So  when  the   Governor  a  second  time  asked     21 
them,  "Which  of  the  two  shall  I   release  to  you?"  they  cried, 
"Barabbas!"      "What  then,"   said   Pilate,   "shall    I   do  with     22 
Jesus,  the  so-called  Christ.?"     With  one   voice  they  shouted, 
"Let  him  be   crucified!"      "Why.   what  crime  has  he  com-     23 
mitted?"  asked  Pilate.     But  they  kept  on  furiously  shouting, 
"  Let  him  be  crucified  !  '*    So  when  he  saw  that  he  could  gain     24 
nothing,  but  that  on  the  contrary  there  was  a  riot  threatening, 
he  called  for  water  and  washed  his  hands  in  sight  of  them  all, 
saying,  "  I  am   not   responsible   for   this   murder  :   you    must 
answer  for  it."     "  His  blood,"  replied  all  the  people,  "be  on  us     25 
and  on  our  children  !  "     So  he  released  Barabbas  to  them,  but     26 
Jesus  he  ordered  to  be  scourged,  and  then  gave   Him  up  to  be 
crucified. 

Then  the  Governor's  soldiers  took  Jesus  into  the     27 

Jesus  IS  again  ^  .  ,         ,,     ,  ,  ,  ,     ,      , 

grossly  in-     PraetOHum,   and   called   together  the  whole  bat- 
suited,        talion  to  make  sport  of  Him.     Stripping  off  His     28 
garments,  they  put  on  Him  a  general's  short  crimson  cloak. 
They  twisted  a  wreath  of  thorny  twigs  and  put  it  on   His   head,     29 
and  they  put  a  sceptre  of  cane  in  His  right  hand,  and  kneeling 
to  Him  they  shouted  in  mockery,  "  Long  live  the   King  of  the 
Jews  !  "     Then  they  spat  upon  Him,  and  taking  the  cane  they     30 
repeatedly  struck  Him  on  the  head  with  it.     At  last,  sated  with     31 
their  brutal  sport,  they  took  off  the  cloak,  clothed  Him  again  in 
His  own  garments,  and  led  Him  away  for  crucifixion. 

Going  out  they  met  a  Cyrenaean  named  Simon^;  whom  they     32 

20.  Urged]  Or  '  had  urged,'  while  Pilate's  attention  was  distracted  by  the  messen- 
ger from  his  wife. 

21.  A  second  time]  Lit.  'answering.'  The  crowd  replied  to  his  question  (verse  17) 
not  directly  but  by  eager  though  subdued  communication  with  the  High  Priests  ; 
and  to  this  his  quasi-rejoinder  was  to  repeat  the  question.  Alford  however  considers 
that  in  Greek  the  word  '  answer '  is  often  redundant. 

23.  IVhy]  Not  'Why?'     See  A  oris  t,  pp.  42,  43. 

24-30.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  15-19  ;  Luke  xxiii.  24,  25  ;  John  xix.  1-16. 

24.  Not  responsible /or  this  tmirder]  Lit.  'guiltless  of  this  blood.'  v.L.  'guiltless 
of  the  blood  of  this  innocent  man.' 

26.  Scourged]  Or  '  flogged.'  But  no  one  word  in  English  conveys  an  adequate  im- 
pression of  the  horrible  cruelty  of  this  punishment.     See  Acts  xxii.  29,  n. 

27.  Battalion]  Or  '  cohort,'  containing  about  600  men.  To  make  sport  of\  Lit. 
'  against.' 

28.  C-fimson]  Cp.  Rev.  xvii.  3. 

29.  Long  live  the  King]  Lit.  'Rejoice,  O  King.'     Cp.  xxvi.  49. 
31-34.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  20-23  '>  Luke  xxiii.  26-33  '<  John  xix.  16,  17. 


78*  MATTHEW  XXVII. 

compelled  to  carry  His  cross,  and  so  they  came  to  a     33 
Isorgotha^and*  place  called  Golgotha,  which  means  'Skull-ground.' 

crucified.       Hqyq  they  gave  Him  a  mixture  of  wine  and  gall     34 
to  drink,  but  having  tasted  it  He  refused  to  drink  it.     After     35 
crucifying  Him,  they  divided  His  garments  among  them  by  lot, 
and  sat  down  there  on  guard.     Over   His  head  they  placed  a    36,  : 
written  statement  of  the  charge  against  Him:  THIS  IS  JESUS 
THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.     At  the  same  time  two  robbers     38 
were  crucified  with  Him,  one  at  His  right  hand  and  the  other  at 

His  left. 

And  the  passers-by  reviled  Him.  They  shook  39 
The  Crowd  ^j^^j^  heads  at  Him  and  said,  "You  who  would  pull  40 
reviles  Him.  ,    ,     -,  ,  •  .  • 

down  the  Sanctuary  and  build  a  new  one  withm 

three  days,  save  yourself.     If  you  are  God's  Son,  come  down 
from  the  cross."    In  like  manner  the  High  Priests  also,  together     41 
with  the  Scribes  and  Elders,  taunted  Him.     "He  saved  others,"     42 
they  said,  "himself  he  cannot  save  !     He  is  the  King  of  Israel  : 
let  him  now  come  down  from  the  cross,  and  we  will  believe  in 
him.     His  trust  is  in  God  :  let  God  deliver  him  now,  if  He     43 
will  have  him  ;  for  he  said, '  I  am  God's  Son.'"     Insults  of  the    44 
same  kind  were  heaped  on  Him  even  by  the  robbers  who  were 
being  crucified  with  Him. 

Now  from   noon  until   three   o'clock  there  was     45 
Jesus  dies,     ^^^.j^^^^g  ^^^^  ^^^  whole  land  ;    but  about   three     46 
o'clock  Jesus  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice,  "Eli,  Eli,  lama 
SABACHTHANi?"  that  is  to  Say,  "  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast 
Thou  forsaken  me.?"  (Ps.  xxii.  i).     "The  man  is  calling  for     47 
Elijah,"  said  some  of  the  bystanders.     One  of  them  ran   forth-     48 
with,  and  filling  a  sponge  with  sour  wine  put  it  on  the  end  of  a 
cane  and  was  giving  Him  the  wine  to  drink  ;  while  the  rest     49 
said,  "  Let  us  see  whether  Elijah  is  coming  to  deliver  him,"  but     50 
Jesus  uttered  another  loud  cry,  and  died. 

34.  limine]  V.  L.  reads  *  sour  wine '  (as  in  the  other  three  Evangelists).  See  the 
Commentators.  t  u       • 

35-38.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  24-27 ;  Luke  xxin.  33,  34,  3S  ;  John  xix.  18-24. 
39-44.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  29-32  ;  Luke  xxiii.  35-37  and  39-43  ;  John  xix.  25-27. 
A2.  Himse/y/ie  cannot  saz'e]  Or  '  C2in  he  not  ssive  himself  2'  ,      .       • 

44.  JioMcrs]  The  impenitent  robber  probably  cursed  the  Saviour  m  a  loud  voice, 
and  his  words  were  heard  even  by  the  crowd  that  stood  a  short  distance  oft,  and  (no 
nice  discriniinations  being  made)  the  general  belief  and  impression  was  that  his  com- 
panion was  joining  in.  Luke  however,  who  as  a  physician  was  brought  into  close 
contact  with  the  women  of  the  early  Church,  may  have  had  reported  to  him  by  those 
of  them  who  stood  at  the  very  foot  of  the  cross  the  conversation  carried  on  in  low 
voices  between  Jesus  and  the  penitent  robber  which  perhaps  they  and  the  beloved 
disciple  alone  heard  (Luke  xxiii.  39-43  ;  John  xix.  25). 

45-50.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  33-37  ;  Luke  xxiii.  44-46  ;  John  xix.  28-30. 

45.  Lnuii]  Or 'earth.'  <,-,,> 
t.1.    The  man]  Or,  more  contemptuously  sull,  '  The  lellow. 


MATTHEW   XXVII.  79 

_.     ..        ,         Immediately  the  curtain  of  the  Sanctuary  was     u 
The  Marvels  .  ^  ,  ,  ,  ,      , 

which  fol-      torn  m  two  from  top  to  bottom :  the  earth  quaked  ; 

lowed.         ^YiQ  rocks  split ;  the  tombs  opened  ;  and  many  of     52 
God's  people  who  were  asleep  in  death  awoke.     And  coming     53 
out  of  their  tombs  after  Christ's  resurrection  they  entered  the 
holy  City  and  showed  themselves  to  many. 

As  for  the  captain  and  the  soldiers  who   were     54 
are^errme?    ^^'^^^  ^^^^  keeping  guard  over  Jesus,   when  they 
witnessed  the  earthquake    and   the    other   occur- 
rences they    were  filled  with  excessive  terror,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Assuredly  he  was  God's  Son."     And  there  were  a  number  of    55 
women  there  looking  on  from  a  distance,  who  had  followed 
Jesus  from  Galilee  miuistering  to  His  necessities  ;  among  them     56 
being  Mary  of  Magdala,  Mary  the  mother  of  James  and  Joses, 
and  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zabdai. 

Towards  suuset  there  came  a  wealthy  inhabitant     57 
C°h^^is?s  Body!  ^^  Arimathaea,  named  Joseph,   who  himself  also 

had  become  a  disciple  of  Jesus.     He  went  to  Pilate     58 
and  begged  to  have  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  Pilate  ordered  it  to 
be  given  to  him.     So  Joseph  took  the  body  and  wrapped  it  in     59 
a  clean  sheet  of  fine  hnen.     He  then  laid  it  in  his  own  new     60 
tomb  which  he  had  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  and  after  rolling  a 
great  stone  against  the  door  of  the  tomb  he  went  home.     Mary     61 
of  Magdala  and  the  other  Mary  were  both  present  there,  sitting 
opposite  to  the  sepulchre. 

On  the  next  day,  the  day  after  the  Preparation,     62 
Priests  take    the  High  Priests  and  the  Pharisees  came  in  a  body 
Precautions.    ^^  p[\^[e.     "  Sir,"  they  said,    "  we    recollect    that     63 
during  his  lifetime  that  impostor  pretended  that  after  two  days 
he  was  to  rise  to  life  again.    So  give  orders  for  the  sepulchre  to     64 
be   securely  guarded  till    the  third  day,  for  fear  his  disciples 

51-56.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  38-41  ;  Luke  xxiii.  45,  47-49- 

51.  l^yns  torn  in  tivo\  By  invisible  hands  ;  though  the  verb  may  be  understood  as 
intransitive  rather  than  strictly  passive,  as  in  Acts  xiv.  4;  xxiii.  7:  'the  curtain 
tore  asunder.'  From  top  to  bottom]  A  proof  that  it  was  not  done  by  human  instru- 
mentality. 

52.  A  woke]  Or  '  were  roused  (or,  rose)  from  sleep.' 

56.  Joses]  v.L.  'Joseph.' 

57-61.  Cp.  Mark  xv.  42-47  ;  Luke  xxiii.  50-56  ;  John  xix.  38-42. 

57.  Towards  sunset]  Lit.  'when  evening  was  come.'  But  by  'evening'  is  meant 
the  interval  between  three  o'clock  and  sunset.  See  Exod.  xii.  6  and  margin  ;  Deut. 
xxi.  23. 

60.  New  tomb]  There  was  an  appropriateness  in  no  one  having  been  buried  there 
before.  (Cp.  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  His  mother's  firstborn  child.)  The  newness  of 
the  tomb  also  made  it  impossible  for  it  to  be  said  that  His  resurrection  was  only  a 
repetition  of  the  miracle  recorded  in  2  Kings  xiii.  21,  and  was  caused  by  His  body 
coming  into  contact  with  the  bones  of  some  Prophet  previously  buried  there  ! 

64-    The  body]  Lit.  '  him.' 


8o  MATTHEW  XXVII.-XXVIII. 

should  come  by  night   and  steal  the  body,  and  then  tell  the 
people,  '  He  has  come  back  to  life ; '  and  so  the  last  imposture 
will  be  more  serious  than  the  first."     "  You  have  a  guard,"  said     65 
Pilate  :  "go  and  make  all  safe,  as  best  you  can."     So  they  went     66 
and  made  the  sepulchre  secure,  sealing  the  stone  besides  setting 
the  guard. 

The  Women       "^^^^^  ^^^  Sabbath,  in  the  early  dawn  of  the  first     i   J 
find  the  Tomb  day  of  the  week,  Mary  of  Magdala  and  the  other 

empty.        ^^^^y   came  to  see  the  sepulchre.     But  to  their     2 
amazement  there  had  been  a  great  earthquake  ;  for  an  angel  of 
the  Lord  had  descended  from  heaven,  and  had  come  and  rolled 
back  the  stone,  and  was  sitting  upon  it.     His  appearance  was  like     3 
lightning,  and  his  raiment  white  as  snow.     For  fear  of  him  the     4 
guards  trembled  violently,  and  became  like  dead  men.     But  the     5 
angel  said  to  the  women,  "  As  for  you,  dismiss  your  fears.     I 
know  that  it  is  Jesus  that  you  are  looking  for— the  crucified 
One.     He  is  not  here  :  He  has  come  back  to  life,  as  He  fore-     6 
told.     Come  and  see  the  place  where  He  lay.     And  go  quickly     7 
and  tell  His  disciples,  '  He  is  risen  from  the  dead  and  is  going 
before  you  into  Galilee  :  there  you  shall  see  Him.'     Remember, 

1  have  told  you." 

They  quickly  left  the  tomb  and  ran,  still  terrified     8 
^^^Itg^^Tm!^  but  full  of  unspeakable  joy,  to  carry  the  news  to 

His  disciples.     And  then  suddenly  they  saw  Jesus     9 
coming  to  meet  them.     "  Peace  be  to  you,"  He  said  ;  and  they 
came  and  clasped  His  feet,  bowing  to  the  ground  before  Him. 
Then  He  said,  "  Dismiss  all  fear  !     Go  and  take  word  to  my     10 
brethren  to  go  into  Galilee,  and  there  they  shall  see  me." 

While  they  went  on  this  errand,  some  of  the  guards  came     1 1 

65.   Vou  have]  Or  '  have,'  as  equivalent  to  '  you  may  have.'     '  Take  '  is  not  quite 
accurate. 
1-4.  Cp.  Mark  xvi.  1-4  ;  Luke  xxiv.  1-3  ;  John  xx.  i. 

1.  After  the  Sabbath]  See  Godet  on  Luke  xxiv.  i.  ■      t--  i. 

2.  Had  been  .  .  Jtad  come  .  .  was  sitting]  Or  '  was  .  .  came  .  .  sat.  Either 
rendering  is  possible  ;  but  from  the  other  Gospels  we  learn  that  the  stone  was  already 
rolled  back  when  Mary  paid  her  first  visit  to  the  tomb  (Mark  xvi.  3,  4  ;   Luke  xxiv. 

2  ;  John  XX.  i). 

5-7.  Cp.  Mark  xvi.  5-7  ;  Luke  xxiv,  4-8. 

5.  Dismiss  your/ears]  The  grammatical  form  (present  imperative)  of  the  tear 
not 'here  employed  implies  that,  until  thus  reassured  they  were  terrified  like  the 
guards.  The  present  imperative  often  has  the  force  of  an  expostulation  rather  than 
of  a  mere  prohibition.  ,      ht  1       » 

6.  Cojue  back  to  life]  Or  '  awoke.'     Where  He  lay]  v.L.  '  where  the  Master  lay. 

8.  Cp.  Mark  xvi.  8  ;  Luke  xxiv.  9-11  ;  John  xx.  2. 

9-10.   Cp.  Mark  xvi.  9-1 1  ;  John  xx.  11-18.  •  ,     ,    • 

9.  Bowing  to  the  ground]  Probably  kneeling  and  touching  the  ground  with  their 
foreheads  while  their  hands  held  His  feet.  Or  perhaps  it  here  signifies  worshipping 
as  a  Divine  Being,  as  almost  everywhere  in  the  Gospel  of  Jolin  and  all  the  later 
books  of  the  N.T. 


MATTHEW    XXVIII.  Si 

TheJewsbribe  ^"^°  ^^^  ^^^^  ^"^   reported   to   the  High   Priests 
the  terrified    every  detail  of  what  had  happened.     So  they  had     12 

Sentries.       a  meeting  with  the  Elders,  and  after  consultation 
with  them  they  heavily  bribed  the  soldiers,  telling  them  to  say,     13 
"  His  disciples  came  during  the  night  and  stole  his  body  while 
we  were  asleep."     "And  if  this,"  they  added,  "is  reported  to  the     14 
Governor,  we  will  satisfy  him  and  screen  you  from  punishment." 
So  they  took  the  money  and  did  as  they  were  instructed  ;  and     15 
this  story  was  noised  about  among  the  Jews  and  is  current  to 
this  day. 

The  Mission  of      '"^^  ^°^  ^^^  eleven  disciples,  they  proceeded  into     16 
the  Apostles  to  Galilee,  to  the  hill  where  Jesus  had  arranged  to 

t  eWorld.     ^^^^  them.     There  they  saw  Him  and  prostrated     17 
themselves  before  Him.    Yet  some  doubted.  Jesus  however  came     18 
near  and  said  to  them,  "All  power  in  heaven  and  over  the  earth 
has  been  given  to  me.      Go  therefore  and  make  disciples  of  all     19 
the  nations;  baptize  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  ;  and  teach  them  to  observe  every  com- 
mandment of  mine,  whatever  I  have  enjoined  upon  you.     And     20 
remember,  I  am  with  you  always  day  by  day  until  the  Close 
of  the  age.' 

13.  Hisbo^'y\  Lit.  'him.' 

14.  Isrepotted G'c.^  Lit.  'shall  have  been  heard  before  the  Governor'  (as  sitting 
judicially).  Cp.  "before  '  in  .Mark  xiii  9  ;  Acts  .x.xlv.  19.  30  ;  .xxv.  9  ;  and  elsewhere. 
v.L.  '  by  the  Guvemor,'  or  '  reaches  the  Governor's  ears.' 

16-20.  Cp.  Mark  xvi.  15-18. 

17.  Prostrated  t}iemseives\  Or  as  in  verse  9. 

18.  Power]  Or  'authority.'     Over  the  ea>-tk]  Or  'on  earth.'     Cp.  Rev.  v.  10. 

19.  There/ore\  v  l.  omits  this  word.     lnto\  Or  '  imto.' 

20.  Close]  Or  '  Consummation.' or  still  more  exactly,  'Finishing  up'  This  noun 
occurs  xiii.  39,  40,  49  ;  xxiv.  3  :  He'j.  ix.  26.  It  seems  to  indicate  that  at  the  time 
referred  to  no  scrap  or  fragment  of  all  that  belongs  (or  belonged)  to  the  age  would 
continue  as  a  neglected  remainder,  unfinished  or  incomplete.  The  cogn.^te  verb  is 
found  in  Rom.  i.x.  28,  where  see  note.  Age\  Cp.  xxiv.  3,  n.  The  Jewish  era  and 
the  ministry  of  most  of  the  apostles  terminated  about  the  same  time  (x.  23).  Perhaps, 
so  far  as  its  primary  and  original  signiricance  is  concerned,  this  last  verse  of  St. 
Matthew's  Gospel  was  a  promise  on  the  part  of  the  Saviour  that  so  long  as  their 
earthly  ministry  lasted  He  Himself  would  be  specially  '  with  '  His  apostles,  to  com- 
fort and  uphold  them  and  give  them  success.  In  that  cas;  its  significance  t'or  later 
generations  of  Christian  workers  remains  unaffected. 


THE   GOOD  NEWS  AS   RECORDED 
BY   MARK 


This  Gospel  is  at  once  the  briefest  and  earliest  of  the  four. 
Its  genuineness  may  be  regarded  as  beyond  question.  Modern 
research  has  only  availed  to  confirm  the  ancient  tradition  that 
the  author  was  Barnabas' cousin,  "John  whose  surname  was 
Mark,"  who  during  Paul's  first  missionary  tour,  "  departed  from 
them"  at  Pamphylia,  "and  returned  to  Jerusalem"  (see  Acts 
xii.  12,  25  ;  XV.  37,  39  ;  Col.  iv.  10  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  11  ;  Philem.  24  ; 
I  Peter  v.  13).  His  defection  appeared  to  Paul  sufficiently 
serious  to  warrant  an  emphatic  refusal  to  take  him  with  him  on 
a  second  tour,  but  in  after  years  the  breach  was  healed  and  we 
find  Mark  with  Paul  again  when  he  writes  to  Colossae,  and  he 
is  also  mentioned  approvingly  in  the  second  letter  to  Timothy. 
As  regards  the  date  of  this  Gospel,  scholars  are  now  almost 
unanimous  in  fixing  it  between  63,  A.D.  and  70,  A.D.  Nor  is 
there  any  valid  reason  for  questioning  the  usual  view  that  it  was 
written  at  Rome.  Clement,  Eusebius,  Jerome  and  Epiphanius 
are  all  one  in  asserting  this  to  have  been  the  case.  That  the 
book  was  mainly  intended  for  Gentiles,  and  especially  Romans, 
seems  probable  not  so  much  from  external  as  from  internal 
evidence.  Latin  forms  not  occurring  in  other  Gospels,  together 
with  explanations  of  Jewish  terms  and  customs,  and  the 
omission  of  all  reference  to  the  Jewish  Law,  point  in  this  direc- 
tion. Its  manifest  vividness  of  narration  and  pictorial  minute- 
ness of  observation  bespeak  the  testimony  of  an  eye-witness, 
and  the  ancient  assertion  of  Papias,  quoted  by  Eusebius,  that 
Mark  was  "the  interpreter  of  Peter"  is  borne  out  by  the  Gospel 
itself  no  less  than  by  what  we  know  of  Mark  and  Peter  from 
the  rest  of  the  New  Testament.  In  a  real  though  not  mechani- 
cal sense,  this  is  "  the  Gospel  of  Peter,"  and  its  admitted 
priority  to  the  Gospels  of  Matthew  and  Luke  affords  substantial 
reason  for  ihe  assumption  that  it  is  to  some  extent  the  source 
whence  they  derive  their  narratives,  although  Papias  distinctly 
affirms  that  Mark  made  no  attempt  at  giving  a  carefully 
arranged  history  such  as  that  at  which  Luke  confessedly 
aimed. 

In  spite  of  the  witness  of  most  uncial  MSS.  and  the  valiant 
pleading  of  Dean  Burgon  and  others,  modern  scholars  are  well 
nigh  unanimous  in  asserting  that  the  last  twelve  verses  of  this 
Gospel  are  an  appendix.  Yet  the  evidence  for  their  authen- 
ticity is  such  that  less  cannot  honestly  be  said  than  that  they 
"must  have  been  of  very  early  date,"  and  that  they  embody  "a 
true  apostolic  tradition  which  may  have  been  written  by  some 
companion  or  successor  of  the  original  author." 

84 


THE    GOOD    NEWS   AS    RECORDED    BY    MARK 


John  the        The  beginning  of  the  Good  News  of  Jesus  Christ     i 
Baptist       the  Son  of  God. 
Jucfgement       ^^  ^^  ^^  written  in  Isaiah  the  Prophet,  2 

and  "See,  I   AM   SENDING   My  MESSENGER   BEFORE 

Repentance.  ^^^^^ 

Who  will  prepare  Thy  way"  (Mai  iii.  i); 
'•'  The  voice  op^  one  crying  aloud  :  3 

'  In  the  desert  prepare  a  road  for  the  Lord  : 
Make  His  highways  straight'"  (Isa.  xl.  33). 
So  John  the  Baptizer  came,  and  was  in  the  desert  proclaiming     4 
a  baptism  of  the  penitent  for  forgiveness  of  sins.     There  went     5 
out  to  him  people  of  all  classes  from  Judaea,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  of  all  ranks,  and  were  baptized  by  him  in  the  river 
Jordan,  making  open  confession  of  their  sins. 

As  for  John,  his  clothing  was  of  camel's  hair,     6 
the^'ppearing  ^^^  ^^  had  a  leather  belt  round  his  waist  ;  and 
and  Work  of    ^jg    food    was    locusts    and    wild    honey.       His     7 

announcement  was,  "There  is  One  coming  after 
me  mightier  than  I,  One  whose  shoe-lace  I  am  unworthy  to 
stoop  down  and  untie.      I  have  baptized  you  with  water,  but     8 
He  will  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Spirit." 

At    that   time   Jesus   came     rom    Nazareth    in     9 
f^kT'l^'^tl^m"    ^^^'^^^  ^^^  ^^^2  baptized  by  John  in  the  Jordan  ; 

and  immediately  on  His  coming   up   out   of  the      ic 

1-6.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  i-io  ;   Luke  iii.  1-14. 

1.  The  Son  ofGod]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

2.  It  is  written]  Or,  somewhat  more  emphatically,  'it  stands  written.' 

3.  Crying  aloud,  in  the  desert]  See  Matt.  iii.   3,  n. 

4.  T/ie  Baptizer]  Lit.    '  the  baptizing '  (man).     The  penitent]  Lit.  'repentance.' 

5.  0/ all  classes  .  .  ^«// rrt«/lr.y]  The  adjective,  familiar  iu  classical  Greek,  signify- 
ing 'of  all  kinds,  sorts  and  descriptions,'  is  never  found  in  Jewish  Greek,  but  the 
simple  'air  is  substituted,  as  often  in  Hebrew.  So  lit.,  here.  Cp.  vii.  19  ;  Acts  ii. 
17  ;  Rom.  i.  29.  Were  baptized]  Or  'got  themselves  baptized.'  In  the  river]  Or 
'  at  the  river. '     So  in  verse  9. 

7-8.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  11,  12  ;  Luke  iii.  15-18. 
8.   With  the  Holy  Spirit]  v.l.   '  in  the  Holy  Spirit.' 
9-11.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  13-17  ;  Luke  iii.  21,  22. 

10.  Immediately]  The  Greek  word  here  employed  by  Mark  (which  may  also  be 

85 


86  MARK    I. 

water  He  saw   an    opening    in   the  sky,  and  the    Spirit  like    a 
dove  coming  down  to  Him;   and  a  voice  came  from  the  sky,     ii 
saying,  "  Thou   art    My   Son   dearly   loved  :    in   Thee    is   My 
delight "  (Ps.  ii.  7  ;  Isa.  xlii.  i). 

At  once  the  Spirit  impelled  Him  to  go  out  into     12 
ExperfJnces^in  the  desert,  where  He  remained  forty  days  tempted     13 

the  Desert,     ^y  Satan  ;  and  He  was  among  the  wild  beasts,  but 
the  angels  waited  upon  Him. 

Then,  after  John    had  been  thrown  into  prison,     14 
to"preach"^    Jesus  came  into   Galilee  proclaiming  God's  Good 

News.     "The  time  is  fully  come,"  He  said,  "and     15 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  close  at  hand  :  repent,  and  believe  this 
Good  News." 

One  day,  passing  along  the  shore  of  the  Lake     16 
''°"ca?ied!^'^^  of  Galilee,  He  saw  Simon  and  Andrew,  Simon's 
brother,  throwing  their  nets  in  the  Lake  ;  for  they 
were  fishermen.     "Come  and  follow  me,"  said  Jesus,  "and  I     17 
will  make  you  fishers  for  men."     At  once  they  left  their  nets     18 
and  followed  Him.     Going  on  a  little  further  He  saw  James  the     19 
son  of  Zabdai  and  his  brother  John  :  they  also  were  in  their  boat 
mending  their  nets,  and  He  immediately  called  them.     They     20 
therefore  left  their  father  Zabdai  in  the  boat  with  the  hired  men, 
and  went  and  followed  Him. 

So  they  came  to  Capharnahum,  and  on  the  next     2 1 
Christ  cures  a  gabbath   He  went  to  the  synagogue  and  began 

to  teach.     The  people  listened  with  amazement  to     22 
His  teaching — for  there  was  authority  about  it  :  it   was   very 
different  from  that  of  the  Scribes — when  all  at  once,  there  in     23 
their  synagogue,  a  man  under  the  power  of  a  foul  spirit  screamed 

rendered  by  '  forthwith,'  'straightway,'  '  directly,'  '  at  once  ')  occurs  very  frequently 
in  this  Gospel.  It  is  found  in  Matthew  15  times,  in  Luke  7  times,  in  John  4  times, 
but  in  Mark  37  times.     Daz'e]  Lit.  '  pigeon.'     To  Him]  v.L.  '  upon  Him.' 

12-13.   Cp.  Matt.  iv.  i-ii;  Luke  iv.  1-13. 

14-20.   Cp.  Matt.  iv.  12-22  ;   Luke  iv.  14. 

14.    Throzun  into /»-ison]  See  Matt.  iv.  12,  n. 

20.  Therefore]  Lit.  'and.'  I  have  mentioned  in  Aorist,  Appendix  B,  that  the 
Hebrew  conjunction  'and'  is  made  to  do  duty  in  the  O.T.  in  at  least  23  different 
senses.  Among  these  are  'but,'  '  for,'  '  so,'  '  therefore,'  '  wherefore.'  Mark,  being  a 
Jew,  uses  the  Greek  for  '  and '  with  similar  want  of  precision  (or  say,  in  like  simplicity 
of  style),  and  much  oftener  than  any  other  N.T.  writer.  In  the  Gospels,  e.g.,  'and' 
always  rendered  with  painful  sameness  in  the  R.V.,  occurs  in  about  the  proportion  of 
Matthew  54,  Luke  61,  John  36,  Mark  74.  I  have  often  rendered  the  conjunction  in 
one  or  other  of  the  above  ways,  or  have  omitted  it  altogether,  my  object  being  to 
exhibit  the  exact  connexion  of  thought  in  the  manner  now  customary  in  English. 
The  common  Greek  word  for  '  therefore '  is  found  only  five  or  six  times  in  Mark, 
while  it  occurs  about  180  times  in  John's  Gospel. 

21-28.   Cp.  Luke  iv.  31-37. 

23.    Under  the  pouter  of]  Lit.  'in.'  Cp   v.  2  ;  Luke  xi.  15,  n. 


MARK    I.  87 

out:  "What    have   you   to  do  with    us,  Jesus  the   Nazarene  ?     24 
Have  you  come  to  destroy  us?   I  know  who  you  are — God's  Holy 
One."     But  Jesus  reprnnanded  him,   saying,   "  Silence  !   come     25 
out  of  him."     So  the  foul  spirit,  after  throwing  the  man  into     26 
convulsions,  came  out  of  him  with  a  loud  cry.     And  all  were     27 
amazed  and  awe-struck,  so  that  they  began  to  ask  one  another, 
"  What  does  this  mean  ?     Here  is  a  new  sort  of  teaching — and 
a  tone  of  authority  !     And  even  to  foul  spirits  he  issues  orders 
and  they  obey  him  ! "     And  His  fame  spread  at  once  every-     28 
where  in  all  that  part  of  Galilee. 

Peter's  Then  on  leaving  the  synagogue   they  came  at     29 

mother-in-Law  once,  with  James  and  John,  to  the  house  of  Simon 

*^"''®  '        and  Andrew.     Now  Simon's  mother-in-law  was  ill     30 
in  bed  with  a  fever,  and  without  delay  they  informed  Him  about 
her.     So  He  went  to  see  her,  and  taking  her  hand  He  raised     31 
her  to  her  feet  :  the  fever  left  her,  and  she  began  to  wait  upon 
them. 

When  it  was  evening,  after  sunset  people  came    32 
^Siiracle!.*^  bringing  Him  all  who  were  sick  and  the  demoniacs  ; 

and  the  whole  town  was   assembled  at  the  door.     33 
Then  He  cured  numbers  of  people  who  were  ill  with  various     34 
diseases,  and  He  drove  out  many  demons  ;    not  allowing  the 
demons  to  speak,  because  they  knew  Him, 

.  In  the  morning  He  rose  early,  while  it  was  still     35 

Jesus  preaches        .        ,      ,  ,    f       •  ,      ,  tt 

throughout    quite  dark,  and  leavmg  the  house  He  went  away 
Gahiee.        .^  ^  solitary  place  and  there  prayed.     And  Simon     36 
and  the  others  searched  every  where  for  Him.     When  they  found     37 
Him  they  said,  "Every  one  is  looking  for  you."     He  replied,     38 
"  Let  us  go  elsewhere,  to  the  neighbouring  country  towns,  that  I 
may  proclaim  my  errand  there  also  ;  for  for  that  purpose  I  came 
from  God."     And  He  went  through  all  Galilee,  preaching  in  the     39 
synagogues  and  expelling  the  demons. 

One  day  there  came  a  leper  to  Jesus  entreating     40 
^\eper^  ^    Him,  and  pleading  on  his   knees  :    "  If  you  are 

willing,  you  are  able  to  cleanse  me."     Moved  wiih     41 
pity    He   reached  out    His    hand   and    touched   him.     "  I    am 
willing,"   He  said;   "be  cleansed."     In  a  moment  the  leprosy     42 
left  him,  and  he  was  cleansed.     Jesus  at  once   sent  him  away,     43 

27.   Atnazed  and  azve-struck\  Cp.  Luke  v.  9,  n. 

29-31.  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  14,  15  ;  Luke  iv.  38,  39. 

29.    'rhry\  v.L.  '  He.' 

31.  Hand]  Or  '  arm,'  as  Shadwell  renders  it.     See  Matt.  xii.  10,  n. 

/2.  Left  huii\  Lit.  '  came  off  from  him.' 


8S  MARK    I.-II. 

strictly  charging  him,  saying,  "  Be  careful  not  to  tell  any  one,  44 
but  go  and  show  yourself  to  the  Priest,  and  for  your  purification 
bring  the  offerings  that  Moses  appointed  as  evidence  for  them." 
But  the  man,  when  he  went  out,  began  to  tell  every  one  and  45 
to  publish  the  matter  abroad,  so  that  it  was  no  longer  possible 
for  Jesus  to  go  openly  into  any  town  ;  but  He  had  to  remain 
outside  in  unfrequented  places,  where  people  came  to  Him  from 
all  parts. 

After    some   days    He    entered    Capharnahum     i  J 
Man'"ci'i^red!     ^g^i"?  ^^^  it  soon  became  known  that  He  was  at 

home  ;  and  such  numbers  of  people  came  together     2 
that  there  was  no  longer  room  for  them  even  round  the  door. 
He  was  speaking  His   Message  to  them,  when  there  came  a     3 
party  of  people  bringing  a  paralytic — four  men  carrying   him. 
Finding  themselves  unable,   however,   to   bring   him   to   Jesus     4 
because  of  the  crowd,  they  untiled  the  roof  just  over  His  head, 
and  after  clearing  an  opening  they  lowered  the  mat  on  which 
the  paralytic  was  lying.      Seeing  their  faith,  Jesus  said  to  the     5 
paralytic,  "  My  son,  your  sins  are  pardoned."     Now  there  were     6 
some  of  the  Scribes  sitting  there,  and  reasoning  in  their  hearts  : 
"Why  does  this  man  use  such  words.''     He  is  blaspheming.     7 
Who  can   pardon  sins  but  one — that  is,  God?"     At  once  per-     8 
ceiving  by  His  spirit  that  they  were  reasoning  within  themselves, 
Jesus  asked  them,  "  Why  do  you  thus  argue  in  your  minds  ? 
Which   is   easier  ? — to    say  to    this    paralytic,    '  Your   sins    are     9 
pardoned,'  or  to  say,  '  Rise,  take  up  your  mat,  and  walk  '?  But     10 
that  you  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man  has  authority  on  earth 
to  pardon    sins"— He  turned  to  the  paralytic,  and  said,   "To     11 
you   I  say,  Rise,  take  up  your  mat  and  go  home."    The  man     12 
rose,  and  immediately  under  the  eyes  of  all  took  up  his  mat 
and  went  out,  so  that   they  were  all  filled  with  astonishment, 
gave  the  glory  to  God,  and  said,  "  We  never  saw  anything  like 
this." 

Again  He  went  out  to  the  shore  of  the  Lake,     13 
Matthew.      ^^^  the  whole  multitude  kept  coming  to  Him,  and 

He  taught  them.     And  as  He  passed  by.  He  saw     14 
Levi  the  son  of  Alphaeus  sitting  at  the  Toll  Office,  and  said  to 
him,  "Follow  me."     So  he  rose  and  followed  Him. 

45.   Auv  foiling  Or  '  the  town.' 

1-12.  Cp.   Matt.  ix.  1-8;  Luke  v.  17-26. 

8.     Minds]   Lit.  '  hearts.' 

13-17.    Cp.  RLitt.  ix.  9-13  ;  Luke  \.  27-32. 

14.  At]  Or  '  in  charge  of.' 


MARK    II.  89 

When  He  was  sitting  at  table  in  Levi's  house,  a  large  number     15 
of  tax-gatherers  and  noiorious   sinners  were  at  table  with  Jesus 
and   His  disciples  ;  for  there  were  many  such  who  habitually 
followed  Him.     But  when  the  Scribes  of  the  Pharisee  sect  saw     16 
Him  eating  with  the  sinners  and  the  tax-gatherers,  they  said  to 
His  disciples,  "  He  is  eating  and  drinking  with  the  tax-gatherers 
and  sinners  !"     Jesus  heard  the  words,  and  He  said,  "  It  is  not     17 
the  healthy  who  require  a  doctor,  but  the  sick  :  I  did  not  come 
to  appeal  to  the  righteous,  but  to  sinners." 
^^    ^.    .  ,    ,       Now  John's  disciples  and  those  of  the  Pharisees     18 

The  Disciples  •'    .  '■ 

Neglect  of     were  keepmg  a  fast ;  and  they  came  and  asked  Him, 
Fasting.       a  ^^^^   jg  j^.  ^^^^.  John's    disciples   and    those   of 
the  Pharisees  are  fasting,  and  yours  are  not?"     Jesus  replied,     19 
"  Can   a  wedding  party   fast  while  the   bridegroom  is  among 
them  ?      So   long  as    they   have   the    bridegroom   with    them, 
fasting  is  impossible.     But  a  time  will  come  when  the  Bride-     20 
groom  will  be  taken  away  from  them  ;  then  they  will  fast.     No     2[ 
one  mends  an  old  garment  with  a  piece  of  unshrunk  cloth.     If 
he  did,  the  patch  put  on  would  tear  away  from  it — the  new  from 
the  old — and  a  worse  hole  would  be  made.     And  no  one  pours     22 
new  wine  into  old  wine-skins.     If  he  did,  the  wine  would  burst 
the  skins,  and  both  wine  and  skins  would  be  lost.     New  wine 
needs  fresh  skins  !  " 

^  _.  -      One    Sabbath    He    was    walking    through    the     23 

A  Charge  of  &  &  j 

Sabbath,     wheatfields    when    His    disciples    began    to    pluck 
Breaking,     ^j^^  ^^^^  ^^  wheat  as  they  went.     So  the  Pharisees     24 
said  to  Him,  "  Look  !  why  are  they  doing  what  on  the  Sabbath 
is  unlawful?"     "Have  you  never  read,"  Jesus  replied,  "what     25 
David  did  when  the  necessity  arose  and  he  and  his  men  were 
hungry :  how  he  entered  the  house  of  God  in  the  high-priesthood     26 
of  Abiathar,  and  ate  the  Presented  Loaves — which  none  but  the 
priests  are  allowed  to  eat — and  gave  some  to  his  men  also  ? " 
(I  Sam.  xxi.  6.)     Jesus  added  :    "The  Sabbath  was  made  for     27 
man,  not  man  for  the  Sabbath  ;  so  tliat  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord     28 
even  of  the  Sabbath." 

15.  Sitti7tz\  Lit.  'reclining.' 

16    And  drinking^  v.l.  omits. 

18-22.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  14-17  ;  Luke  v.  33-39. 

18.  Keeping  a  fast]  Or  '  accustomed  to  fast.' 

21.  Did  .  .  would  tear  .  .  ivoiild  l>e 7nade]  Lit.  'does  .  .  tears  .   .  is  made.' 

22.  Did  .  ,  would  bicrst  .   .  would  be  lost]  Lit.  'does  .   .   will  burst  .   .   are  lost.' 
^3-28.   Cp.  Matt.  xii.  1-8  ;  Luke  vi.  1-5. 

26    lu  the  high-priesthood  0/ Abiathar]  Or  '  in  the  presence  of  Abiathar  the  Hi;jh 
Priest.'     See  the  Commentators:  especially  McClellan,  p.  672. 

27.  Man]  Lit.  '  the  man,'  who  observes  it,  or  is  commanded  to  do  so. 


90  MARK    III. 

At  another  time,  when  He' went  to  the  synagogue,     i  3 
'rrslo^ed'*^     there  was  a  man  there  with  one  arm  shrivelled  up. 

They   closely  watched   Him   to  see   whether    He     2 
would  cure  him  on  the  Sabbath — so  as  to  have  a  charge  to  bring 
against  Him.     "  Come  forward,"  said  He  to  the  man  with  the     3 
shrivelled  arm.     Then  He  asked  them,  "  Are  we  allowed  to  do     4 
good  on  the  Sabbath,  or  to  do  evil  ?  to  save  a  life,  or  to  destroy 
one?"     They  remained  silent.     Grieved  and  indignant  at  the     5 
hardening  of  their   hearts,    He   looked  round    on    them   with 
anger,    and   said  to   the  man,  "  Stretch  out  your   arm."     He 
stretched  it  out,  and  the  arm  was  restored  to  health.     But  no     6 
sooner  had  the  Pharisees  left  the  synagogue  than  they  held  a 
consultation  with  the  Herodians  against  Jesus  to  devise  some 
means  of  destroying  Him. 

Accordingly  Jesus  withdrew  with  His  disciples  to  the  Lake,     7 
and  a  vast  crowd  of  people  from   Galilee  followed  Him  ;  and 
from  Judaea  and  Jerusalem  and  Idumaea  and  from  beyond  the     8 
Jordan  and  from  the  district  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  there  came  to 
Him,  a  vast  crowd,  hearing  of  all  that  He  was  doing.     So  He     9 
gave  directions  to  His  disciples  to  keep  a  small  boat  in  constant 
attendance  on    Him   because    of  the  throng — to  prevent  their 
crushing  Him.     For  He  had  cured  many  of  the  people,  so  that     10 
all  who  had  any  ailments  pressed  upon   Him  to  touch    Him. 
And  the  foul  spirits,  whenever  they  saw  Him,  threw  themselves     11 
down  at  His  feet,  screaming  out  :  "You  are  the  Son  of  God.'' 
But  He  many  a  time  checked  them,  forbidding  them  to  say  who     12 
He  was. 

_  Then  He  went  up  the  Hill  ;  and  those  whom  He     13 

Apostles       Himself  chose  He  called,  and  they  came  to  Him. 
se  ec  e  .      pj^  appointed  twelve  of  them  that  they  might  be     14 
with  Him,  and  that  He  might  also  send  them  to  proclaim  His 
Message,  with  authority  to  expel  the  demons.    These  twelve  were     15 
Simon  (to  whom  He  gave  the  surname  of  Peter),  James  the  son  16,  17 
of  Zabdai  and  John  the  brother  of  James  (these  two  He  sur- 
named  Boanerges,  that  is  '  Sons  of  Thunder '),  Andrew,  Philip,     18 

1-6.  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  9-14  ;  Luke  vi.  6-1 1. 

4.  Life\  Or  '  soul.' 

5.  Grievei{\  Anger  is  not  sinful  when  it  is  linked  with  loving  sympathy— pity  for 
those  with  whom  we  are  angry. 

7-12  and  16-19.  Cp.  Matt.  x.  2-4 ;  iv.  24,  25  ;  Luke  vi.  14-19. 

7.  Accordingly\  See  i.  20,  n. 

9.  So\  See  i.  20,  n. 

13-15.   Cp.  Luke  vi.  12,  13. 

14.   J'welve  0/ them]  v. l.  adds  '  whom  also  He  named  apostles.' 

18.   Caiiaftaean]  I.E.  'Zealot,'  not  'Canaanite.' 


MARK   III.  91 

Bartholomew,  Matthew,  Thomas,  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus, 
Thaddaeus,  Simon  the  Cananaean,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  the  man     19 
who  also  betrayed  Him. 

And   He  went  into   a   house.     But    again  the     20 
'^Siander?"^   crowd  assembled,  so  that  there  was  no  opportunity 

for  them  even  to  snatch  a  meal.     Hearing  of  this,     21 
His  friends  came  from  home  to  take  Him  by  force,  for  they  said, 
"  He  is  out  of  his  mind."    The  Scribes,  too,  who  had  come  down     22 
from  Jerusalem  said,  "  he  has  Baal-zebul  in  him  ; "  and  again, 
"  It  is  by  the  Prince  of  the  demons  that  he  expels  the  demons." 
So  He  called  them  to  Him,  and  using  figurative  language  He     23 
appealed  to  them,  saying,   "  How  is  it  possible  for  Satan  to 
expel  Satan  ?     For  if  civil  war  breaks  out  in  a  kingdom,  nothing     24 
can  make  that  kingdom  last  ;  and  if  a  family  splits  into  parties,     25 
that  family  cannot  continue.     So  if  Satan  has  risen  in  arms  and     26 
has  made  war  upon  himself,  stand  he  cannot,  but  meets  his  end. 
Nay,  no  one  can  go  into  a  strong  man's  house  and  carry  off  his     27 
property,  unless  he  first  binds  the  strong  man,  and  then  he  will 
plunder  his  house.     In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  all  their  sins     28 
may  be  pardoned  to  the  sons  of  men,  and  all  their  blasphemies, 
however  they  may  have  blasphemed  ;  but  whoever  blasphemes     29 
against  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  remains  for  ever  unabsolved  :  he  is 
guilty  of  a  sin  of  the  ages  ;  "  because  they  said,  "  He  has  a  foul     30 
spirit  in  him." 

-.    .  .,     „  ,         By  this  time  His  mother  and  His  brothers  arrive,     31 
Christ  s    Rela-         ^  .  ,       ,  , 

tives  try  to  and  standmg  outside  they  send  a  message  to  Him 
restrain  Him.   ^^   ^^^  j^j^^       ^^^  ^  crowd  was  sitting   round     32 

Him ;  so  they  tell  Him,  saying,  "  Your  mother  and  your  brothers 
and   sisters  are  outside,    inquiring  for   you."     "  Who    are   my     '^■}> 
mother  and  my  brothers  ?"  He  replied.    And,  fixing  His  eyes  on     34 

20-30.  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  22-37  ;  Luke  vi.  43-45  ;  xi.  17-23. 

20.  He\  v.L.  'they.'  Went  into  a  house]  Some  render  'came  home,'  but  the 
next  verse,  properly  translated,  shows  clearly  that  He  was  not  at  home.  To  snatch 
a  7neal]  Lit.  '  to  eat  bread.'     Cp.   Matt.  xv.  2. 

21.  His  friends  came  from  home]  Lit.  *  they-from-His-home  came,'  an  idiom  which 
various  translators  seem  to  misunderstand,  but  one  which  is  fully  explained,  with 
numerous  examples,  in  Jelfs  Greek  Grammar,  §647.     It  occurs  also  in  v.  30. 

22.  Baal-zebul]  See  Matt.  x.  25,  and  note. 

23.  Figurative  langua^^e]  Or  '  parables.' 

24.  For]  See  i.  20,  n. 

28.  In  solemn  truth]  Or  '  Amen.'    See  Matt.  v.   18,  n. 

29.  Forever]  Lit.  'to  the  age.'  Of  the  ages]  Greek  'aeonian.'  See  Matt,  xviii. 
3,  n.  In  the  present  passage  the  meaning  seems  clearly  to  be  a  sin  that  remains 
throughout  the  ages  unpardoned.     A  sin]  v.L.  'sin.' 

31-35.  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  46-50  ;  Luke  viii.  19-21.  • 

31.  Outside]  I.E.  'outside  the  throng.' 

32.  Sitting]  I.E.  'on  the  ground,'  as  is  the  custom  to  this  day,  when  listening  to 
an  Arab  story-teller,  for  example.     And  sisters]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 


92  MARK    III.-IV. 

the  people  who  were  sitting  round   Him  in  a  circle,  He  said, 
"  Here  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers.     For  wherever  there     35 
is  one  who  has  been  obedient  to  God,  there  is  my  brother,  my 
sister,  and  my  mother." 
A  Series  of        Once  more  He  began  to  teach  by  the  side  of  the     i   ^ 
Parables.   ^   Lake,  and  a  vast  multitude  of  people  came  together 
ower.    ^^  listen  to  Him.     He  therefore  went  on  board  the 
boat  and  sat  there,  a  little  way  from  the  land  ;  and  all  the  people 
were  on  the  shore  close  to  the  water.     Then  He  proceeded  to     2 
teach  them  many  lessons  in  figurative  language  ;  and  in  His 
teaching  He  said,  "  Listen  :  the  sower  goes  out  to  sow.     As  he  3,  4 
sows,  some  of  the  seed  falls  by  the  way-side,  and  the  birds  come 
and  peck  it  up.     Some  falls  on  the  rocky  ground  where  it  finds     5 
but  little  earth,  and  it  shoots  up  quickly  because  it  has  no  depth 
of  soil ;  but  when  the  sun  is  risen,  it  is  scorched,  and  through     6 
having  no  root  it  withers  away.     Some,  again,  falls  among  the     7 
thorns  ;  and  the  thorns  spring  up  and  stifle  it,  so  that  it  yields 
no  crop.     But  some  of  the  seed  falls  into  good  ground,  and     8 
gives  a  return  :  it  comes  up  and  increases,  and  yields  thirty, 
sixty,  or  a  hundred-fold."     He  added,  "  Listen,  ev^ery  one  who     9 
has  ears  to  listen  with  ! " 

When   He  was  alone,  the  Twelve  and  the  others  who  were     10 
about  Him  requested  Him  to  explain  His  figurative  language. 
"  To  you,"  He  replied,  "  is  given  the  secret  truth  concerning  the     1 1 
Kingdom  of  God  ;  but  to  those  others  outside  your  number  all 
this  is  spoken  in  figurative  language  ;  that  12 

'They  may  look  and  look  but  not  see. 
And  listen  and  listen  but  not  understand. 
Lest  perchance  they  should  return  and  be  par- 
doned'" (Isa.  vi.  10). 
He  added,  "Do  you  all  miss  the  meaning  of  this  parable.'*     13 
How  then  will  you  understand  any  of  my  parables.-* 
The  Story  of       "  What  the  sower  sows  is  the  Message.     Those  14,  ] 
ex^ai^^d*^     who  receive  the  seed  by  the  way-side  are  those  in 
whom  the  Message  is  sown,  but  when  they  have 
heard  it  Satan  comes  at  once  and  carries  away  the  Message 
sown  in  them.     In  the  same  way  those  who  receive  the  seed  on     16 

1-25.  Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  1-23  ;  Luke  viii.  4-18. 

I.  On  board  the  boat]  i.e.  the  boat  mentioned  in  iii.  9.  It  is  lit.  '  into  boat,'  with- 
out the  article,  as  in  many  passages  in  the  Greek  of  the  N.T.,  and  as  we  speak  of 
going 'to  chnrch,' coming  ■  from  town,' appearing  'on  parade.'  So  '  for  journey,' 
vi.  8,  where  our  idiom  requires  '  the.' 

3.  Goes  out]  Or  '  went  out  ; '  and  so  throughout  the  parable.     Cp.  Luke  viii.  5,  n. 

16,  18,  20.  Receive,  receive,  have  received]  See  Matt.  xiii.  19,  n. 


MARK    IV  93 

the  rocky  places  are  those  who,   when   they  have  heard  the 
Message,  at  once  accept  it  joyfully,  but  they  have  no  root  within     17 
them.     They  last  for  a  time  ;  then,  when  suffering  or  perse- 
cution comes  because  of  the   Message,    they  are  immediately 
overthrown.     Others  there  are  who  receive  the  seed  among  the     18 
thorns  :  these   are   they   who    have    heard    the     Message,    but     19 
worldly  cares  and  the  deceitfulness  of  wealth  and  the  excessive 
pursuit  of  other  objects  come  in  and  stifle  the  Message,  and  it 
becomes   unfruitful.      Those,    on    the    other    hand,    who   have     20 
received  the  seed  on  the  good  ground,  are  all  who  hear  the 
Message  and  welcome  it,  and  yield  a  return  of  thirty,  sixty  or  a 
hundred  fold." 

He  went  on  to  say,  "  Is  the  lamp  brought  in  in     21 
Lamps  are  for  Qj-^jej-  ^q  \^q  p^t  under  the  bushel  or  under  the  bed? 

giving  Lignt.  ^ 

Is  it  not  rather  in  order  that  it  may  be  placed  on 
the  lampstand  ?    Why,  there  is  nothing  hidden  except  with  a     22 
view  to  its  being  ultimately  disclosed,  nor  has  anything  been 
made  a  secret  but  that  it  may  at  last  come  to  light.     Listen,     23 
every  one  who  has  ears  to  listen  with  ! " 
^^    _  .He  said  also,  "  Take  care  what  you  hear.     With     24 

The  Responsi.  '  .  /  ^ 

biiity  of  the    what  measure  you  measure,  it  will  be  measured  to 
weiutaught.    ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^-^^^  interest.     For  those  who  have     25 

v/ill  have  more  given  them  ;  and  from  those  who  have  not,  even 
what  they  have  will  be  taken  away." 

Another  saying  of  His  was  :  "The  Kingdom  of    26 

erewf  secretly  '  ^°*^  ^^  ^^  ^^  ^  ^^^^  scattered  seed  over  the  ground  : 

he    spends   days    and   nights,   now    awake,   now     27 

asleep,  while  the  seed  sprouts  and  grows  tall,  he  knows  not  how. 

Of  itself  the  land  produces  the  crop — first  the  blade,  then  the     28 

ear  ;  afterwards  the  perfect  grain  is  seen  in  the  ear.     But  no     29 

sooner  is  the  crop  ripe,  than  he  sends  the  reapers,  because  the 

time  of  harvest  has  come." 

Another  saying  of  His  was  :  "  How  are  we  to     30 

' '^''leed.'*^''''  picture  the  Kingdom  of  God  ?   or  by  what  figure 

of  speech   shall   we   represent   it.?     It   is   like  a     31 

mustard-seed,  which,  when  sown  in  the  earth,  is  the  smallest  of 

17.  Are  .   .  oz'erthyow7i\  Or  as  in  Matt.  xiii.  21. 
19.    Worldly  cares]  Lit.  '  the  anxieties  of  the  age.' 

21.  Busher\  More  lit. 'peck-measure.' 

22.  Cp.  Rom.  xvi.  25,  26. 

28.  First  .  .  then  .  .  a/teriva)  ds]  Cp.  i  Cor."  xv.  23,  24,  n. 

29.  The  renf>ers\  Lit.  'the  sickle.' 

30-32.  Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  31-33  ;  Luke  xiii.  18-21. 

30.  Figure  of  speech^  Lit.  'parable.' 


94  MARK    IV.-V. 

all  the  seeds  in  the  world  ;  yet  when  sown  it  springs  up  and     32 
becomes  larger  than  all  the  herbs,  and  throws  out  great  branches, 
so  that  the  wild  birds  build  under  its  shadow." 

With  many  such  parables   He  used  to  speak  the  Message  to     33 
them  according  to  their  capacity  for  receiving  it.     But  except  in     34 
figurative  language  He  spoke  nothing  to  them  ;  while  to   His 
own  disciples  He  expounded  everything,  in  private. 
A  Storm  re-       ^^^  same  day,  in  the  evening,  He  said  to  them,     35 

buked  and     "  Let  US  cross  to  the  other  side."     So  they  got     36 

®"     "®  ■       away  from  the  crowd,  and  took  Him — as  He  was 
— in   the   boat  ;  and   other   boats   accompanied    Him.     But   a     37 
heavy  squall  came  on,  and  the  waves  were  now  dashing  into 
the  boat,  so  that  it  was  fast  filling.     But  He  Himself  was  in  the     38 
stern  asleep,  with  His  head  on  the  cushion  :  so  they  woke  Him. 
"  Rabbi,"  they  cried,  "is  it  nothing  to  you  that  we  are  drown- 
ing.?"   So  He  roused  Himself  and  rebuked  the  wind,  and  said     39 
to  the   waves,   "  Silence !    be   still ! "    The    wind   sank,  and  a 
perfect  calm  set  in.     "  Why  are  you  so  timid  ? "    He  asked  ;     40 
"have  you  still  no  faith  ?"     Then  they  were  filled  with  extreme     41 
terror,  and  began  to  say  to  one  another,  "  Who  is  this,  then  ? 
for  even  wind  and  sea  obey  Him." 
A  Gerasene       ^°  ^^^^'  arrived  at  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Lake,     i    1 

Demoniac    in  the  country  of  the  Gerasenes.     At  once,  on  His     2 
landing,  there  came  from  the  tombs  to  meet  Him 
a  man  possessed  by  a  foul  spirit.     This  man  lived  among  the     3 
tombs,  nor  could  any  one  now  secure  him  even  with  a  chain  ; 
for  many  a  time  he  had  been  left  securely  bound  in  fetters  and     4 
chains,  but  afterwards  the  chains  lay  torn  link  from  link,  and 
the  fetters  in  fragments,  and  there  was  no  one  strong  enough 
to  master  him.     And  constantly,  day  and  night,  he  remained     5 
among  the  tombs  or  on  the  hills,  shrieking,  and  mangling  him- 
self with  sharp  stones.    And  when  he  saw  Jesus  in  the  distance,     6 
he  ran  and  threw   himself  at    His  feet,  crying  out  in  a  loud     7 
voice,   "  What   have  you  to   do  with  me,  Jesus,  Son  of  God 
Most  High  ?    In  God's  name  I  implore  you  not  to  torment  me." 
For  He  had  said  to  him,  "  Foul  spirit,  come  out  of  the  man."     8 
He  questioned  him   too.     "  What  is  your  name  ? "    He  said.     9 

32,  Herds]  Or  '  garden  vegetables.'     Cp.  Rom.  xiv.  2. 

35-41.  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  18,  23-27  ;  Luke  viii.  22-25. 

38.  Jiaddi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'" 

1-20.  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  28-34  '•  Luke  viii.  26-39. 

2.  Fossessi'd dy]  Lit.  'in.' 

5.  AvtoHg]  Or  '  in.' 

8.  Had  said]  Lit.  '  was  saying.' 


MARK    V.  95 

"Legion,"  he  replied,   "for  there  are  a  host  of  us."     And  he     lo 
earnestly  entreated   Him   not  to  send   them  away  out  of  the 
country. 

Feeding  there  on  the  mountain  slope  was  a  great  herd  of     ii 
swine.     So  they  besought    Him.    "  Send   us   into    the   swine,"     12 
they  said,  "that  we   may  enter   into   them."     He    gave  them     13 
leave  ;  and  the  foul  spirits  came  out  and  entered  into  the  swine, 
and  the  herd — about  two  thousand  in  number —rushed  headlong 
down  the  cliff  into  the  Lake  and  were  drowned  in  the  Lake. 
The  swineherds  fled,  and  spread  the  news  in  town  and  country.     14 
So  the  people  came  to  see  what  it  was  that  had  happened  ;  and     15 
when  they  came  to  Jesus,  they  beheld  the  demoniac  quietly 
seated,  clothed  and  of  sane  mind — the  man  who  had  had  the 
legion  ;  and  they  were  awe-stricken.     And  those  who  had  seen     16 
it   told   them   the   particulars   of  what   had    happened   to   the 
demoniac,  and  all  about  the  swine.     Then  they  began  entreat-     17 
ing  Him  to  depart  from  their  district. 

As   He  was  embarking,  the  man   who  had  been  possessed     18 

asked  permission  to  accompany  Him.     But  He  would  not  allow     19 

it.    "  Go  home  to  your  friends,"  He  said,  "and  report  to  them  all 

that  the  Lord  has  done  for  you,  and  the  mercy  He  has  shown 

you."    So  the  man  departed,  and  related  publicly  everywhere  in     20 

the  Ten  Towns  all  that  Jesus  had  done  for  him  ;  and  all  were 

astonished. 

When  Jesus  had  re-crossed  in  the  boat  to  the     21 

Jair's  dying    other   side,    a   vast    multitude    came  crowding  to 
Daughter.  '  ° 

Him  ;  and  He  was  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake,  when     22 
there  came  one  of  the  Wardens  of  the  synagogue— he  was  called 
Jair — who,  on  beholding  Him,  threw  himself  at  His  feet,  and 
besought   Him  with   many  entreaties.      "My  little  daughter,"     23 
he  said,  "  is  at  the  point  of  death  :  I  pray  you  come  and  lay 
your  hands  upon  her  that  she  may  recover  and  live."     And  He     24 
went  with  him. 

And  a  dense  crowd  followed   Him,  and  while 
A  permanent  ^j^gy  thronged  Him  on  all  sides,  a  woman  who  for     25 

twelve  years  had  suffered  from  haemorrhage,  and     26 
had  undergone  many  different  treatments  under  a  number  of 
doctors  and  had  spent  all  she  had  without  receiving  benefit  but 
rather  growing  worse,  having  heard  of  Jesus,  came  in  the  crowd     27 

10.  He\  Or  '  they.' 

21-43.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  18-26  ;  Luke  viii.  40-56. 

22.  Jair\  Such  is   the  O.T.   form   of  the  name   (Num.  xxii.  41  ;  Deut.    iii.   14  ; 
Judges  X.  3 ;  i  Chron.  ii   22  ;  xx.  5  ;  Esther  ii.  5).     See  Matt.  i.  3,  n. 


96  MARK   V. 

behind  Him  and  touched  His  cloak  ;  for  she  said,  "  If  I  but     28 
touch  His  clothes,  I    shall  be  cured."     In  a  moment  the  flow  of     29 
her  blood  ceased,  and  she  felt  in  herself  that  her  complaint  was 
cured.     Immediately  Jesus,   well  knowing  that  healing  power     30 
had  gone  from  within   Him,  turned   round  in  the  crowd  and 
asked,  "  Who  touched  my  clothes?"    His  disciples  exclaimed,     31 
"  You  see  the  multitude  pressing  you  on  all  sides,  and  yet  you 
ask,  '  Who  touched  me  ? '  "    But  He  continued  looking  about  to     32 
see  the  person  who  had  done  this,  till  the  woman,  frightened     33 
and  trembling,  knowing  what  had  happened  to  her,  came  and 
threw    herself    at    His    feet,    and    told     Him    all    the    truth. 
"  Daughter,"    He   said,    "  your   faith   has   cured   you  :    go   in     34 
peace,  and  be  free  from  your  complaint." 

.  ,      ^.|^        While    He  is  yet  speaking,  messengers   come     35 
brought  back  from  the  Warden,  telling  him,  "  Your  daughter  is 

to  Life.        ^^^^  .  ^yj^y  trouble  the  Rabbi  further  ?"    But  Jesus,     36 
overhearing   the    words,    said   to    the    Warden,    "  Do    not   be 
afraid  ;  only  have  faith."     And  He  allowed  no  one  to  accom-     -^n 
pany  Him  except  Peter  and  the  brothers  James  and  John.     So     38 
they  come  to  the  Warden's  house.     Here  He  gazes  on  a  scene 
of  uproar,  with  people  weeping  aloud  and  wailing.     He  goes  in.     39 
"Why  all  this  outcry  and  loud  weeping?"  He  asks  ;  "the  child 
is  asleep,  not  dead."    To  this  their  reply  is  a  scornful  laugh.     He,     40 
however,  puts  them  all  out,  takes  the  child's  father  and  mother 
and  those  He  has  brought  with  Him,  and  enters  the  room  where 
the  child  lies.     Then  taking  her  by  the  hand  He  says  to  her,     41 
"  Talitha,  koum  ;"  that  is  to  say,  "Little  girl,  I  command  you 
to  wake  !  "    Instantly  the  little  girl  rises  to  her  feet  and  begins  to     42 
walk  (for  she  was  twelve  years  old).     They  were  at  once  beside 
themselves  with  utter  astonishment  ;  but  He  gave  strict  injunc-     43 
tions  that  the  matter   should  not  be  made  known,  and  directed 
them  to  give  her  something  to  eat. 


29.  Flow']  Lit.  '  fountain,' or  '  well.' 

30.  From  zuithin  Him]  Lit.  'out  of  Him,'  this  phrase  describing  'the  power,' 
although  (in  accordance  with  a  frequent  Greek  idiom)  tlie  preposition  employed  is 
applicable  grammatically,  not  to  '  power,'  but  to  the  verb  following.  Cp.  iii.  21,  n.  ; 
vii.  15 ;  xi.  8. 

35,  39.  Is  dead]  Lit.  'has  died.'  Cp.  Rom.  vi.  7,  where,  in  the  Greek,  the  dis- 
tinction is  important. 

35.  Rabl'i]  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

36.  Overhearitig]  The  tense  of  the  dependent  Greek  participle  here  ('  being 
spoken')  necessitates  this  rendering.  Besidfts,  Jesus  did  not  in  fact  'disiegard:' 
He  encouraged  the  Warden  in  consequence  of  hearing. 

38,    Weeping  a! oud\  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  75. 

42.  At  once]  Cp.  i.  10,  n.  V.L.  omits  the  word.  The  instant  revulsion  of  feeling 
is  the  idea  conveyed. 


MARK   VI.  97 

Leaving    that    place    He    came    into    His  own     i   Q 
Nazaret*°       country,  accompanied  by  His  disciples.     On  the     2 
Sabbath  He  proceeded  to  teach  in  the  synagogue  ; 
and   many,    as   they  heard    Him,    were  astonished,   and    said, 
"  Where  did  he  acquire  all  this  ?    What  is  this  wisdom  that  has 
been  given  to  him  ?    and  what  are  these  marvellous  miracles 
which  his  hands  perform  ?    Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  Mary's     3 
son,  the  brother  of  James  and  Joses,  Jude  and  Simon  ?    And  do 
not  his  sisters  live  here  among  us?"    So  they  turned  angrily 
away.     But  Jesus  said  to  them,  "  There  is  no  prophet  without     4 
honour  except  in  his  own  country  and  among  his  own  relatives 
and  in  his  own  home."    And  He  could  not  do  any  miracle  there,     5 
except  that  He  laid  His  hands  on  a  (ew  who  were  out  of  health 
and  cured  them  ;  and  He  wondered  at  their  unbelief.     So  He     6 
went  round  the  adjacent  villages,  teaching. 

Then  summoning  the  Twelve  to  Him,  He  proceeded  to  send     7 
them  out  by  twos,  and  gave  them  authority  over  the  foul  spirits. 
He  charged  them  to  take  nothing  for  the  journey  except  a  walk-     8 
ing-stick  :  no  bread,  no  bag,  and  not  a  penny  in  their  pockets, 
but  to  go  wearing  sandals ;  "  and  do  not,"'  He  said,  "  put  on  an     9 
extra  under  garment.     Wherever  you  enter  a  house,  make  it     10 
your  home  till  you  leave  that  place.     But  wherever  they  will  not     11 
receive  you  or  listen  to  you,  when  you  leave  shake  off  the  very 
dust  from  under  your  feet  to  bear  witness  concerning  them." 
So  they  set  out,  and  preached  in  order  that  men  might  repent.     12 
Many  demons  they  expelled,  and  many  invalids  they  anointed     13 
with  oil  and  cured. 

The  Murder  of      ^^"^  Herod  heard  of  all  this  (for  the  name  of     14 
John  the      Jesus  had  become  widely  known),  and  he  used  to 
^"^  '^  ■       declare,  "  John  the  Baptizer  has  come  back  to  life, 
and  that  is  why  these  miraculous  Powers  are  working  in  him." 
Others  asserted,  "  It  is  Elijah;"  others  again  said,  "He  is  a     15 

1-6.  Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  54-58. 

1.  Own  country]  Lit.  '  fatherland.' 

2.  Many]  v.l.  'the  many.'     Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  12.     Marvellous]  Lit.  'such.' 
6.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  35-38. 

7-13.  Cp.  Matt.  X.  I,  5-15;  Luke  ix.  1-6. 

^.  For  the  journey]  Cp.  iv.  i,  n.  Not  a  penny]  Lit.  'no  bronze.'  Pockets]  Lit. 
'  waist-scarf.' 

9.  Sandah]  i.e.  stout  soles  (or  shoes  without  uppers)  fastened  on  with  leather 
straps  passing  round  the  ankles.  In  the  N.T.  the  word  is  only  found  elsewhere  in 
Acts  xii.  8. 

14-16.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  I,  2  ;  Luke  ix.  7-9. 

14.  He  used  to  declare]  v.l.  'people  were  saying.'  The  Baptizer]  Lit.  'the 
baptizing'  (man).— //aj  come  back  to  life]  Lit.  'has  been  raised  (or,  is  awake)  from 
the  dead.  For  the  Greek  perfect  used  here  (not  in  verse  16)  see  Aorist  vii.  These 
miraculous  Pozuers]  Lit.  '  the  powers. '     Cp.  Acts  viij.  10. 

H 


98  MARK    VI. 

Prophet,  like  one  of  the  great  Prophets."     But  when   Herod     i6 
heard  of  Him,  he  said,  "  The  John  whom  I  beheaded  has  come 
back  to  life." 

For  Herod  himself  had  sent  and  had  had  John  arrested   and     17 
had  kept  him  in  prison  in  chains,  for  the  sake  of  Herodias,  his 
brother  Philip's  wife  ;  because  he  had  married  her.     For  John     18 
had  repeatedly  told  Herod,  "You  have  no  right  to  be  living  with 
your  brother's  wife."    Therefore  Herodias  hated  him  and  wished     19 
to  take  his  life,  but  could  not  ;  for  Herod  stood  in  awe  of  John,     20 
knowing  him  to  be  an  upright  and  holy  man,  and  he  protected 
him.     After  listening  to  him  he  was  in  great  perplexity,  and  yet 
he  found  a  pleasure  in  listening.     At  length  Herodias  found  her     2r 
opportunity.     Herod  on  his  birthday  gave   a   banquet    to  the 
nobles  of  his  court  and  to  the  tribunes   and  to  the  principal 
people  in  Galilee,  at.  which  Herodias's  own  daughter  came  in     22 
and  danced,  and  so  charmed  Herod  and  his  guests  that  he  said 
to  her,  "  Ask  me  for  anything  you  please  and  I  will  give  it  to 
you."     He  even  swore  to  her,  "  Whatever  you  ask  me  for  I  will     23 
give  you,  up  to  half  my  kingdom."     She  at  once  went  out  and     24 
said  to  her  mother:    "What  shall  I  ask  for?"      She  replied, 
"  The  head  of  John  the  Baptizer."     Immediately  she  came  in  in     25 
haste  to  the  King  and  made  her  request.     "My  desire  is,"  she 
said,  "that  you  will  give  me  now  and  here,  on  a  dish,  the  head  of 
John  the  Baptist."     Then  the  King,  though  intensely  sorry,  yet     26 
for  the  sake  of  his  oaths  and  of  his  guests  would  not  break  faith 
with  her.     He  at  once  sent  a  soldier  of  his  guard  with  orders  to     27 
bring  John's  head.    So  he  went  and  beheaded  him  in  the  prison, 
and  brought  his  head  on  a  dish  and  gave  it  to  the  young  girl,     28 
who  gave  it  to  her  mother.     When  John's  disciples  heard  of  it,     29 
they  came  and  took  away  his  body  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb. 

When    the    apostles    had    re-assembled    round     30 

The  Apostles    ^  ,  ,  ,,•  ,,     ,  ,       1    1  , 

return  from    Jesus,  they  reported  to  Him  all  they  had  done  and 

their  Mission,    ^^j    ^^^^^    ^^^    ^^^^^j^^^       ^^^^     ^^    ^^j^    ^^    ^^^^^      ^^ 

16.  Has  come  back  to  li/e]  Lit.  '  was  raised,'  or  '  awoke.' 
17-20.   Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  3-5;  Luke  iii.  19,  20. 

17.  Herod  hiinsei/]  Or  'the  same  Herod.'     Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  40,  n. 

19.  Hatecf]  Or  '  cheri.shed  a  grudge  against.' 

20.  Stood  in  awe  o/John]  Or  'regarded  John  with  reverence.'  JVas  in  great 
perplexity\  v.l.  'did  many  things,'  i.e.  in  many  things  he  obeyed  his  instructions. 

21-29.   Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  6-12. 

21.  Tribunes]  No  one  EngHsh  word — '  major,'  'colonel,'  'brigadier,'  or  any  other 
—  even  approximately  represents  the  Latin  'tribunus'  for  which  the  Greek  word  here 
used  stands.  In  John  xviii.  12  ;  Acts  xxi.  31  ;  we  find  a  tribune  commanding  a 
whole  battalirm.     See  Matt,  xxvii.  27,  n. 

22.  Herodias's  oivn  daughter]  Or  '  the  daughter  of  that  same  Herodias,'  Cp. 
verse  17. 

30-44.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  13-21  ;  Luke  x,  10-17  ;  John  vi.  1-14. 


MARK   VI.  99 

"  Come  away,  all  of  you,  to  a  quiet  place,  and   rest  awhile." 
For  there  were  many  coming  and  going,  so  that  they  had  no 
time  even  for  meals.     Accordingly  they  sailed  away  in  the  boat     32 
to  a  solitary  place  apart.     But  the  people  saw  them  going,  and   ,33 
many  knew  them  ;  and  coming  by  land  they  ran  together  there 
from  all  the  neighbouring  towns,  and  arrived  before  them.     So     34 
when  Jesus  landed.  He  saw  a  vast  multitude  ;  and  His  heart 
was  moved  with  pity  for  them,  because  they  were  like  sheep 
which  have  no  shepherd,  and   He   proceeded  to  teach    them 
many  things. 

1^  ^     1^  By  this  time  it  was  late  ;  so  His  disciples  came     35 

5,000  People   and  said,  "  This  is  a  lonely  place,  and  the  hour  is 

now  late  :  send  them  away  that  they  may  go  to     36 
the  farms  and  villages  near  here  and  buy  themselves  something 
to  eat."     "  Give  them  food  yourselves,"  He  replied.     "  Are  we,"     37 
they  asked,  "to  go  and  buy  a  hundred  shillings'  worth  of  bread 
and  give  them  food.?"    "How  many  loaves  have  you?"    He     38 
inquired  ;  "  go  and  see."     So  they  found  out,  and  said,  "  Five  ; 
and  a  couple  of  fish."     So  He  directed  them  to  make  all  sit     39 
down  in  companies  on  the  green  grass.     And  they  sat  down  in     40 
rows  of  hundreds  and  of  fifties.     Then  He  took  the  five  loaves     41 
and  the  two  fish,  and  lifting  His  eyes  to  heaven  He  blessed  the 
food.     Then  He  broke  the  loaves  into  portions  which  He  went 
on  handing  to  the  disciples  to  distribute  ;  giving  pieces  also  of 
the  two  fish  to  them  all.     All  ate  and  were  fully  satisfied.     And  42,  43 
they  carried  away  broken  portions  enough  to  fill  twelve  baskets, 
besides  portions  of  the  fish.     Those  who  ate  the  bread  were  five     44 
thousand  adult  men. 

Immediately  afterwards  He  made  His  disciples     45 
'''^  Solitude^  '"  go  on  board  the  boat  and  cross  over  to  Bethsaida, 

leaving  Him  behind  to  dismiss   the  crowd.     He     46 
then  bade  the  people  farewell,  and  went  away  up  the  hill  to 
pray. 

When  evening  was  come,  the  boat  was  half  way     47 
"uie  Lake°"    across  the  Lake,  while  He  Himself  was  on  shore 

alone.     But  when   He  saw  them  distressed  with     48 
rowing  (for  the  wind  was  against  them),  towards  morning  He 
came  towards  them  walking  on  the  Lake,  as  if  intending  to 

40.  Raivs]  This  word  (wliich  is  lit.  'leek-beds')  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T. 
Its  meaning  would  perhaps  be  best  expressed  'by  the  military  term  'platoons,'  50 
men  in  the  front  rank  and  50  in  the  rear  rank  making  up  the  100. 

45-52.  Cp.  Matt,  xiv,  22-33  ;  Jo'iii  vi.  15-21. 

48.    Towards  morning]  Or  '  three  or  four  hours  after  midnight.' 


loo  MARK   VI.-VII. 

pass  them.     They  saw  Him  walking  on  the  water,  and  thinking    49 
that  it  was  a  spirit  they  cried  out  ;  for  they  all  saw  Him  and     50 
were   terrified.      He,    however,    immediately    spoke    to   them  : 
"  There  is  no  danger  ;  it  is  I ;  be  not  alarmed."     Then  He  went     51 
up  to  them  on  board  the  boat,  and  the  wind  lulled  ;  and  they 
were  beside  themselves  with  silent  amazement.     For  they  had     52 
not  learned  the  lesson  taught  by  the  loaves,   but  their  minds 
were  dull. 

Having    crossed   over    they   drew    to   land   in     53 
Miracles  of     Gennesaret  and  came  to  anchor.     But  no  sooner     i;4 

Gennesaret.      ,      ,    ,  ,  ,  ,  ,     .  ,.        ,         "'^ 

had  they  gone  ashore  than  the  people  immediately 
recognized  Him.  Then  they  scoured  the  whole  district,  and  55 
began  to  bring  Him  the  sick  on  their  mats  wherever  they  heard 
He  was.  And  enter  wherever  He  might — village  or  town  or  56 
hamlet — they  laid  their  sick  in  the  open  places,  and  entreated 
Him  to  let  them  touch  were  it  but  the  tassel  of  His  robe  ;  and 
all,  whoever  touched  Him,  were  restored  to  health. 

.  _    ..  Then  the  Pharisees,  with  certain  Scribes  who     i  ' 

inward  and'    had  come  from  Jerusalem,  came  to  Him  in  a  body. 

Spiritual.       ^j^gy   ^^^   noticed   that    some   of    His    disciples     2 
were  eating  their  food  with  'unclean'  (that  is  to  say,  unwashed) 
hands.   (For  the  Pharisees  and  all  the  Jews — being,  as  they  are,     3 
zealous  for  the   traditions   of  the   Elders — never  eat    without 
first  carefully  washing  their  hands,  and  when  they  come  from     4 
market  they  will  not  eat  without  bathing  first ;  and  they  have  a 
good  many  other  customs  which  they  have  received  tradition- 
ally and  cling  to,  such  as  the  rinsing  of  cups  and  pots  and  of 
bronze  utensils,  and  the  washing  of  beds.)     So  the   Pharisees     5 
and  Scribes  put  the  question  to  Him  :  "  Why  do  your  disciples 
transgress  the  traditions  of  the  Elders,  and  eat  their  food  with 


51.  Silent  ainazentent]  Or  'suppressed  amazement.'  Lit.  'amazement  within 
themselves.' 

52  Learned  the  lesson  taught  by^  Lit.  'learned  at.'  Afi'nds  were  die/l]  Or  '  hearts 
were  callous.'  "  Unbelief  is  a  sinful  distemper  of  heart  "  (Barrow).  Cp.  Eph.  i.  i8  ; 
Heb.  iii.  12. 

53-56.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  34-36. 

53.   To  anc/ior]  Or  '  to  their  moorings.' 

1-23.  Cp.  Matt.  XV.  1-20. 

I.  The  Pharisees]  The  article  seems  to  indicate  not  merely  a  party  belonging  to 
that  sect,  but  the  Pharisees  generally  of  the  town. 

3.  Carefully^  Or  '  up  to  the  wrist.'     See  the  Commentators. 

4.  Bathing]  v.L.  '  sprinkling  tliemselves.'  And  the  washing^  0/ beds]  V.L.  omits 
these  words.  Of  course  they  do  not  mean  what  we  English  call  '  beds.'  They  were 
mere  mattresses  or  thick  rugs.  Travellers  in  Eastern  countries  often  witness  the 
complete  submersion  of  'beds,'  which  are  then  dried  in  the  sun. 

5.  Food]  Lit.  '  bread,' as  often  in  Hebrew.  See  e.g.,  Num.  xxviii.  2.  24,  R.V. 
and  margin. 


MARK    VII.  lot 

unclean  hands  ?"     He  replied,  "  Rightly  did  Isaiah  prophesy  of    6 
you  hypocrites,  as  it  is  written, 

'This  People  honour  Me  with  their  lips. 

While  their  hearts  are  far  away  from  Me  :  7 

But  idle  ^is  their  devotion 

While  they  lay  down  precepts   which   are    mere 

HUMAN  rules'  (Isa.  xxix.  13). 
"  You  neglect  God's  Commandment  :  you  hold  fast  to  men's     8 
traditions."     "  Praiseworthy   indeed  ! "   He   added,   "  to    set    at     9 
nought  God's    Commandment   in    order  to  observe  your  own 
traditions.     For  Moses  said,  'HONOUR  THY  father  AND  THY     10 
mother'  (Exod.  XX.  12),  and  again,  '  He  who  CURSES  father 

OR  MOTHER,  LET  HIM  DIE   THE    DEATH'     (Exod.    xxi.    I7)  ;    but       II 

you  say.  If  a  man  says  to  his  father  or  mother,  '  It  is  a  Korban 
(that  is,  a  thing  devoted  to  God),  whatever  it  is,  which  other- 
wise you  would   have  received  from   me — '      And  so  you  no     12 
longer  allow  him  to  do  anything  for  his  father  or  mother,  thus     13 
nullifying   God's   precept   by   your   tradition    which   you   have 
handed  down.     And  many  things  of  that  kind  you  do." 

Then  Jesus  called  the  people  to  Him  again,  and  said  to  them,     14 
"Listen  to  me,   all  of  yoj,  and  understand  :  there  is  nothing     15 
outside  a  man  which  entering  him  can  make  him  unclean  ;  but 
it  is  the  things  which  come  out  of  a  man  that  make  him  unclean." 

After  He  had  left  the  crowd  and  gone  indoors.  His  disciples     17 
began  to  ask  Him  about  this  figure  of  speech.     "  HcLvejyou  also     18 
so  little  sense.?"  He   replied;   "do   you   not  understand   that 
anything  whatever  that  enters  a  man  from  outside,  cannot  make 
him  unclean,  because  it  does  not  go  into  his  heart,  but  into  his     19 
stomach,  and  passes  away  ejected  from  him  ? "     By  these  words 
Jesus  pronounced  all  kinds  of  food  clean.     "  What  comes  out     20 
of  a  man,"  He  added,  "that  it  is  which  makes  him  unclean.    For 
from  within,  out  of  men's  hearts,  their  evil  purposes  proceed —     21 
fornication,   theft,  murder,  adultery,  covetousness,  wickedness,     22 
deceit,  Hcentiousness,  envy,  reviling,  pride,  reckless  folly  :   all     23 

10.  Curses]  Or  '  reviles.'  B/e  the  death]  A  Shaksperian  expression  {Midsummer 
Night's  Dream,  i.  i.  65),  but  one  still  in  familiar  use. 

It.  A  consecrated  thing^  Lit.  'a  gi'"t '  (to  God).  Would  have  received]  For  this 
force  of  the  tense  cp.  Judges  xxi.  22  (Hebrew  and  R.  V.)  ;  i  Sam.  xiii.  13.  But  a  widely 
different  interpretation  of  this  passage  will  be  found  in  Kitto's  Biblical  Cyclopaedia, 
article  '  Corban.'  (I  take  the  Greek  verb  here  to  be  in  the  indicative,  not  in  the 
subjunctive  mood.)     From  me]  See  Matt.  xv.  6,  n. 

13.  Your  tradition]  For  you  identify  yourselves  with  your  forefathers  by  adopting 
what  they  taught. 

15.  Outside]  Lit.  'from  outside.'     Cp.  iii.  21,  n,  v.  30,  n. 

16.  v.L.  adds  '  Listen  every  one  who  has  ears  to  listen  with  !  ' 

17.  Figure  0/ speech]  Or  'parable.' 


102  MARK   VII. 

these  wicked  things  come  out  from  within  and  make  a  man 
unclean."     Then  He  rose  and  left  that  place  and  went  into  the     24 
neighbourhood  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 

Here  He  entered  a  house  and  wished  no  one  to 
^  '^^cured  ^"^'  ^^°^  ^^f  ^"^  ^^  could    not    escape   observation. 

Forthwith  a  woman   whose   little   daughter  was     25 
possessed  by  a  foul  spirit  heard  of  Him,  and  came  and  flung 
herself  at  His  feet.    She  was  a  Gentile  woman,  a  Syro-phoenician     26 
by  nation  :  and  again  and  again  she  begged  Him  to  expel  the 
demon  from  her  daughter.     "Let  the  children  first  eat  their  fill,"     27 
said  He ;  "  it  is  not  right  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  throw 
it  to  the  dogs."     "True,   Sir,"  she  replied,    "and  yet  the  dogs     28 
under  the  table  eat  the  children's  scraps."     "  For  those  words     29 
of  yours,  go  home,"  He  replied;  "the  demon  has  gone  out  of 
your  daughter."     So  she  went  home,  and  found  the  child  lying     30 
on  the  bed,  and  the  demon  gone. 

Returning  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Tyre,  He     31 
merT/c^JSd."  came  by  way  of  Sidon   to  the  Lake   of  Galilee, 
passing  through  the    district  of  the  Ten  Towns. 
Here  they  brought  to  Him  a  deaf  man  that  stammered,  on  whom     32 
they  begged  Him  to  lay  His  hands.     So  Jesus  taking  him  aside,     33 
apart  from  the  crowd,  put  His  fingers  into  his  ears,  and  spat, 
and  moistened  his  tongue ;  and  looking  up  to  heaven  He  sighed,     34 
and  said  to  him,  "  Ephphatha  !  "  (that  is,  "  Open  !  "  )     And  the     35 
man's  ears  were  opened,  and  his  tongue  became  untied,  and  he 
began  to  speak  perfectly.      Then  Jesus  charged  them  to  tell     36 
no  one ;  but  the  more  He  charged  them,  all  the  more  did  they 
spread  the  news  far  and  wide.     Great  was  people's  surprise.     37 
"  He  succeeds  in  everything^ he  attempts,"  they  exclaimed;   "he 
even  makes  deaf  men  hear  and  dumb  men  speak  ! " 

24-30.   Cp.  Matt.  XV.  21-28. 

24.  And  Sidon]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

26.  Gentile]  Lit.  '  Greek.' 

27.  Dogs]  Lit.  'puppies.'     Cp.  Matt.  xv.  26,  n. 
30.  Lying]  Or  'had  flung  herself.' 

31-37.  Cp.  Matt.  XV.  29-31. 

34.  He  sighed]  "The  deaf  may  hear  the  Saviour's  voice, 

The  fettered  tongue  its  chain  may   break  ; 
But  the  deaf  heart,  the  dumb  by  choice. 
The  laggard  soul,  that  will  not  wake, 
The  guilt  that  scorns  to  be  forjiiven — 
These  baffle  e'en  the  spells  of  Heaven. 
In  thought  of  these,   His  brows  benign 
Not  even  in  healing  cloudless  shine." 

Keble,  Christian   Vear,  12th  Sunday  after  Trinity. 

37.  He  succeeds  .  .  attem(>ts]  Lit.  "  He  has  done  everything  rightly  ;"  but  this 

'rightly '(or  'well')  can  hardly  mean    '  beneticently,'   'kindly,'  however  true   that 

would  have  been.     The  adverb  here  used  is  akin  to  the  adjective   '  good '  in  John 

X.  2,  where  see  note. 


MARK   VIII. 


103 


More  than         About  that  time  there  was  again  an  immense     i   g 
4.000  People   crowd,  and  they  found  themselves  with  nothing  to 
eat.     So  He  called  His  disciples  and  said  to  them, 
"  My  heart  yearns  over  the  people,  for  this  is  now  the  third  day     2 
they  have  remained  with  me,  and  they  have  nothing  to  eat.     If  I     3 
were  to  send  them  home  hungry,  they  would  faint  on  the  way, 
some  of  them  having  come  a  great  distance."     His  disciples     4 
answered,  "  Where  can  we  possibly  get  bread  here  in  this  re- 
mote place  to  satisfy  such  a  crowd  V     "  How  many  loaves  have     5 
you?"  He  asked.     They  answered,  "Seven."     So   He  passed     6 
the  word  to  the  people  to   sit  down  on   the   ground.     Then 
taking  the   seven  loaves    He  blessed   them,  and   broke  them 
into    portions    and   proceeded    to   give    them  to  His  disciples 
for  them   to    distribute,    and    they    distributed    them    to    the 
people.     They  had  also  a  few  small  fish.     He  blessed  them,     7 
and  He  told  His  disciples  to  distribute  these   also.      So  the     8 
people  ate  an  abundant  meal ;  and  what  remained  over  they 
picked  up  and  carried  away — seven  hampers  of  broken  portions. 
The  number  fed  were  about  four  thousand.      Then   He  sent     9 
them  away,  and  at  once  going  on  board  with  His  disciples  He     10 
came  into  the  district  of  Dalmanutha. 

The  Pharisees  followed  Him  and  began  to  dis-     11 
'  ^tfeaven"]-""  P^^^  ^^^^^  Him,  asking  Him  for  a  sign  in  the  sky, 

to    make   trial   of  Him.      Heaving    a   deep    and     12 
troubled  sigh,  He  said,  "  Why  do  the  men  of  to-day   ask  for  a 
sign?     In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  no  sign  will  be  given  to 
the  men  of  to-day?"     So  He  left  them,  went  on  board  again,     13 
and  came  away  to  the  other  side. 

False  Teach-       "^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^  forgotten  to  take  bread,  nor  had     14 
ing  compared  they  more  than  a  single  loaf  with  them  in  the 

to  Yeast.       boat;  and  when   He  admonished  them,  "See  to     15 
it,  be  on  your  guard  against  the  yeast  of  the  Pharisees  and  the 
yeast  of  Herod,"  they  explained  His  words  to  one   another  :     16 
"We  have  no  bread  !"     This  He  perceived,  and  said  to  them,     17 
"  What  is  this  discussion  of  yours  about  having  no  bread  ?     Do 
you  not   yet   see   and    understand  ?     Are   your   minds  so  dull 
of  comprehension?    You   have   eyes!   can  you  not  see?    18 

1-9.  Cp.  Matt.  XV,  32-38. 

2.  The  third  day  .  .  ivith  me\  i.e.  'they  have  been  with  me  ever  since  the  day 
before  yesterday,'  not  'for  three  days 'in  the  Enghsh  sense  of  the  phrase.  Cp. 
Luke  ii.  46  ;  Acts  xxviii.  13  ;  and  notes. 

10-12.  Cp.  Matt.  XV.  39-xvi.  4. 

II.  In  the  sky\  Lit.  (appearing)  '  out  of  (or,  from)  the  >\<.^j.' 

13-21.  Cp.  ALttt.  ;:vi.  4-12. 


104  MARK    VIII. 

You  HAVE  ears!  can  you  not  hear?  (Jer.  v.  21)  and  have 
you  no  memories  ?    When  I  broke  up  the  five  loaves  for  the  five     19 
thousand  men,  how  many  baskets   did  you  carry  away  full  of 
broken  portions?"    "Twelve,"  they  said.     "And  when  the  seven     20 
for  the  four  thousand,  how  many  hampers  full   of  portions  did 
you  take  away?"     They  answered,  "Seven."      And  He  said,     21 
"Do  you  not  yet  understand  ?  " 

A  blind  Man        ^^^  ^^^V  came  to  Bethsaida.     And  a  blind  man     22 
at  Bethsaida    was  brought  to  Tesus  and  they  entreated    Him  to 
receives  Sight.  ...  o      tt     .      i    .t.     i  t    j  i      ^u 

touch  hnn.    bo  He  took  the  blind  man  by  the  arm     23 

and  brought  him  out  of  the  village,  and  spitting  into  his  eyes 
He  put  His  hands  on  him  and  asked  him,  "  Can  you  see    any- 
thing?"    He  looked  up  and  said,  "  I  can  see  the  people  :  I  see     24 
them  like  trees  —  only  walking."      Then  for  the  second  time     25 
He   put    His    hands  on    the    man's   eyes,  and  the   man,  look- 
ing steadily,  recovered  his  sight  and  saw  everything  distinctly. 
So  He  sent  him  home,  and  added,  "  Do  not  even  go  into  the     26 
village." 

From  that  place  Jesus  and  His  disciples  went  to     27 
knowledges    ^^e  villages  belonging  to  Philip's  Caesarea.     On 
Jesus  as  the    the  way  He  began  to  ask  His  disciples,  "Who  do 

people  say  that  I  am  ?"     "John  the  Baptist,"  they     28 
replied,  "but  others  say  EHjah,  and  others,   'It  is  one  of  the 
Prophets,'"     Then  He  asked  them  pointedly,   "But  you  your-     29 
selves,  who  do  you  say  that  I  am  ? "     Peter  answered,  "  You  are 
the   Christ."     And  He  strictly  forbad  them  to  tell  this  about     30 
Him  to  any  one. 

And  now  for  the  first  time  He  told  them:  "The     31 
htsown'oeath!  ^on  of  Man  must  endure  much  suffering,  and  be 

rejected  by  the  Elders  and  the  High  Priests  and 
the  Scribes,  and  be  put  to  death,  and  after  two  days  rise  to  life 
again."      This   He  told  them  plainly;    whereupon    Peter  took     32 
Him  and  began  to  remonstrate  with  Him.     But  turning  round    3^ 

21.  //t' JrtiViQ  The  tense  (imperfect)  perhaps  implies  that  He  said  this  more  than 
once.     Cp.  verse  27. 

23.  Ar7n]  Or  '  iiand.'     See  Aorist,  p.  5. 

27-i.x.  I.  Cp.  Malt.  xvi.  13-28  ;  Luke  ix.  18-27  •  John  vi.  66-71. 

27.  .5<^^a«  j?<7  «j/l']  Or  '  repeatedly  asked,' or  perhaps  'asked  one  and  another  of 
His  disciples.'  The  imperfect  tense  of  the  verb,  'asked,'  indicates  that  the  ques- 
tion was  not  put  simply  and  abruptly  once  for  all.     Cp.  x.  16,  n. 

29.  He  .  .  pointedly]  Lit.  '  He  Himself.'  The  Christ]  Or  '  the  Anointed  One,' 
'  the  Messiah.' 

31.  Must]  As  part  both  of  His  duty  and  destiny.  Rise  to  life  again]  Cp.  John  ii. 
19.  To  many  the  simple  fact  that  Jesus  repeatedly  predicted  that  He  would  come 
back  to  life  after  His  crucifixion  is  in  itself  a  moral  proof  of  His  resurrection. 

33.  Adversary]  Lit.  'Satan.' 


MARK   VIII.-IX.  105 

and  seeing  His  disciples,  He  rebuked  Peter.  "  Get  behind  me, 
Adversary,"  He  said,  "for  your  thoughts  are  not  God's  thoughts, 
but  men's." 

None  may  re-      Then   calling  to  Him  the  crowd  and  also  His     34 
fuse  the       disciples,  He  said  to  them,  "If  any  one  is  desirous 

of  following  me,  let  him  ignore  self  and  take  up  his 
cross,  and  so  be  my  follower.     For  whoever  is  bent  on  securing     35 
his  life  will  lose  it,  but  he  w^ho  loses  his  life  for  my  sake,  and  for 
the  sake  of  the  Good  News,  will  secure  it.     Why,  what  does  it     36 
benefit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world  and  forfeit  his  life  ?     For     37 
what  could  a  man  give  to  buy  back  his  life?     Every  one,  how-     38 
ever,  who  has  been  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  teachings  in  this 
faithless  and  sinful  age,  of  him  the  Son  of  Man  also  will  be 
ashamed  when  He  comes  in  His  Father's  glory  with  the  holy 
angels."     He  went  on  to  say,  "  In  solemn  truth  I    tell  you  that     i   Q 
there  are  some  here  among  those  who  stand  by  who  will  cer- 
tainly  not  taste  death  till  they  have  seen  the  Kingdom    of  God 
already  come  in  power." 

Six  days, later,  Jesus  took  with  Him  Peter,  James,     2 
"""^uratkTn.^'^'  ^^^  Jo^n,  and  brought  them  alone,  apart  from  the 

rest,  up  a  high  mountain  ;  and  in  their  presence 
His  appearance  underwent  a  change.     His  garments  also  be-     3 
came  dazzling  with  brilliant  whiteness— such   whiteness  as  no 
bleaching  on  earth  could  give.      Moreover  there  appeared  to     4 
them  Elijah  accompanied  by  Moses  ;  and  the  two  were  convers- 
ing with  Jesus,  when  Peter  said  to  Jesus,  "  Rabbi,  we  are  thank-     5 
ful  to  you  that  we  are  here.     Let  us  put  up  three  tents — one  for 
you,  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah."     For   he  knew  not    6 
what  to  say :  they  were  filled  with  such  awe.     Then  there  came     7 
a  cloud  spreading  over  them,  and  a  voice  issued  from  the  cloud, 
"  This  is  my  Son,  dearly    loved  :    listen  to  Him."       Instantly     8 

35>  36,  37.  -Li/i]  Or  'soul.'     Cp.  John  x.  2,  n. 
36.  Forjfeit^  Cp.  Luke  ix.  25,  n. 

36,  37,  38.  Why  .  .  for  .  .  hoiuever]  Lit.  '  for  ,  .  for  .  .  for ; '  or  as  in  Aorist, 
p.  44. 

38.  Has  beeti]  Lit.  'shall  have  been.'     Apostate]  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  39  ;  xvi.  4. 

1.  Stand  by\  Lit.  'stand.'  So  'stand'  is  used  for  'stand  by'  in  Acts  xxii.  25. 
Already  come]  Or  'already  arrived;'  the  perfect  participle.  The  imperfect  act 
'  coming'  is  mentioned  in  Matt.  xvi.  28,  the  completed  act  of  '  having  come  '  is  men- 
tioned here.  In  power]  Some  suppose  that  the  reference  is  to  a  spiritual  and  judicial 
Coming  of  Christ  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70  a.d.,  just  within  the  lifetime 
of  His  earthly  contemporaries. 

2-13.   Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  1-13  ;  Luke  ix.  28-36. 

2.  See  Luke  ix.  28-36,  n. 

5.  Peter  said]  Lit.  'Peter  answered  and  said*.'  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  38,  n.  We  are 
Ihankful]  Cp.  Acts  x.  33  ;  Phil.  iv.  14.     Tents]  Or  'booths.' 

6.  To  say]\A\..  'to  answer.' 

7.  Spreading  over]  Cp    Matt.  xvii.  5. 


io6  MARK   IX. 

they  looked  round,  and  now  they  could  no  longer  see  any  one, 

but  themselves  and  Jesus. 

The  Baptizer      ^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  coming  down  from  the  mountain,    9 

the  second    He  very  strictly  forbad  them  to  tell  any  one  what 
'•'^  ■       they  had  seen  "  until  after  the  Son  of  Man  has 
risen  from  among  the  dead."    So  they  kept  the  matter  to  them-     10 
selves,  although  frequently  asking  one  another  what  was  meant 
by  the  rising  from  the  dead.     They  also  asked  Him,  "How  is  it     11 
that  the  Scribes  say  that  Elijah  must  first  come?"     "Elijah,"     12 
He  replied,  "  does  indeed  come  first  and  reforms  everything  ; 
but  how  is  it  that  it  is  written  of  the  Son  of  Man  that  He  will 
endure  much  suffering  and  be  held  in  contempt?    Yet   I  tell     13 
you  that  not  only  has   Elijah  come,  but  they  have  also  done 
to    him   whatever    they    chose,   as    the    Scriptures    say   about 
him." 

As  they  came  to  rejoin  the  disciples,  they  saw     14 

Boy  cifre'd.*^    an  immense  crowd  surrounding  them  and  a  party 

of  Scribes  disputing  with  them.     Immediately  the     15 
whole  multitude  on  beholding  Him  were  astonished  and  awe- 
struck, and  yet  they  ran  forward  and  greeted  Him.     "What  is     16 
the  subject  you  are  discussing?"  He  asked  them.     One  of  the     17 
crowd  answered,  "  Rabbi,  I  have  brought  you  my  son.     He  has 
a  dumb  spirit  ;  and  wherever  it  comes  upon  him,  it  dashes  him     18 
to  the  ground,  and  he  foams  at  the  mouth  and  grinds  his  teeth, 
and  he  is  pining  away.     I  begged  your  disciples  to  expel  it,  but 
they  had  not  the  power."     "  O  unbelieving  generation  !"  replied     19 
Jesus  ;  "  how  long  must  I  be  with  you  ?   how  long  must  I   have 
patience  with  you  ?     Bring  the  boy  to  me."     So  they  brought     20 
him  to  Jesus.     And  the  spirit,  when  he  saw  Jesus,  immediately 
threw  the  youth  into  convulsions,  so  that  he  fell  on  the  ground 
and  rolled  about,  foaming  at  the  mouth.     Then  Jesus  asked  the     21 
father,  "  How  long  h-^s  he  been  like  this  ?  "    "  From  early  child- 
hood," he  said  ;  "  and  o^ten  it  has  thrown  him  into  the  fire  or     22 
into  pools  of  water  to  destroy  him  ;  but  if  you  possibly  can, 
have  pity  on  us  and  help  us."     "'If  I  possibly  can  ! '"  replied     23 
Jesus ;    "  why,  everything   is    possible   to   him    who    believes." 

14-29.   Cp.  Matt.  xvli.  14-21  ;  Luke  ix.  37-43. 

15.  Astoms/ted  and  awe-siruci]   Cp.    Luke  v.  9,  n.       Saluted  Him]  Imperfect 
tense  in  the  Greek.     Cp.  viii.  27. 

17.  R(il>l>r\  Lit.  '  Teacher.'     /  haz'e  brotighi\  Or  '  I  brought.' 

18.  Dashes  him  to  the  ground]  Or  '  tears  him  with  spasms.'    Begged]  Or  '  told.' 
20.    JVhen  he  sazv]  '  He'  not  'it.'     Cp.  verse  26.     Lit.  'seeing  kim.'    The  person- 
ality of  the  demon  is  fully  recognized  in  the  Greek,  the  participle  being  masculine. 

22.  Or]   Cp.   Acts  xix.    12,   n.      Pools  of  water]  As  of  Siloam  or  Bethesda.     Or 
'  tanks  ; '  lit. 'waters.' 


MARK    IX.  107 

Immediately  the  father  cried  out,  "  I  do  believe  :  strengthen  my     24 
weak  faith."     Then  Jesus,  seeing  that  an  increasing  crowd  was     25 
running  towards  Him,  rebuked  the  foul  spirit,  saying  to  him, 
"  Dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  /  command  you,  come  out  of  him  and 
never  enter  into  him  again."     So  with  a  loud  cry  he  threw  the     26 
boy  into  fit  after  fit,  and  came  out.      The  boy  became  like  a 
corpse,  so  that  most  of  them  said  he  was  dead  ;  but  Jesus  took     27 
his  hand  and  raised  him  up,  and  he  stood  on  his  feet. 

After   His    return   to   the   house    His    disciples   asked   Him     28 
privately,  "  How  is  it  that  we  could  not  expel  the  spirit.?"  He     29 
answered,  "An  evil  spirit  of  this  kind  can  only  be  driven  out  by 
prayer." 
Jesus  again        Departing  thence  they  passed  through  Galilee,     30 
predicts  His    and  He  was  unwilling  that  any  one  should  know 
own    ea    ■     -j.  ,  ^^^.  j^^  ^^^^  teaching  His  disciples,  and  telling     31 
them,  "  The  Son  of  man  is  to  be  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
men,  and  they  will  put  Him  to  death  ;  and  after  being  put  to 
death,  in  three  days  He  will  rise  to  life  again."'    They,  however,  did     32 
not  understand  what  He  meant,  and  were  afraid  to  question  Him. 

So  they  came  to  Capharnahum  ;  and  when  in     33 
^HifmiMty!"    ^he  house  He  asked  them,  "  What  were  you  argu- 
ing about  on  the  way.'"'    But  they  remained  silent ;     34 
for  on  the  way  they  had  debated  with  one  another  who  was  the 
chief  of  them.     Then  sitting  down  He  called  the  Twelve,  and     35 
said  to  them,  "  If  any  one  wishes  to  be  first,  he  must  be  last 
of  all  and  servant  of  all."     And  taking  a  young  child  He  made     36 
him  stand  in  their  midst,  then  threw  His  arms  round  him  and 
said,  "  Whoever  for  my  sake  receives  one  such  young  child  as     37 
this,  receives  me  ;  and  whoever  receives  me,  receives  not  so 
much  me  as  Him  who  sent  me." 
A  L    s  n  "n         J^^^  -^^^  to  Him,  "  Rabbi,  we  saw  a  man  using     38 
brotherly      your  name  to  expel  demons,  and  we  tried  to  binder 
^'"'  ^'        him,  on  the  ground  that  he  did  not  follow  us." 

24.  Criedout]  v.l.  adds  '  with  tears.' 

26.  //e  was  dead]  Lit.  '  he  had  died '  (cp.  verse  35).  or  '  he  is  dead  ! ' 

28.  To  the  house]  Or  '  home  ' — their  temporary  residence.  Cp.  verse  33,  and  see 
iv.  I,  n. 

29.  By  prayer]  v.l.  adds   '  and  fasting.'     Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  21. 
30-32.   Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  22-23  ;  Luke  ix.  43-45. 

33-41.  Cp.  Matt,  .xviii.  1-5  ;  Luke  ix.  46-50. 

35.  He  fnust  be]  Or  '  let  him  be.'  Our  Lord  lovingly  pointed  out  the  way — that  of 
self-abasement — in  which  alone  true  eminence  may  be  attained,  as  He  repeatedly 
declares  that  he  who  humbles  himself  will  be  exalted.  '  He  shall  be'  has  a  tone  of 
menace,  such  as  Christ  seems  never  to  have  used  towards  His  disciples. 

37.  For  tny  sake]  Or  '  as  being  mine,'  '  in  my  name.'  Cp.  verse  39  ;  Matt,  xviii. 
S  ;  xxiv.  5  :  and  notes. 

38.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'     Said]  v.l.  'answered,'  as  in  Luke  ix.  49.     Man]  v.l. 


io8  MARK    IX.-X. 

Jesus  replied,  "  You  should  not  have  tried  to  hinder  him,  for    39 

there  is  no  one  who  will  use  my  name   to  perform  a  miracle 

and  be  able  the  next  minute  to  speak  evil  of  me.     He  who  is    40 

not  against  us  is  for  us  ;  and  whoever  gives  you  a  cup  of  water    41 

to  drink  because  you  belong  to  Christ,  I  solemnly  tell  you  that 

he  will  certainly  not  lose  his  reward. 

.„  -         "And  whoever  shall  occasion  the  fall  of  one  of    42 

'  Beware  of 

leading  others  these  little  ones  who  believe,  he  would  be  better 
in  o    m.        ^^  j^^  ^j^j^  ^  millstone  round  his   neck,  he  were 
lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.     If  your  hand  should  cause  you     43 
to  sin,  cut  it  off:   it  would  be  better  for  you  to  enter  into  Life 
maimed,  than  in  possession  of  both  your  hands  to  depart  into 
Gehenna,  into  the  fire    which  cannot  be  put  out.     Or  if  your     45 
foot  should  cause  you  to  sin,  cut  it  off:  it  would  be  better  for 
you  to  enter  into  Life  crippled,  than  in  possession  of  both  your 
feet  to  be  hurled  into  Gehenna.      Or  if  your  eye  should  cause     47 
you  to  sin,  tear  it  out.      It  would  be  better  for  you  to  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God  half-blind  than  in  possession  of  two 
eyes  to  be  hurled  into  Gehenna,  where  THEIR  WORM  DOES  NOT     48 
DIE  AND  THE   FIRE   DOES   NOT  GO   OUT  (Isa.    Ixvi.    24).      Every      49 
one,  however,  will  be  salted  with  fire.     Salt  is  a  good  thing,  but     50 
if  the  salt  should  become  tasteless,  what  will  you  use  to  give  it 
saltness  ?      Have  salt  within  you  and  live  at   peace  with  one 
another." 

A  Question         Soon   on    His   feet   once   more,  He  enters  the     i 
about  Divorce,  district    of   Judaea    and     crosses     the    Jordan  : 

adds  '  who  does  not  follow  us.'    On  the  ground  that  he  did  not  follow  iis\  v.l.  omits 
these  words. 

39.  Yoic  should  not  have  tried  to  hinder  him]  Lit.  'hinder  him  not.'  Cp.  Matt, 
xxviii.  5,  n.  ;  John  xix.  21. 

40.  41.  He  who  .  .  atul  whoever]  Lit.  'for  he  who  .  .  for  whoever.'     See  Aorist, 

41.  Cp.  Matt.  X.  42. 

42-50.  Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  6-9  ;  Luke  xvii.  i,  2. 

42.  Believe]  v.l.  adds  '  in  me.'  Millstone]  Lit.  'ass-millstone.'  Cp.  Matt,  xviii. 
6  ;  Luke  xvii.  2. 

42.  Lying]  After  having  being  flung  down  there.  So  with  the  same  tense  (the 
perfect)  of  the  same  verb  in  vii.  30  ;  John  iii.  24,  and  elsewhere. 

43.  Cause]  Lit.  'shall  have  caused,'  tho.igh  v.l.  has  the  same  reading  here 
as  in  verses  45,  47.  Fire  .  .  put  out]  Thus  resembling  the  fire  in  the  literal  Valley  of 
Hinnom,  just  outside  Jerusalem — a  fire  which  was  constantly  kept  burning  to  con- 
sume the  refuse  cast  into  it.     Cp.  Isa.  xxxiv,  10  ;  Ixvi.  24  ;  Jer.  vii.  20  ;  xvii.  27. 

44,  46.  V.L.  adds,  as  in  verse  48,  'Where  their  worm  does  not  die,  and  the  fire 
does  not  go  out.' 

45,  47.  Should  cajcse]  Or  'shall  be  causing.'  Or  (in  verse  47)  the  clause  may  be 
rendered  'or  if  your  eye  habitually  makes  you  fall  (or,  sin).' 

49.  Hoivever]  See  Aorist,  Appendix  A.  §  12.  With  fire]  le.  with  some  kind  of 
discipline  or  (it  may  be)  self-cliastisement.  Cp.  Mai.  iii.  2,  3  ;  i  Pet.  v.  12.  v.  L. 
adds  'as  every  sacrifice  shall  be  salted  with  salt.'  (For  'as'  instead  of  '  and  '  cp.  Job 
v.  7,  and  see  Aorist,  p.  55). 

I.  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  I,  2  ;  Luke  xvii.  11. 


J 


MARK   X.  109 

again  the  people  flock  to  Him,  and  ere  long,  as  was  usual 
with  Him,  He  was  teaching  them  again.  Presently  a  party  of 
Pharisees  come  to  Him  with  the  question— seeking  to  entrap 
Him — "May  a  husband  divorce  his  wife?"  He  answered,  "What 
rule  did  Moses  lay  down  for  you  ?"  They  replied,  "  Moses  per-  4 
mitted  him  to  draw  up  a  written  notice  of  divorce,  and  to  send 
her  away"  (Deut.  xxiv.  i).  "It  was  in  consideration  of  your  5 
stubborn  hearts,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  he  enacted  this  law  for 
you  ;  but  from   the  beginning  of  creation  the  rule  was,  '  Male    6 

AND    FEMALE    DID    HE   MAKE   THEM    (Gen.    i.    27).        FOR   THIS      7 
REASON  A  MAN    SHALL  LEAVE   HIS    FATHER  AND   HIS   MOTHER, 
AND   SHALL  CLING  TO   HIS   WIFE,  AND  THE  TWO   SHALL  BE   AS      8 

ONE  FLESH  '  (Gen.  ii.  24)  ;  so  that  they  are  two  no  longer,  but 
'  ONE  FLESH.'     What,  therefore,  God  has  joined  together  let  not     9 
man  separate." 

The  Sacred-      Indoors   the  disciples   began    questioning   Him     10 
ness  of      again  on  the  same  subject.     He  replied,  "Whoever     11 

Marriage.       ?  ,  .         .^  ,  .  , 

divorces  nis  wife  and  marries  another  woman,  com- 
mits adultery  against  the  first  wife  ;  and  if  a  woman  puts  away     12 
her  husband  and  marries  another  man,  she  commits  adultery." 

Children         One  day  people  were  bringing  young  children  to     13 

welcomed  Jesus  for  Him  to  touch  them,  but  the  disciples  inter- 
and  blessed.   ;i        ,       ^  ,  .'         ,  .  ^  , 

fered.     Jesus,  however,  seeing  this,  was  moved  to     14 

indignation,  and  said  to  them,  "  Let  the  little  children  come  to 

me  :  do  not  hinder  them  ;  for  to  those  who  are  childlike  the 

Kingdom  of  God  belongs.     In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  no     15 

one  who  does  not  accept  the  Kingdom  of  God  like  a  little  child 

will  by  any  possibility  enter  it."     Then  He  took  them  in  His     16 

arms  and  blessed  them  lovingly,  one  by  one,  laying  His  hands 

upon  them. 

As  He  went  out  to  resume  His  journey,  there     17 

The  wealthy  came  a  man  running  up  to  Him,  who  knelt  at  His 

Ruler.  ^      ^  ' 

feet  and  asked,    "  Good  Rabbi,  what  am  I  to  do 
in  order  to  inherit  the  Life  of  the  ages.?"     "Why  do  you  call     18 

2-12.  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  3-12. 

7,  8.  SAall]  Or  '  will.' 

J.  And  cling  to  /lis  wi/e]  v.l.  omits  these  words.  Curiously  enough  with  us 
Westerns  it  is  the  woman  who  is  thought  of  as  leavhig  her  parents,  upon  marriage, 
and  clinging  to  her  husband  ! 

13-16.   Cp.  Matt.  xix.  13-15;  Luke  xviii.  15-17. 

16.  Took  them  in  His  arvis]  Or  '  threw  His  arms  round  them.'  The  same  word 
is  used  in  ix.  36.  One  by  one]  This  seems  to  be  implied  by  the  tense  (imperfect)  of 
'blessed.' 

17-31.  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  16-30 ;  Luke  xviii.  18-30. 

17.  A  man]  Or  'one  man.'  Cp.  Matt.  vi.  27.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'  0/ the 
ages]  Greek  'aeonian.'    Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8,  n. 


no  MARK   X. 

me  good  ?"  asked  Jesus  in  reply  ;  "there  is  no  one  good  except 
one,  that  is,  God.     You  know    the   Commandments— '  Commit     19 

NO  MURDER,'  '  COMMIT  NO  ADULTERY,'  '  DO  NOT  STEAL,'  '  DO 
NOT  LIE  IN  GIVING  EVIDENCE,'  '  DO  NOT  DEFRAUD,'  '  HONOUR 
THY  FATHER  AND  THY   MOTHER'"    (Deut.  V.   17-20).      "  Rabbi,"      20 

he  rephed,  "  all  these  sins  I  have  shunned  from  my  youth."  Then     21 
Jesus  looked  at  him  and  loved  him,  and   said,  "One  thing  is 
lacking  in  you  :  go,  sell  all  you  possess  and  give  the  proceeds  to 
tlic  poor,  and  you  shall  have  riches  in  heaven  ;  and  come  and 
be  a  follower  of  mine."     At  these  words  his  brow  darkened,  and     22 
he  went  away  sad  ;  for  he  was  possessed  of  great  wealth. 

Then  looking  round  on  His  disciples  Jesus  said,     23 
serious  Dis-  "  With   how   hard  a   struggle    will  the    possessors 
advantages.  ^^  ^,^^^^^  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God  !"     The  dis-     24 
ciples  were  amazed  at  His  words.     Jesus,  however,  said  again, 
"Children,   how  hard  a  struggle  is  it  for  those   who  trust  in 
riches  to  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God  !     It  is  easier  for  a  camel     25 
to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
the  Kingdom  of  God."     They  were  astonished  beyond  measure,     26 
and  said  to  one  another,   "Who   then   can  be  saved.'"'     Jesus     27 
looking  on  them  said,  "  With  men  it  is  impossible,  but  not  with 
God  ;  for  everything  is  possible  with  God."     Peter  said  to  Him,     28 
"  Remember    that     we     forsook   everything    and 

Self-Sacrifice  „      ,.  t  ,  , 

for  Christ      have  become  your  followers."     "  In  solemn  truth     29 

makes  us  rich.    ^    ^^^^    ^^^^„     ^^^y^^^     j^^^g^    ic  ^^^^    ^^^^^     j^     ^^ 

one  who  has  forsaken  house  or  brothers  or  sisters,  or  mother 
or  father,  or  children  or  lands,  for  my  sake  and  for  the  sake 
of  the  Good  News,  but  will  receive  a  hundred  times  as  much  30 
now  in  this  present  time — houses,  brothers,  sisters,  mothers, 
children,  lands — and  persecution  with  them,  and  in  the  coming 
a^^e  the  Life  of  the  ages.  But  many  who  are  now  first  will  be  31 
last,  and  the  last,  first." 

They  were  still  on  the  road  going  up  to  Jerusalem,     32 
hIs  own 'Seat  h^  and  Jesus  was  walking  ahead  of  them  ;  they  were 
full  of  wonder,  and  some,  though  they  followed,  did 
so  with  fear.     Then,  once  more  calling  to  Him  the  Twelve,  He 
began  to  tell  them  what  was  about  to  happen  to  Him.     "See,"     ^^ 

20.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

21.  Lox'ed hint\  Or  '  was  pleased  witli  him.'     Give  the procce  ls~\  Cp.  Acts  ii.  45. 
24.  Amazed']  Or  'diinibfoimdercd.'     See  Luke  v.  9,  n.     Said\  Lit.  'answered.' 

See  Matt.  xii.  38,  n.     For  those  who  trust  in  riches]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 
28.  Sain]  Lit.  'began  saying.' 

30.   t>/7//^  .^c^:?]  Greek 'aeonian.'     See  Matt,  xviii.  8,  n. 
32-34.  Cp.  Matt.  XX.  17-19  ;  Luke  xviii.  31-34- 


MARK   X.  Ill 

He  said,  "  we  are  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  where  the  Son  of  Man 
will  be  betrayed  to  the  High  Priests  and  the  Scribes.  They 
will  condemn  Him  to  death,  and  will  hand  Him  over  to  the 
Gentiles  ;  they  will  insult  Him  in  cruel  sport,  spit  on  Him,  34 
scourge  Him,  and  put  Him  to  death  ;  but  on  the  third  day  He 
will  rise  to  life  again," 

A  request  for      Then    James    and    John,    the    sons    of    Zabdai,     35 
worldly       came  up  to  Him  and  said,  "Rabbi,  we  wish  you 

Honour.  '^  ,  r  ->n         ^ 

would  grant  us  whatever  request  we  make  of  you  ?       36 
"  What  would  you  have  me  do   for  you  ?  "  He  asked.     They     37 
replied   "Allow  us  to  take  a  seat  one  at  your  right  and  the  other 
at  your  left  in   your  glory."     "You  know  not,"  said  He,  "what     38 
you  are  asking.     Are  you  able  to  drink    out  of  the  cup  from 
which  I  am  to  drink,  or  to  be  baptized   with  the  baptism  with 
which  I  am  to  be   baptized  .'' "     "  We  are  able,"   they  replied,     39 
"  Out  of  the  cup,"  said  Jesus,   "  from  which  I   am  to  drink  you 
shall  drink,  and  with  the  baptism  with  which  I  am  to  be  baptized 
you  shall  be  baptized;  but  as  to  sitting  at  my  right  hand  or  my     40 
left,  that  is  not  mine  to  give  :  it  will  be  for  them  for  whom  it  is 
reserved." 

^,    ,,  The  other  ten,  hearing  of  it,  were  at  first  highly     41 

Humble  Use-     ...  .,      '  ,    r    1  t  , 

fulness  is  true  mdignant  With  James  and  John.     Jesus,  however,     42 

Greatness,      called  them  and  said  to  them,  "  You  are  aware  how 
those  who  are  deemed  rulers  among  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over 
them,  and  their  great  men  make  them  feel  their  authority  ;  but 
it  is  not  to  be  so  among  you.     No,  whoever  desires  to  be  great     43 
among  you  must  be  your  servant  ;   and  whoever  desires  to  be     44 
first  among  you  must  be  the  bondslave  of  all.      P^or  the  Son     45 
of  Man  also  did  not  come  to  be  waited  upon,  but  to  wait  on 
others,   and   to  give    His   life   as  the   redemption-price    for    a 
multitude  of  people." 

A  blind  Man       They  came  to  Jericho  ;  and  as   He  was  leaving     46 
receives        that  town — Himself  and  His  disciples  and  a  great 
'^    ■         crowd — Bartimaeus  (the  son  of  Timaeus),  a  bUnd 
beggar,  was  sitting  by  the  way-side.     Hearing  that  it  was  Jesus     47 
the  Nazarene,  he  began  to  cry  out,  "  Son  of  David,  Jesus,  have 

34.  Scourg-e]  See  Acts  xxii.  29,  n. 
35-45.   Cp.  Matt.  XX.  20-28. 

35.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'  Whatever  request]  Did  Herod's  language  (vi.  22) 
suggest  the  thought  ?  or  had  Jesus  already  used,  to  His  disciples  or  to  some  of  them, 
such  words  as  those  recorded  in  John  xiv.  14;  xv.  7?  More  than  one  translator 
erroneously  substitutes  'what'  for  'whatever.' 

40.  Rescived]  Or  'destined.'     See  Hatch,  Biblical  Greek. 
45.  L>fe\  Or  'soul,'  as  in  viii.  35-37-  ._. 
46-52.  Cp.  Matt,  XX.  29-34  ;  Luke  xviii.  35-43. 


112  MARK   X.-XI. 

pity  on  me."     Many  angrily  told  him  to  leave  off  shouting  ;  but     48 
he  cried  out  all  the  louder,  "  Son  of  David,  have  pity  on  me." 
Then  Jesus  stopped.     "  Call  him,"  He  said.      So  they  called  the     49 
blind  man,     "  Cheer  up,"  they  said,  "  rise,   He  is  calling  you." 
He  flung  away  his  outer  garment,   sprang  to  his  feet,  and  came     50 
to  Jesus.     "  What  shall  I  do  for  you.?"  said  Jesus.     The  blind     51 
man  replied,  "  Rabbuni,  let  me  recover  my  sight."     Jesus  said  to     52 
him,  "  Go  :  your  faith   has  cured  you."     Instantly  he  regained 
his  sight,  and  followed  Him  along  the  road. 

When  they  were  getting  near  Jerusalem  and  had     i 
1s"borrowed'*  ^^^^^^^  ^^  Bethphage  and  Bethany,  on  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  He  sent  two  of  His  disciples  on  in  front, 
with  these  instructions.     "  Go,"  He  said,  "to  the  village  facing     2 
you,  and  immediately  on  entering  it  you  will  find  an  ass's  foal 
tied  up  which  no  one  has  ever  yet  ridden  :  untie  him  and  bring 
him  here.     And  if  any  one  asks  you,  '  Why  are  you  doing  that  ? '     3 
say,  '  The  Master  needs  it,  and  will  send  it  back  here  without 
delay.'  "     So  they  went  and  found  a  young  ass  tied  up  at  the     4 
street-door  of  a  house.     They  were  untying  him,   when  some  of    5 
the  bystanders  called  out,   "  What  are  you  doing,  untying    the 
foal  ?  "     But  on  their  giving  the  answer  that  Jesus  had  bidden    6 
them  give,  they  let  them  take  him. 

.  .  So  they  brought  the  foal  to  Jesus,  and  threw  their    7 

Jesus  rides  ■'  °  ,.•',_  , 

into  outer  garments  over   him  ;     and   Jesus   mounted. 

Jerusa  em.     'pj^gj^  many  spread  their  outer  garments  to  carpet     8 
the  road,  and  others  leafy  branches  which  they  had  cut  down  in 
the  fields  ;  while  those  who  led  the  way  and  those  who  followed    9 
kept  shouting  : 
"  God  save  Him  ! 
Blessed    be    He    who   comes    in    the    Lord's    name 

(Ps.  cxviii.  25,  26). 
Blessings  on  the  coming  Kingdom  of  our  forefather  David  !        10 
God  in  the  highest  heavens  save  Him  !  "  (Ps.  cxlviii.  i). 
So  He  came  into  Jerusalem  and  into  the  Temple  ;  and  after     11 

51.  Said]  Lif.  'answered.'     Cp.  Matt.  xii.  38,  n.     Rabbuni]   Or  ' Great  Teacher. ' 

51,  52.  Recover,  regained]  Such  is  the  probable  meaning  of  the  words,  but  we  may 

translate  '  obtain,'  'obtained.'     The  same  verb  is  used  in  John  ix.  11,  15,  in  the  case 

of  a  man  born  blind,  but  whether  Bartimaeus  had  been  always  blind  we  are  not 

informed.     Cp.  Rom.  vii.  9  ;  Eph.  iv.  8,  n. 

i-ii.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  i-ii  ;  Luke  xix.  29-44;  John  xii.  12-19. 

8.  In]  Lit.  '  out  of.'  The  branches  were  lopped  in  the  fields  and  then  brought 
from  the  fields.  The  construction  somewhat  resembles  that  which  we  find  in  v.  30, 
Cp.  xiii.  3. 

9,  10.  See  Matt.  xxi.  9,  n. 

II,  15,  16,  27.   The  Temple]  i.e.  the  Temple  Courts.     See  Matt.  xxi.  12,  n. 


MARK    XI.  113 

looking  round  upon  everything  there,  the  hour  being  now  late 
He  went  out  to  Bethany  with  the  Twelve. 

An  unfruitful      '^^^  "^^^  ^^V'  ^^^^^  ^^^V  ^^^  ^^^  Bethany,   He     12 
Fig  Tree      was  hungry.     But  in  the  distance  He  saw  a  fig-tree     13 
in  full  leaf,  and  went  to  see  whether  perhaps  He 
could  find  some  figs  on  it.     When  however  He  came  to  it,  He 
found  nothing  but  leaves  (for  it  was  not  fig  time)  ;  and  He  said     14 
to  the  tree,  "  Let  no  one  ever  again  eat  fruit  from  thee  !  "     And 
His  disciples  heard  this. 

The  Traders       '^^^V  reached  Jerusalem,  and  entering  the  Temple     15 
driven  from    He  began  to  drive  out  the  buyers  and  sellers,  and 
the  Temple.  ^.  ,  ,       ,,  ,     ,  ,        ^ 

upset  the  money-changers   tables  and  the  stools  of 

the  pigeon-dealers,  and  would  not  allow  any  one  to  carry  any-     16 
thing  through  the  Temple,    He  remonstrated  with  them,  saying,     17 
"  Is  it  not  written,  '  My  House  shall  be  called  The  House 
OF  Prayer  for  all  the  nations'  (Isa.  Ivi.  7).?  but  you  have 
made  it  what  it  is— a  robbers'  cave"  (Jer.  vii.  11).     This  the     18 
High  Priests  and  Scribes  heard,  and  they  began  to  devise  means 
to  destroy  Him.     For  they  were  afraid  of  Him,  because  of  the 
deep  impression  produced  on  all  the  people  by  His  teaching. 
When  evening  came  on,  Jesus  and  His  disciples  used  to  leave     19 
the  city. 

The  Fig  Tree  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^y  moving,  ^s  they  passed  by,  they  saw  20 
withers.  The  the  fig-tree  withered  to  the  root:  and  Peter,  re-  21 
PowerofFaith.       ,,       .  .,         „.        „^       ,     ,.    .  ,  .      ,       ^ 

collectmg,  said  to  Him,  "  Look,  Rabbi,  the  fig-tree 

which  you  cursed  is  withered  up."     Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Have     22 
confidence  in  God.     In  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  if  any  one     23 
should  say  to  this  mountain,  '  Remove,  and  hurl  thyself  into  the 
sea,'  and  should   admit  no  doubt  in  his  heart,  but  steadfastly 
believe  that  what  he  says  will  happen,  it  would  be  granted  him. 
That  is  why  I  tell  you,  as  to  whatever  you  pray  and  make  request     24 
for,  if  you  believe  that  you  have  received  it  it  will  be  yours.    But     25 
whenever  you  stand  praying,  if  you  have  a  grievance  against 

12-14.  Cp    Matt.  xxi.  18.  19. 

13.   NotJig-ti)ne\  See  Farrar,  Zzy^  tT/Or/j/,  chapter  50. 

15-ig.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  12-17  ''  Luke  xix.  45-48  ;  xxi.  37,  38. 

16.  Anything^  Or  'any  utensil  or  vessel.'  No  one  English  word  is  sufficiently 
extensive  to  cover  the  full  meaning  of  the  one  Greek  word  here  employed,  if.  as  can 
scarcely  be  doubted,  this  represents  the  Hebrew  word  which  not  only  signifies  a 
'  vessel '  to  contain  liquid  (Ruth  ii  9),  may  also  be  rendered  by  'instruments' 
(i  Chron.  xxviii.  14),  'thing'  (Ley.  xiii.  49),  'stuff'  (Joshua  vii.  ii),  'weapons,' 
'armour,'  'artillery,'   'jewel,' and  in  other  ways. 

17.  Have  viade  &r=c.\  Mark  (though  not  Lake)  uses  the  Greek  perfect  here,  in- 
dicating'and  such  it  remains.'  See  ^^rr.r/ vii. 

20-25.  Cp.  Matt.  vi.  14,  15  ;  xxi.  20-22. 

26.  V.I-.  inserts  a  verse  here:  'But  if  you  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your  Father 
in  heaven  forgive  your  offences.' 

I 


114  MARK    XI.-XII. 

any  one,  forgive  it,  so  that  your  Father  in  heaven  may  also 
forgive  you  your  offences." 

Leaders       They  came  again  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  as  He  was     27 
of  the  People  walking  in  the  Temple,  the  High  Priests,  Scribes, 

silenced.       ^^^  Elders  came  to  Him  and  asked,  "  By  what     28 
authority  are  you  doing  these  things  ?  and  who  gave  you  authority 
to  do  them?"      Jesus  replied,  "I  will  put  a  question  to  you:     29 
answer  me,  and  then  I  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these 
things.      John's    Baptism— was   it  of  Heavenly   or    of  hutnan     30 
origin?     Answer  me  that."     So  they   debated  the  matter  with     31 
one  another.     "  Suppose  we  say,  *  Heavenly,'  "  they  argued,  "  he 
will  ask,  '  Why  then  did  you  not  believe  him  ? '     Or  should  we     32 
say,  '  human  '  ?  "—They  were    afraid    of   the    people  ;    for  all 
agreed  in  holding  John  to  have  been  really  a  Prophet.     So  they     33 
answered  Jesus,  "  We  do  not  know."     "  Nor  do  I  tell  you,"  said 
Jesus,  "  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things." 

Then  He  began  to  speak  to  them  in  figurative     i   ' 
v/il^^.r'™c?>  language.     "  There  was  once  a  man  who  planted  a 

V  inCQ  PcSoGiS.  00  •        /■  1  • 

vineyard,  fenced  it  round,  dug  a  pit  for  the  wme- 
tank,  and  built  a  strong  lodge.     Then  he  let  the  place  to  vine- 
dressers and  went  abroad.     At  vintage-time  he  sent  one  of  his     2 
servants  to  receive  from  the  vine-dressers  a  share  of  the  grapes. 
But  they  seized  him,  beat  him  cruelly  and  sent  him  away  empty-     3 
handed.     Agai?a  he   sent  to  them  another  servant  :  and  as  for     4 
him,  they  wounded  him  in  the  head  and  treated  him  shamefully. 
Yet  a  third  he  sent,  and  him  they  killed.     And  he  sent  many     5 
besides,  and  them  also  they  ill-treated,  beating  some  and  killing 
others.     He  had  still  one  left  whom  he  could  send,  a  dearly-     6 
loved  son  :  him  last  of  all  he  sent,  saying,  '  They  will  treat  my 
son  with  respect.'     But  those  men— the  vine-dressers— said  to     7 
one  another,  '  Here  comes  the  heir :   come,  let  us  kill  him,  and 
then  the  property  will  one  day  be  ours.'     So  they  took  him  and     8 
killed  him,  and  flung  his  body  outside   the  vineyard.     What,     9 
therefore,  will  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  do  ?  "     "  He  will  come 
and  put  the  vine-dressers  to  death,  and  give  the  vineyard  to 
others."     "  Have  you  not  read  even  this  passage,  10 

'  The  stone  which  the  builders  despised, 

Has  become  the  Cornerstone  : 

27-33.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  23-27  ;  Luke  xx.  i-8. 

28.  By]  Lit.  'in,'  'invested  with.' 

1-12.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  33-46  ;  Luke  xx.  9-19.  .  ,   ,-     , 

4.   IVounded  him  in  the  head]  Or  '  made  short  work  with  him. 

8.  His  body]  Lit.  '  him.'    Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  12  and  note. 


MARK   XII.  IIS 

This  Cornerstone  came  from  the  Lord,  ii 

And  is  wonderful  in  our  esteem'"  (Ps.  cxviii.  22,  23)? 
And  they  kept  looking  out  for  an  opportunity  to  seize  Him,     12 
but  were  afraid  of  the  people  ;  for  they  saw  that  in  this  par- 
able He  had  referred  to  them.     So  they  left  Him  and  went 
away. 
A  Question        Their  next  step  was  to  send  to  Him  some  of  the     13 
about  paying  Pharisees  and  of  Herod's  partisans  to  entrap  Him 

in  conversation.     So  they  came  and  said  to  Him,  •  14 
"  Rabbi,  we  know  that  you  are  a  truthful  man  and  you  do  not 
fear  any  one  ;  for  you  do  not  recognize  human  distinctions,  but 
teach  God's  way  truly.    Is  it  allowable  to  pay  poll-tax  to  Caesar, 
or  not  ?     Shall  we  pay,  or  shall  we  refuse  to  pay.''"     But  He,     15 
knowing  their   hypocrisy,   replied,  "  Why  try  to  ensnare   me  ? 
Bring  me  a  shilling  for  me  to  look  at."     They  brought  one  ;  and     16 
He  asked  them,  "  Whose  is  this  likeness  and  this  inscription  ?  " 
"Caesar's,"  they  replied.     Jesus  rejoined,  "What  is  Caesar's,     17 
pay   to  Caesar — and  what  is  God's,  pay  to  God."     And  they 
wondered  exceedingly  at   Him. 
'A  Woman        Then  came  to  Him  a  party  of  Sadducees,  a  sect     18 
seven  times    which  denies  that  there  is  any  Resurrection  ;  and 

they  proceeded  to  ask  Him,  "Rabbi,  Moses  made     19 
it  a  law  for  us  :'  If  A  man's  brother  should  die  and  leave 
A  wife,  but  no  child,  the  man  shall  marry  the  widow 

AND  raise  up  a  FAMILY   FOR  HIS   BROTHER'   (Deut.  XXV.    5,  6). 

There  were  once  seven  brothers,  the  eldest  of  whom  married  a     20 
wife,  but  at  his  death  left  no  family.     The  second  married  her,     21 
^nd  died,  leaving  no  family  ;  and  the  third  did  the  same.     And     22 
so  did  the  rest  of  the  seven,  all  dying  childless.     Finally  the 
woman  also  died.     At  the  Resurrection  whose  wife  will  she  be  ?    23 
for  they  all  seven  married   her."     Jesus  answered    them,  "  Is     24 
not  this  the  cause  of  your  error— your  ignorance  alike  of  the 
Scriptures  and  of  the  power  of  God  ?     For  when  risen  from     25 
among  the  dead,  men  do  not  marry  and  women  are  not  given  in 
marriage,  but  they  are  as  angels  are  in  heaven.     But  as  to  the     26 
dead,  that  they  rise  to  life,  have  you  never  read  in  the  Book  of 
Moses,  in  the  passage  about  the  Bush,  how  God  said  to  him,  '  I 
AM  THE  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God 

II.  This  CGrnerstone  cavie  from  the  Lord\  See  Matt.  xxi.  42,  n. 

13-17.   Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  15-22  ;  Luke  xx.  20-26. 

14,  19,  32.  Rabbi]  Or  'Teacher.' 

18-27.  Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  23-33  J  Luke  xx.  27-39. 

26.  Rise  to  life\  Or  '  wake.' 


ii6  MARK   XII. 

OF  Jacob  (Exod.  iii.  2-6)  ?     He  is  not  the  God  of  dead,  but  of    27 
living  men.     You  are  in  grave  error." 

Then  one  of  the  Scribes,  who  had  heard  them     28 
supreme  lIw.  disputing  and  well  knew  that  Jesus  had  given  them 
'  an  answer  to  the  point,  and  a  forcible  one,  came 
forward  and  asked  Him,  "Which  is  the  chief  of  all  the  Com- 
mandments ? "     "  The  chief,"  rephed  Jesus,  "  is  this  :  '  Hear  O     29 
Israel  !    The  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord  ;  and  thou    30 

SHALT  LOVE  THE  LORD  THY  GOD  WITH  THY  WHOLE  HEART,  THY 
WHOLE  SOUL,  THY  WHOLE  MIND,  AND  THY  WHOLE  STRENGTH' 

(Deut.  vi.  4,  5).     The  second  is  this  :  '  Thou  shalt  love  thy     31 

FELLOW  MAN  AS  THOU  LOVEST  THYSELF  '   (Lev.  xix.  1 8).     Other 

Commandment  greater  than  these  there  is  none."    So  the  Scribe     32 
said  to  Him,  "  Rightly,  in  very  truth.  Rabbi,  have  you  said  that 

He   STANDS    ALONE,   AND    THERE    IS    NONE    BUT    HE  ;  and  TO      33 

LOVE  Him  with  all  one's  heart,  with  all  one's  under- 
standing, AND  with  all  one's  STRENGTH,  AND  TO  LOVE 
ONE'S  FELLOW  MAN  NO  LESS  THAN  ONESELF,  is  far  better 
than     all     our     WHOLE    BURNT-OFFERINGS    AND     SACRIFICES" 

(i  Sam.  XV.  22).    Perceiving  that  the  Scribe  had  answered  wisely,     34 
Jesus  said  to  him,  "  You  are  not  far  from  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
No  one  from  that  time  forward  ventured  to  put  any  question  to 

Him. 

But,  while  teaching  in  the  Temple,  Jesus  asked,     35 
andliav^d's    "  How  is  it  the  Scribes  say  that  the  Christ  is  a  son 
Lord.         Qf  David  ?     David  himself  said,  taught  by  the  Holy     36 

Spirit  : 

'  The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord, 
Sit  at  My  right  hand, 
Until  I  have  made  thy  foes  a  footstool  under  thy 

feet'  (Ps.  ex.  i). 
"  David  himself  calls  Him  '  Lord  : '  how  then  can  He  be  his     37 
son?"     And  the  mass  of  the  people  found  pleasure  in  listening 
to  Jesus. 

Moreover  in  the  course  of  His  teaching  He  said,  "  Be  on  your    38 

28-34.  Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  34-40.       ^     .  ,         , 

30.  l^Fitk]  Lit.  '  out  of,'  repeated  with  each  noun. 

31,  33.   Fellow  tiian]  Lit.  '  neighbour.' 
~    34.  Cp.  Luke  XX.  40. 

S5-37-  Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  41-46  ;  Luke  XX.  41-44.        ,^      ^         ,^,  .  .,      r 

2I.  I  have  made  .  .  under  thy  feet:]  v.l.,  as  in  Matthew,  I  have  put  thy  foes 
beneath  thy  feet.'  ^    ,        ... 

■xZ-Ao.  Cp.  Matt,  xxiii.  1-39  ;  Luke  xiii.  34,  35  ;  xx.  45-4  7- 

2^.  Be  on  your  guard  against]  Lit. '  look  away  from.  Even  Winer  recognizes 
this  as  a  '  pure  Hebraism.' 


MARK   XII.-XIIL 


117 


The  Scribes    g"^^'^  against  the  Scribes  who  hke  to  walk  about 
and  Pharisees  in  long  robes  and  to  be  bowed  to  in  places   of 
denounced.  ,  ,•  ^         j   ^  ^11  •       , 

public  resort,  and  to  occupy  the  best  seats  in  the     39 

synagogues   and  at   dinner  parties,    and  who  swallow   up  the     40 

property  of  widows  and  then  mask  their  wickedness  by  making 

long  prayers  :  these  men  will  receive  far  heavier  punishment." 

Having  taken  a  seat  opposite  the  Treasury,  He     41 
A  small  but        ,  ,    ,  ,  ,  .  .  •"  ^ 

generous  Gift,  observed   how  the  people  were  dropping  money 

into  the  Treasury,  and  that  many  of  the  wealthy 

threw  in  large  sums.     But  there   came  one  poor  widow  and     42 

dropped  in  two  farthings,  equal  in  value  to  a  halfpenny.     So  He     43 

called  His  disciples  to  Him  and  said,  "  In  solemn  truth  I  tell 

you  that  this  widow,  poor  as  she  is,  has  thrown  in  more  than 

all  the  other  contributors  to  the  Treasury  ;    for  they  have  all     44 

contributed  out  of  what  they  could  well  spare,  but  she  out  of 

her  need  has  thrown  in  all  she  possessed— all  she  had  to  live 

on." 

As  He  was  leaving  the  Temple,  one  of  His  dis-     i  1  Q 
Jesus  predicts     .    ,  .    .        ,     ,,  t       1      t^    iT-        ,  ,     ,  AO 

the  Destruc.    ciples  exclaimed.      Look,  Rabbi,  what  wonderful 

*  Tempie^^     stones  !  what  wonderful  buildings  !  "  Jesus  replied,     2 

"  You  see  all  these  great  buildings  ?    Not  one  stone 

will  be  left  here  upon  another — not  thrown  down." 

Things  which       ^^  ^^^  sitting  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  opposite     3 

would  happen  to  the   Temple,    when    Peter,   James,   John,  and 

""^*'  Andrew,  apart  from  the  others,  asked  Him,  "Tell     4 

us,  When  will  these   things   be  .^   and   what   will  be  the  sign 

when  all  these  predictions  are  on  the  point  of  being  ful  filled.'"' 

So  Jesus  began  to  say  to  them  :  "  Take  care  that  no  one  mis-     5 

leads  you.     Many  will  come  assuming  my  name  and  saying,  '  I     6 

am  He  ; '  and  they  will  mislead  many.     But  when  you  hear  of    7 

wars  and  rumours  of  wars,  do  not  be  alarmed  :  come  they  must, 

but   the   End  is  not  yet.     For  nation  will   rise  in  arms     8 

AGAINST   NATION,  AND  KINGDOM    AGAINST  KINGDOM    (Isa.  xix. 

2).     There  will  be  earthquakes  in  various  places  ;  there  will  be 

39.  /«  ike  synagogues\  Or,  as  we  should  now  say,  'at  church." 

41-44.  Cp.  Luke  xxi.  1-4. 

1-13.   Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  1-14  :   Luke  xxi.  5-19. 

\.  Rabbi\W\..  'Teacher.'  What  7vonderficl\  Etymologicaliy  this  is  '  from  what 
country?'  Not  one  stone  zvill  be  left\  For  a  description  of  the  total  destruction  of 
the  Temple  by  the  Roman  general  Titus  in  70,  a.d.  ,  see  Josephus,  Wars,  vi.  4,  5. 

3.  On^  Lit.  'to'  or  'into,'  by  what  the  grammarians  call  a  '  pregnant  construction,' 
implying  that  He  had  gone  to  (or,  up  into)  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  was  sitting  on 
its  slope. 

6.  Assuming\  Or  'in  ;'  lit.  '  on.'     See  ix.  37,  39;  Matt,  xviii.  5  ;  xxiv.  5,  n. 

8,  22.   Will  rise]  Or  perhaps  '  will  be  raised  '  (by  unseen  powers  of  evilj. 


ii8  MARK    XIII. 

famines.     These  miseries  are  but  like  the  early  pains  of  child- 
birth. 

"  You  yourselves  must  be  on  your  guard.     They     9 
Persecution         .,,.,.  ^       o      i_    j   ■  -n    u 

and  world-     Will  deliver  you  up  to   Sanhednns  ;  you   will  be 

wide  Preach,    brought  into  Synagogues  and  cruelly  beaten  ;  and 

you  will  stand  before  governors  and  kings  for  my 

sake,  to  be  witnesses  to  them  for  me.     But  the  proclamation  of     10 

the  Good  News  must  be  carried  to  all  the  Gentiles  before  the 

End   comes.     When   however   they    are    marching   you   along     11 

under  arrest,  do  not  be  anxious  beforehand   about  what  you 

are  to  say,  but  speak  what  is  given  you  when  the  time  comes  ; 

for  it  will  not  be  you  who  speak,  but  the  Holy  Spirit. 

„  ^.    ^^    ^.        "Brother  will  betray  brother  to  be  killed,  and     12 
Patient  Forti-  ./  ' 

tude  would  be  fathers  will  betray  children  ;  and  CHILDREN  WILL 
rewarded.       DENOUNCE  THEIR  PARENTS  (Mic.  vii.  6)  and  have 

them  put  to  death.     You  will  be  objects  of  universal  hatred     13 
because  you  are  called  by  my  name,  but  those  who  stand  firm 
to  the  End  will  be  saved. 

•Th    Abomi        "  As  soon,   however,  as  you  see  the  Abomina-     14 
nation  of  Deso- TION    OF    DESOLATION    (Dan.    xii.    ii)   Standing 
lation.         where  he  ought  not"— let  the  reader  observe  these 
words — "then  let  those  in  Judaea  escape  to  the  hills  ;  let  him     15 
who  is  on  the  roof  not  come  down  and  enter  the  house  to  fetch 
anything  out  of  it  ;  and  let  not  him  who  is  in  the  field  turn     16 
back  to  pick  up  his  outer  garment.     And  alas  for  the  women     17 
who  at  that  time  are  with  child  or  have  infants  ! 

"  But  pray  that  it  may  not  come  in  the  winter.     18 

^Dist^esl'^'^    For  those  will  be  times  of  SUFFERING  the  LIKE     19 

OF  WHICH  HAS  NEVER  BEEN  FROM  THE  FIRST 
CREATION  OF  GOD'S  WORLD  UNTIL  NOW  (Dan.  xii.  l),  and 
assuredly  never  will  be  again  ;  and  but  for  the  fact  that  the  20 
Lord  has  cut  short  those  days,  no  one  would  escape  ;  but  for 
the  sake  of  His  own  People  whom  He  has  chosen  for  Himself 
He  has  cut  short  the  days. 

9-13.  Cp.  Matt.  X.  17-22  ;  Luke  xxi.  12-17. 

10.  Before  the  End  cojnes\  Lit.  simply  '  first.' 

12.  Denoiaice\  Lit.  '  stand  against.' 

14-37.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  15-42  ;  Luke  xxi.  20-36. 

14.  He\  In  Mark,  though  not  in  Matthew,  the  best  authorities  have  the  Greek 
word  for  '  standing,'  masculine.  Escape  to  the  hills]  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Jewish 
war  (67-70,  A.D.)the  Christians  in  Jerusalem  carried  out  these  instructions,  availing 
themselves  of  an  unexpected  opportunity  to  flee  across  the  mountains  to  the  desert  of 
Perea  beyond  the  Jordan  (Josephus,  Wars,  ii.  20  ;  iii.  3.  3). 

19.  First  creation  of  God's  ^twrir]  Lit.  'beginning  of  the  creation  which  God 
created.'  Never  will  be  again],  Words  which  apparently  indicate  that  the  time 
referred  to  was  to  be  prior  to  the  end  of  the  world. 


MARK    XIII. 


119 


False  Messiahs       "  ^'  ^^^^  ^'"^^  '^  ^^^^  °"^  ^^y^  *°  V^"'  '  ^^^'  ^^^^^     21 
and  false      is  the  Christ  ! '    or  '  See,    He  is  there  ! '    do    not 
Teachers,      ^eheve  it.    For  THERE  WILL  RISE  UP  false  Christs     22 
and  false  prophets,  displaying  signs  and  prodigies  (Dan. 
xiii.  I)  with  a  view  to  lead  astray — if  indeed  that  were  possible 
— even  God's  own  People.     But  as  for  yourselves,  be  on  your     23 
guard  :  I  have  forewarned  you  of  everything. 

The  Son  of  "AT  THAT  TIME,  however,  after  that   DISTRESS,      24 

Man  amid  the  THE    SUN    WILL    BE    DARKENED   AND   THE   MOON 

Clouds.  ^j^^  ^^^    SHED    HER    LIGHT  ;   THE    STARS   WILL      25 

BE  SEEN  FALLING  FROM  THE  FIRMAMENT  (Isa.  xiii  lo),  AND 
THE  FORCES  WHICH  ARE  IN  THE  HEAVENS  WILL  BE  DIS- 
ORDERED AND  DISTURBED  (Isa.  xxxiv.  4).  And  then  will  they  26 
see  THE  Son  of  Man  coming  in  clouds  (Dan.  vii.  13)  with 
great  power  and  glory.  Then  He  will  send  forth  the  angels  27 
and  gather  together  His  chosen  people  from  north,  south,  east 
and  west,  from  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth  and  the  sky. 

"  Learn  from  the  fig-tree  the  lesson  it  teaches.     28 
Limlt'of  "rime.  ^^  ^^^^  ^^  '^^  branch   has  become  soft  and  it  is 
bursting  into  leaf,  you  know  that  summer  is  near. 
So  also  do  you,  when  you  see  these  things  happening,  be  sure     29 
that  He  is  near,  at  your  very  door.     I  tell  you  in  solemn  truth     30 
that  the  present  generation  will  certainly  not  pass  away  without 
all  these  things  having  first  taken   place.     Earth  and  sky  will     31 
pass  away,  but  it  is  certain  that  my  words  will  not  pass  away. 

Uncertainty  as       "  ^^^  ^^  ^°  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  exact  time  no  one     32 
to  the  exact    knows — not  even  the  angels  in  heaven,  nor  the 

^^'  Son,  but  the  Father  alone.     Take  care,  be  on  the     33 

alert,  and  pray  ;  for  you  do  not  know  when  it  will  happen.     It     34 
is  like  a  man  living  abroad  who  has  left  his  house,  and  given 
the  management  to  his  servants — to  each  one  his  special  duty — 
and  has  ordered  the  porter  to  keep  awake.     Be  wakeful  there-     35 
fore,  for  you  know  not  when  the  master  of  the  house  is  coming 
— in  the  evening,  at  midnight,  at  cock-crow,  or  at  dawn.    Beware     36 
lest  He  should  arrive  unexpectedly  and  find  you  asleep.     More-     37 
over  what  I  say  to  you  I  say  to  all — Be  wakeful  !  " 

21-23.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  23-28  and  37-41  ;  Luke  xvii.  20-37. 

24.  Be  darkened]  Or  'grow  dark.'     See  Matt.  xxiv.  29,  n. 

25.  Forces  .  .  .  disturbed]  Cp.  Rom.  viii.  38,  n. 

29.  He]  Or  '  it.' 

30.  The  present  generation]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  34,  n. 

31.  Earth  and  sky]  See  Matt.  v.  18,  n.  ;  xxiv.  35,  n. 

33.  And  pray]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

34.  Servants]  Or  '  slaves.' 

36.  Beivare  lest]  Lit.  simply  'lest.' 


I20  MARK   XIV. 

_  It  was  now  two  days  before  the  Passover  and     i   1 

murder  Jesus,  the    feast    of  Unleavened    Bread,    and   the    High 

Priests  and  Scribes  were  bent  on  finding  how  to 
seize  Him  by  stratagem  and  put  Him  to  death.     But  they  said,     2 
"  Not  on  the  Festival-day,  for  fear  there  should  be  a  riot  among 
the  people." 

Now  when  He  was  at  Bethany,  at  the  house  of    3 
costryGift      Simon  the  Leper,  while   He  was  at  table,  there 

came  a  woman  with  a  jar  of  pure,  sweet-scented 
ointment  very  costly  :  she  broke  the  jar  and  poured  the  oint- 
ment on  His  head.     But  there  were  some  who  said  indignantly     4 
among  themselves,  "  Why  has  the  ointment  been  thus  wasted  ? 
For  that   ointment   might    have   been  sold    for  fifteen  pounds     5 
or  more,  and  the  money  have  been  given  to  the  poor."     And 
they  were  exceedingly  angry  with  her.     But  Jesus  said,  "  Leave     6 
her  alone  :  why  are  you  troubling  her  ?     She  has  done  a  most 
gracious   act  towards    me.      For  you    always   have  the   poor    7 
among  you,  and  whenever  you  choose  you  can  do  acts  of  kind- 
ness to  them  ;  but  me  you  have  not  always.     What  she  could     8 
she  did  :  she  has  perfumed  my   body    in   preparation   for   my 
burial.     And   I   solemnly  declare  to  you  that  wherever  in  the     9 
whole  world  the  Good   News  shall  be  proclaimed,  this  which 
she  has  done  shall  also  be  told  in  remembrance  of  her." 

But  Judas  Iscariot,  already  mentioned  as  one  of     10 
^*'o7judas.^'^^  the  Twelve,  went  to  the  High   Priests  to  betray 

Jesus  to  them.     They  gladly  listened  to  his  pro-     11 
posal,  and  promised  to  give  him  a  sum  of  money  ;  so  he  looked 
out  for  an  opportunity  to  betray  Him. 

„  ^         _,  On  the   first  day    of  the  feast    of  Unleavened     12 

John  prepare  Bread — the  day  for  killing  the  Passover  lamb — His 
the  Passover,  ^jjs^iples  asked  Him,  "  Where  shall  we  go  and 
prepare  for  you  to  eat  the  Passover  ?  "    So  He  sent  two  of  His     13 

1-2.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  1-5  ;   Luke  xxii.  i,  2. 

T.   Two  (fays]  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  40,  n.  ;  xxvi.  2,  n. 

3-9.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  6-13;  John  xi.  55-57  ;  xii.  i-ii. 

3.  Pure]  Or  '  liquid.' 

5.  Fifteen  pounds  or  more]  Lit.  'over  300  denarii.'  And  the  money  have]  Lit. 
simply  'and  have.' 

lo-ii.  Cp.  Malt.  xxvi.  14-16;  Luke  xxii.  3-6.  / 

lu.  Already  mentioned  a:s  one]  Lit.  •  the  one.' 

12-16.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  17-19  ;  Luke  xxii.  7-13. 

13.  A  man]  Easily  distinguishable  from  Dther  water-carriers,  because  they  were 
women  !  Our  Lord  anticipated  this  last  Passover  meal  with  peculiar  joy  (Luke 
xxii.  15),  and  was  apparently  anxious  that  it  should  not  be  intruded  upon  by  His 
enemies.  The  somewhat  curious  and  enigmatical  form  in  which  He  gave  instructions 
to  Peter  and  John  as  to  the  place  where  tliey  were  to  make  preparation^  for  the  meal 
may  have  been  adopted  to  prevent  Judas,  who  heard  what  was  said,  giving  informa- 


MARK   XIV.  121 

disciples  with  instructions,  saying,  "  Go  into  the  city,  and  you 
will  meet  a  man  carrying  a  jug  of  water  :  follow  him,  and  what-     14 
ever  house  he  enters,  tell  the  master  of  the  house,  '  The  Rabbi 
asks,   Where  is  my  room  where  I   can  eat  the  Passover  with 
my  disciples?'    Then  he  will  himself  show  you  a  large  room     15 
upstairs,  ready  furnished  :  there  make  preparation  for  us."     So     16 
the  disciples  went  out  and  came  to  the  City,  and  found  every- 
thing just  as  He  had  told  them  ;  and  they  got  the  Passover  ready. 

When  it  was  evening.  He  came  with  the  Twelve.  17 
Supper' ^Vhe  And  while  they  were  at  table  Jesus  said,  "I  18 
Traitor  indi-    solemnly  tell  you  that  one  of  you  will  betray  me— 

one  who  is  eating  with  me."     They   were  filled     19 
with  sorrow,  and  began  asking  Him,  one  by  one,  "  Not  I,  is  it  ? " 
"  It  is  one  of  the  Twelve,"  He  replied  ;  "  he  who  is  dipping  his     20 
fingers  in  the  dish  with  me.     For  the  Son  of  Man  is  going  His     21 
way  as  it  is  written  about  Him  ;  but  alas  for  the  man  by  whom 
the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed  !    It  had  been  a  happy  thing  for 
that  man,  had  he  never  been  born." 

The  memorial      ^^^^  during  the  meal  He  took  a  Passover  bis-     22 
Meal  insti.     cuit,  blessed  it,  and  broke  it.     He  then  gave  it  to 
"  ®  ■         them,  saying,  "  Take  this,  it  is  my  body."     Then     23 
He  took  the  cup,  gave  thanks,  and  handed  it  to  them,  and  they 
all   of  them   drank   from   it.     "  This   is   my   blood,"  He   said,     24 
"  which  is  to  be  poured  out  on  behalf  of  many— the  blood  which 
makes  sure  the  Covenant.     I  solemnly  tell  you  that  never  again     25 
will  I  taste  the  produce  of  the  vine  till  I  shall  drink  the  new 
wine  in  the   Kingdom  of  God."     After  singing  a  hymn,  they     26 
went  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

Then  said  Jesus  to  them,  "All  of  you  are  about  27 
^^flreto?d."'^'  to   stumble   and   fall,   for  it   is   written,  *  I  will 

STRIKE  DOWN  THE   SHEPHERD,  AND  THE  SHEEP 

tion  beforehand  about  it  to  the  authorities.  So  Jesus  taught  in  parables,  partly  to 
hide  His  meaning  from  certain  unwoi  thy  persons  who  were  among  those  who  listened 
to  Him  (Matt.  xiii.  13),  and  the  book  of  Revelation  may  have  been  written  in  sym- 
bolic language  to  conceal  its  significance  from  the  enemies  of  the  early  Christian 
Church. 

14.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'     Room]  Lit.  'lodging-room.' 

17.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  20  ;  Luke  xxii.  14-18. 

18-21.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  21-25  ;  Luke  xxii.  21-23  >  John  xiii.  21-35. 

22-25.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  26-29  •  Luke  xxii.  19,  20  ;  i  Cor.  xi.  23-25. 

22.  Take  this]  Or  '  take  some.' 

23.  Took  the  cup]  Lit.  'took  cup.'  See  Matt.  xxvi.  27,  n.  From  it]  implying 
that  all  drank  from  the  same  cup,  as  is  now  dorfeat  civic  banquets  when  the  '  Loving- 
cup  '  goes  round. 

24.  Which  makes  sure]  Lit.  'of.'  The  Covenant]  v.l.  '  the  New  Covenant,' as  in 
Luke  xxii.  20. 

26.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  30  ;  Luke  xxii.  39  ;  John  xviii.  i.     A  hymn]  Or  '  the  hymn.' 
27-31.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  31-35  ;  Luke  xxii.  31-38  ;  John  xiii.  36-38. 


122  MARK    XIV. 

WILL   BE  SCATTERED   IN  ALL  DIRECTIONS  '  (Zech.   xiii.  7).      But      28 

after  I  have  risen  to  life  again  I  will  go  before  you  into  Galilee." 
"  All   may  stumble   and  fall,"  said   Peter,   "  yet   I  never  will."     29 
"  I  solemnly  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  to-day — this  night —     30 
before  the  cock  crows  twice,  you  yourself  will  three  times  disown 
me."     "  Even  if  I  must  die  with  you,"  declared  Peter  again  and     31 
again,  "  I  will  never  disown  you."     In  like  manner  protested 
also  all  the  disciples. 

Christ's  Agony      ^°  ^^^^  came  to  a  place    called  Gethsemane.     32 
in  Gethse-      There  He  said  to  His  disciples,  "  Sit  down  here  till 
'"^"®"         I  have  prayed."     Then  He  took  with  Him  Peter     33 
and  James  and  John,  and  began  to  be  full  of  terror  and  distress, 
and  He  said  to  them,  "  My  heart  is  oppressed  with  anguish  to     34 
the  very  point  of  death  :  wait  here  and  keep  awake."     Going     35 
forward  a  short  distance  He  threw  Himself  upon  His  face  and 
prayed  repeatedly  that,  if  it  was  possible,  He  might  be  spared 
that  time  of  agony  ;  and   He  said,   "  Abba  !    my  Father  !    all     36 
things  are  possible  for  Thee  :  take  this  cup  of  suffering  away 
from  me  :  and  yet  not  what  I  desire,  but  what  Thou  desirest." 
Then  He  came  and  found  them  asleep,  and  He  said  to  Peter,     37 
"  Simon,  are  you  asleep  ?    Had  you  not  strength  to  keep  awake 
a  single  hour  ?    Be  wakeful  all  of  you,  and  keep  on  praying,  that     38 
you  may  not  come  into  temptation  :  the  spirit  is  right  willing, 
but  the  body  is  frail."     He  again  went  away  and  prayed,  using     39 
the  very  same  words.    When  He  returned  He  again  found  them     40 
asleep,  for  they  were  very   tired  ;  and  they  knew  not  how  to 
answer  Him.    A  third  time  He  came,  and  then  He  said,  "  Sleep     41 
on  and  rest.     Enough  !    the  hour  is  come.     Even  now  they  are 
betraying  the  Son  of  Man  into  the  hands  of  sinful  men.     Rouse     42 
yourselves,  let  us  be  going  :  my  betrayer  is  close  at  hand." 

Immediately,  while  He  was  still  speaking,  Judas,     43 
*l,".^L^!Ji'rF  one  of  the  Twelve,  came  and  with  him  a  crowd  of 

armed  men.  ' 

men  armed  with  swords  and  bludgeons,  sent  by 
the  High  Priests  and  Scribes  and  Elders.     Now  the  betrayer     44 
had  arranged  a  signal  with  them  :    "  The  one  whom  I  kiss  is 

32-42.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  36-46 ;   Luke  xxii.  40-46. 

35.  Going  forivnrd]  See  Acts  xx.  5,  n.  He  jnight  be  spared  that  time  of  agony] 
Lit.   '  the  hour  might  pass  by  from  Him.' 

36.  My  Fathc7-\  Lit.  'the  Father.'  Take  .  .  away]  Lit.  'carry  .  .  .  past.' 
Some  prefer  to  render  '  Abba  ! '  (that  is  '  Father  ')  '  all  things  &c.'  But  see  Sanday 
and  Headlam  on  Rom.  viii.  15.     Ctip  of  suffering]  Lit.  simply  'cup.' 

38.    The  spirit  .   .  .  the  body]  Or  '  my  spirit  .  .  .  my  body.'     See  Matt.    xxvi. 
41,  n. 
43-52.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  47-56;  Luke  xxii.  47-53  ;  John  xviii.  2-11. 
43.  Judas]  v.L.  adds  'the  Iscariot.' 


MARK    XIV.  123 

the  man  :  lay  hold  of  him,  and  take  him  safely  away."     So  he     45 
came,   and  going    straight   to  Jesus    he   said,    "  Rabbi  ! »    and     46 
kissed  Him  with  seeming  affection  ;  whereupon  they  laid  hands 
on  Him  and  held  Him  firmly.     But  one  of  those  who  stood  by    47 
drew  his  sword  and  struck  a  blow  at  the  High  Priest's  servant, 
cutting  off  his  ear. 

Jesus expostu-     "  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^'^^  °^^'"  ^^'^  J^^"^'  "  ^^^^^  SWOrds     48 
lates.   The     and  bludgeons  to  arrest  me,  as  if  you  had  to  fi<yht 
Apostles  run    with  a  robber  .?  Day  after  day  I  used  to  be  among     49 

you  in  the  Temple  teaching,  and  you  never  seized 
me.     But  this  is  happening  in  order  that  the  Scriptures  may  be 
fulfilled."     Then  His  friends  all  forsook  Him  and  fled.     One  50,51 
youth  indeed  did  follow  Him,  wearing  only  a  linen  sheet  round 
his  bare  body.      Of  him  they  laid  hold,  but  he  left  the  linen     52 
sheet  in  their  hands  and  fled  without  it. 

Chrfst  ^°  ^^^y  ^^^  J^^"^  ^^^^y  ^°  ^^^  ^'^^  Priest,  and     53 

arrested  and    with  Him  there  assembled  all  the  High  Priests, 
mgh"pHest^.    Elders,  and   Scribes.     Peter  followed  Jesus  at  a     54 
distance,  as   far  as  the  outer  court  of  the   High 
Priest's   palace.      But    there   he  remained    sitting   among  the 
officers,  and  warming  himself  by  the  fire. 
False  Testi.        Meanwhile   the    High    Priests   and    the   entire     55 
monyand      Sanhedrin    were   endeavouring    to   get    evidence 

gross  Insults.  .  ^  .  ,  tt-  ,        ,     , 

against  Jesus  m  order  to  put  Him  to  death,  but 
could  find  none ;  for  though  many  gave  false  testimony  against  56 
Him,  their  statements  did  not  tally.  Then  some  came  forward  57 
as  witnesses  and  falsely  declared,  "  We  have  heard  him  say,  '  I  58 
will  pull  down  this  Sanctuary  built  by  human  hands,  and  three 
days  afterwards  I  will  erect  another  built  without  hands.' "  But  59 
not  even  in  this  shape  was  their  testimony  consistent. 

At  last  the   High   Priest  stood   up,   and  advancing  into  the     6o 
midst  of  them  all,  asked  Jesus,  "Have  you  no  answer  to  make.-^ 

47.  Se>-vant]  Or  'slave.' 

49.  This  is  happening  .  .  Mia_y]  Or  assigning  the  words  not  to  our  Lord,  but  to  the 
historian — '  this  happened  .   .  might.' 

51.  IVeariug]  The  same  word  occurs  in  xvi.  5,  and  in  Rev.  iv,  4  ;  vii.  9  ;  &c. — 
Linen  sheet]  Such  is  probably  the  meaning  of  the  term  (Sindon).  It  occurs  also  in 
XV.  46  ;  Matt,  xxvii.  59  ;  Luke  xxiii.  53.     Cp.  Luke  xvi.  19. 

51,  52.  Bare  .  .  ivithont  it]  Lit.  '  naked  .  .  naked.' 

53,  54  and  66-72.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  57,  58  ;  Luke  xxii.  54-62  ;  John  xviii.  12-18  and 
25-27. 

53.  With  Hi7n'\  v.l.  omits  these  words.  If  they  are  genuine,  the  passage  seems 
to  mean  that  as  the  troops  and  '  officers  '  (see  next  verse)  and  rabble  passed  through 
the  streets  on  the  way  to  Cai'aphas's  palace,  the  crowd,  snovvball-like,  increased, 
members  of  the  High-priesily  family  and  others  joining  it  in  spite  of  the  late  hour. 
'  To  him  '  (i.e.,  to  the  High  Priest)  is  an  inadmissible  rendering. 

54.  Officers]  See  Matt.  xxvi.  58,  n.     By  the  fire]  Cp.  Luke  xxii.  56. 
55-65.  Cp.  Matt   xxvi.  59-68  ;  Luke  xxii.  63-71  ;  John  xviii.  19-24. 


124  MARK   XIV.-XV. 

What  is  the  meaning   of  all  this   that  these  witnesses   allege 
against  you?"    But  He  remained  silent,  and  gave  no  reply.     A     6i 
second  time  the  High  Priest  questioned  Him  :  "Are  you  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed  One  ? "    Jesus  replied,  "I  am  ;     62 
and  you  and  others  will  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  at  the  right 
hand  of  the  divine  Power,  and  coming  amid  the  clouds  of  the 
sky"  (Ps.  ex.  I  ;  Dan.  vii.  13).     Rending  his  garments  the  High     63 
Priest  exclaimed,  "What  need  have  we  of  witnesses  after  that  ? 
You  all  heard  his  impious  words.     What  is  your  judgement  ?  "     64 
Then  with   one  voice  they   condemned  Him  as  deserving   of 
death.     Thereupon  some  began  to  spit  on  Him,  and  to  blindfold     65 
Him,  while  striking   Him  with  their  fists  and  crying,  "  Prove 
that  you  are  a  prophet ;"  and  the  officers  struck  Him  with  their 
open  hands  as  they  took  Him  in  charge. 

Now  while  Peter  was  below  in  the  quadrangle,     66 
^  M^Master"^   o^^  °^  ^^^  ^^S^  Priest's  maidservants  came,  and     67 

seeing  Peter  warming  himself  she  looked  at  him 
and  said,  *'  You  also  were  with  Jesus,  the   Nazarene."     But  he     68 
denied  it,  and  said,  "  I  don't  know— I  don't  understand — What 
do  you  mean  ?"  and  then  he  went  out  into  the  outer  court.    Just 
then  a  cock  crowed.    Again  the  maidservant  saw  him,  and  again     69 
began  to  say  to  the  people  standing  by,  "  He  is  one  of  them." 
A  second  time  he  repeatedly  denied  it.     Soon  afterwards  the     70 
bystanders  again  accused  Peter,  saying,  "  You  are  surely  one  of 
them,  for  you  too  are  a  Galilaean."     But  he  burst  forth  with     71 
curses  and  oaths,  declaring,  "  I  know  nothing  of  the  man  that 
you  are  talking  about."     No  sooner  had  he  spoken  than  a  cock     72 
crowed  for  the  second  time,  and  Peter  recollected  the  words  of 
Jesus,  "  Before  the  cock  crows  twice,  you  will  three  times  disown 
me."     And  as  he  thought  of  it,  he  wept  aloud. 

At  earliest   dawn,  after  the   High  Priests  had     i  ] 
''^befVrVfhr  held  a  consultation  with  the  Elders  and  Scribes, 
Roman  Gover-  they  and  the  entire  Sanhedrin   bound  Jesus  and 

took  Him  away  and  handed  Him  over  to  Pilate. 
So  Pilate  questioned  Him  :   "  Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews  ? "    2 

61.  T/te  C/trisi]  Or  '  the  Anointed,'  'the  Messiah.' 

62.  Vou  and  others]  Lit.  'you,'  not  singular  but  plural.  Divine  Power]  Lit. 
'  Power.' 

65.  Prove  that  you  are  a  prophet\  Lit.  'prophesy.'  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  68;  Liike 
xxii.  64.  Officers]  Cp.  verse  54.  Struck  Him  .  .  .  charj^e]  Lit.  (in  all  the  best 
MSS.)  '  received  Him  with  blows.'     O/en  hands]  See  Matt.  xxvi.  67,  n.  _ 

68.  Peter's  words  seem  to  be  those  of  a  man  who  being  thoroughly  frightened  is 
unable  to  collect  his  thoughts.     /?ist  then  a  cock  crowed]  v.L.  omits. 

72.  Wept  aloud]  Having  fled  from  the  Palace.  Cp.  .\Iatt.  xxvi.  75  ;  Luke 
xxii.  62.  -  _  - 

2-5.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  11-14  :  Luke  xxiii.  3-5  ;  John  xviii.  33-38. 


MARK   XV. 


125 


Jesus  replied,  "  I  am."     Then,  as  the   High  Priests  went  on     3 
heaping  accusations   on  Him,  Pilate   again    and   again   asked     4 
Him,  "  Do  you  make  no  reply  ?     Listen  to  the  many  charges 
they  are  bringing  against  you."      But  Jesus  made  no  further     5 
answer  :    so  that  Pilate  wondered. 

Pilate  hesi-         ^O'^'^  at  the  Festival  it  was  customary  for  Pilate     6 
tates,  but  con-  to  release  to  the  Jews  any  one  prisoner  whom  they 

emns    im.    j^j^j^j.  ^^g  ^^  ^-^.q^^  punishment ;  and  at  this  time     7 
a  man  named  Barabbas  was  in  prison  among  the  insurgents — 
persons  who  in  the  insurrection  had  committed  murder.     So  the     8 
people  came  crowding  up,  asking  Pilate  to  grant  them  the  usual 
favour.     Pilate  answered,  "  Shall  I  release  for  you  the  King  of    9 
the  Jews?"     For  he  could  see  that  it  was  out  of  sheer  spite  that     10 
the  High  Priests  had  handed  Him  over.     But  the  High  Priests     11 
urged  on  the  crowd  to  obtain  Barabbas's  release  in  preference  ; 
and  when  Pilate  again  asked  them,   "What  then  shall  I  do  to     12 
the  man  you    call  the    King  of  the  Jews.?"   they  once  more     13 
shouted   out,    "  Crucify    him  ! "      "  Why,    what   crime   has    he     14 
committed.'*"    asked    Pilate.      But   they   vehemently    shouted,     15 
"Crucify  him  !  "    So  Pilate,  wishing  to  satisfy  the  mob,  released 
Barabbas  for  them,  and  after  scourging  Jesus  gave  Him  up  for 
crucifixion. 

Jesus isgrossiy      Then  the  soldiers  led  Him  away  into  the  court     16 
insulted  and    of  the  Palace  (the   Praetorium),   and  calling  to- 
gether the  whole  battaUon  they  arrayed  Him  in     17 
crimson,  placed  on  His  head  a  wreath  of  thorny  twigs  which 
they  had  twisted,  and  went  on  to  salute  Him  with  shouts  of     18 
"Long  hve  the  King  of  the  Jews."     Then  they  began  to  beat     19 
Him  on  the  head  with  a  cane,  to  spit  on  Him,  and  to  do  Him 
homage  on  bended  knees.    At  last,  sated  with  their  brutal  sport,     20 
they  took  the  robe  off  Him,  put  His  own  clothes  on  Him,  and 
led  Him  out  to  crucify  Him. 

He  is  taken  to      ^^^  Simon,    a  Cyrenaean,  the  father  of  Alex-     21 
Golgotha  and   ander  and  Rufus,  was  passing  along,  coming  from 
cruci  le  .      ^j^g  country  :    him   they  compelled  to  carry    His 
cross.      So  they  brought  Him  to  the  place  called  Golgotha,     22 
which,  being  translated,  means   '  Skull-ground.'       Here   they     23 

6-15.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  15-23  ;  Luke  xxiii.  ,18-23  ;  John  xviii.  39,  40. 
14.   ^F/iy]  Not  '  Why  ? '     See  Aorist,  p.  42. 

16-20.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  24-30  ;  Luke  xxiii.  24,  25  ;  John  xix.  1-16. 
19.  Cane]  Probably  one  of  the  83  species  of  '  bamboo.'    ''  Reed  '  is  a  wholly  inade- 
quate rendering. 
-21-24.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  31-34  ;  Luke  xxiii.  26-33  :  Jo^^"  '''x-  16,  i;. 


126  MARK   XV. 

offered  Him  wine  mixed  with  myrrh  ;   but  He  refused  it.     Then     24 
they  crucified  Him. 

This  done,  they  divided  His  garments  among 
taifeP°o?ses!    them,  drawing  lots  to  decide  what  each  should 
sionofHis     take.     It  was  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when     25 
they   crucified    Him.      Over    His   head,    was   the     26 
notice  in  writing  of  the  charge  against  Him  :  THE  KING  OF 
THE  JEWS. 

ThePeo  leand      ^^'^   together   with   Jesus   they    crucified    two     27 
their  Rulers     robbers,  One  at  His  right  hand  and  one  at  His 

im.     ^^^^     j^^^  ^jj  ^1^^  passers-by  reviled  Him.     They     29 
shook  their  heads  at  Him  and  said,  "Ah  !  you  who  were  for 
destroying  the  Sanctuary  and  building  a  new  one  in  three  days, 
come  down  from  the  cross  and  save  yourself."    In  the  same  way  30,  31 
the  High  Priests  also,  as  well  as  the  Scribes,  kept  on  scoffing  at 
Him,  saying  to  one  another,  "  He  has  saved  others  :  himself  he 
cannot  save  !    This  Christ,  the  King  of  Israel,  let  him  come  down     32 
now  from  the  cross,  that  we  may  see  and  believe."     Even  the 
men  who  were  being  crucified  with  Him  heaped  insults  on  Him. 

At  noon  there  came  a  darkness  over  the  whole     33 

Jesus  dies, 

amid  dense   land,  lasting  till  three  o'clock.    But  at  three  o'clock     34 
Darkness,     j^^^^   ^^j^^  ^^^  ^^-^^^  ^  ^^^^  ^^j^^^  u  ElOHI,  ELOHI, 

LAMA  SABACHTHANI  ?"  which  means,  "My  God,  MY  GOD, 
WHY  HAST  Thou  forsaken  me?"  (Ps.  xxii.  i).  Some  of  the  35 
bystanders,  hearing  Him,  said,  "  Listen,  he  is  calling  on 
Elijah  !  "  Then  a  man  ran  to  fill  a  sponge  with  sour  wine,  and  36 
he  put  it  on  the  end  of  a  cane  and  placed  it  to  His  lips,  saying 
at  the  same  time,  "  Wait  !  let  us  see  whether  Elijah  will  come 
and  take  him  down  ;  "  but  Jesus  uttered  a  loud  cry  and  died.  }7 

And  the  curtain  in  the  Sanctuary  was  torn  in  two,  from  top  to     38 
bottom. 
T-.     „  And  when  the  centurion  who  stood  in  front  of    39 

The  Roman  ,  ~'-' 

Centurion's    the  cross  saw  that  He  was  dead,  he  exclaimed, 
Verdict.       <.This  man  was  indeed  God's  Son."    And  there    40 

24-26.  Cp.  Malt,  xxvii.  35-?8  ;  Luke  xxiii.  33,  34,  38  ;  John  xix.  18-24. 

24.   IVhat  each  should  take]  Lit.  '  who  should  take  what.' 

28.  v.L.  adds  'And  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  says,  And  He  was  reckoned 
among  the  lawless.' 

29-32,  Cp.  Matt   xxvii.  39-44  ;  Luke  xxiii.  35-37  and  39-43  \  John  xix.  25-27. 

31.  Saved  .  .  save]  Or  '  cured  .  .  cure.'  Himself  he  cannot  save  !  ]  Or  '  can  he 
not  save  himself  ? ' 

33-37.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  45-50  ;  Luke  xxiii.  44-46  ;  John  xix.  28-30. 

38-41.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  51-56  ;  Luke  xxiii.  45  and  47-49. 

38.  IVas  torn]  Or  'tore.'     Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  51,  n. 

39.  Centurion]  Or  '  captain.'  But  M.-irk  u.ses  the  Latin  name  here  and  in  verses 
44,  45.     It  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T. 


MARK   XV.-XVI.  127 

were  also  a  party  of  women  looking  on  from  a  distance  ;  among 
them  being  both  Mary  of  Magdala  and  Mary  the  mother  of 
James  the  Little  and  of  Joses,  and  Salome — all  of  whom  in  the  41 
Galilaean  days  had  habitually  been  with  Him  and  cared  for  Him, 
as  well  as  many  other  women  who  had  come  up  to  Jerusalem 
with  Him. 

Towards  sunset,  as  it  was  the  Preparation — that     42 

Chr^&'Body^  Js,    the   day    preceding   the    Sabbath— Joseph   of    43 

Arimathaea  came,  a  highly  respected  member  of 
the  Council,  who  himself  also  was  living  in  expectation  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.      He  summoned  up  courage  to  go  in  to  see 
Pilate  and  beg  for  the  body  of  Jesus.     But  Pilate  could  hardly     44 
believe  that  He  was  already  dead.     He  called,  however,  for  the 
centurion  and  inquired  whether  He  had  been  dead  long  ;  and     45 
having  ascertained  the  fact  he  granted  the    body   to    Joseph. 
He,  having  bought  a  sheet  of  linen,  took  Him  down,  wrapped     46 
Him  in  the  sheet  and  laid  Him  in  a  tomb  hewn  in  the  rock  ; 
after  v^^hich  he  rolled  a  stone  against  the  entrance  to  the  tomb. 
Mary  of  Magdala  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  were  looking  on     47 
to  see  where  He  was  put. 

The  Women        When  the  Sabbath  was  over,  Mary  of  Magdala,     i   1  g 
find  the  Tomb  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and   Salome,  bought 
^"^^  ^'        spices,  in  order  to  come  and    anoint    His   body. 
So,  very  early  after  sunrise  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  they     2 
came  to  the  tomb  ;  and  they  were  saying  to  one  another,  "Who     3 
will  roll  away  the  stone  for  us  from  the  entrance  to  the  tomb  .'' " 
when,  looking  up,  they  saw  that  the  stone  was  already  rolled    4 
back:  for  it  was  of  immense  size.     Then,  entering  the -tomb,     5 
they  saw  a  young  man  sitting  at  their  right  hand,  clothed  in  a 
long  white  robe.     They  were  astonished  and  terrified.     But  he    6 
said  to  them,  "  Do  not  be  terrified.     It  is  Jesus  you  are  looking 
for — the  Nazarene  who  has  been  crucified.    He  has  come  back  to 
life  :  He  is  not  here  :  this  is  the  place  where  they  laid  Him. 
But  go  and  tell  His  disciples  and  Peter,  'He  is  going  before  you     7 

41.  Had  habitually^  See  Aorist  iii.  5,  6. 

42-47.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  57-61  ;  Luke  xxiii.  50-56 ;  John  xix.  38-42. 

42.  Towards  sunset^  Lit.  'and  when  evening  was  now  come.'     See  Matt,    xxvii. 
57,  n- 

43.  Highly  respected]  The  classical  student  may  consult  with  advantage  Hesy- 
chius  s.v.     Council]  i.e.  '  Sanhcdrin." 

1-4.   Cp.  Matt,  x.wiii.  1-4  ;  Luke  xxiv.  1-3  ;  John  xx.  t. 

I.    When  the  Sabbath  was  over]  Or  more.  i\:t<t\Y  '  on   the  Saturday    evening  after 
the  first  star  had  appeared.'     His  body]  Lit.  '  Him.' 
4.  For]  I.E.  '  This  was  a  great  relief  to  them,  fur.' 
5-7.  Cp.  Malt,  xxviii.  5-7  ;  Luke  xxiv.  4-8. 
6.    Come  hack  to  life]  Or  '  awoke.' 


128  MARK   XVI. 

into  Galilee  :  there  you  will  see  Him,  as  He  told  you.'  "     So  they     8 
came  out,  and  fled  from  the  tomb,  for  they  were  greatly  agitated 
and  surprised  ;  and  they  said  not  a  word  to  any  one,  for  they 
were  afraid. 

[But  He  rose  to  life  early  on  the  first  day  of  the     9 
alive  by  Mary  week,  and  appeared  first  to  Mary  of  Magdala  from 
of  Magdaia.   ^j^qj^  j^g  i^^^^  expelled  seven  demons.     She  went     10 
and  brought  the  tidings  to  those  who  had  been  with  Him,  as 
they  were  mourning  and  weeping.     But  they,  when  they  were     1 1 
told  that  He  was  alive  and  that  she  had  seen  Him,  could  not 
believe  it. 
.    .      ,,  Afterwards  He  showed  Himself  in  another  form     12 

And  on  the 

Road  to  Em-   to  two  of  them  as  they  were  walkmg,  on  their  way 

'"*"*■         into  the  country.     These  again  went  and  told  the     13" 
news  to  the  rest  ;  but  not  even  them  did  they  believe. 
The  Mission  of      Later  Still   He  showed    Himself  to  the  Eleven     14 
the  Apostles  to  themselves  whilst  they  were  at  table,  and    He  up- 
braided them  with  their  unbelief  and  obstinacy  in 
not  having  believed  those  who  had  seen  Him  alive.     Then  He     15 
said  to  them,  "Go  the  whole  world  over,  and  proclaim  the  Good 
News  to  all  mankind.     He  who  believes  and  is  baptized  shall  be     16 
saved,  but  he  who  disbelieves  will  be  condemned.   And  signs  shall     1 7 
attend  those  who  believe,  even  such  as  these  :  making  use  of 
my  authority  they  shall  expel  demons  ;  they  shall  speak  new 
languages  ;  they  shall  take  up  venomous  snakes,  and  if  they     18 
drink  any  deadly  poison  it  shall  do  them  no  harm  whatever  ; 
they   shall   lay   their  hands  on   the   sick,   and   the   sick   shall 
recov,er." 

So  the  Lord  Jesus  after  having  thus  spoken  to     19 
^nto  {feaJen.'' th^"^  was  taken  up  into  Heaven,  and  sat  down  at 

the  right  hand  of  God.     But  they  went   out  and     20 
made  proclamation   everywhere,    the    Lord   co-operating   with 
them  and  confirming  the  Message  by  the  signs  that  accom- 
panied it.] 

8.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  8  ;  Luke  xxiv.  9-1 1 ;  John  xx.  2. 
9-11.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii;  9,  10;  John  xx.  11-18. 
9-20.  v.L.  omits  these  twelve  verses. 
12-13.   t^P-  Luke  xxiv.  13-35. 

14.  Cp.  Luke  xxiv.  36-43  ;  John  xx.  19-25. 
15-18.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  16-20. 

15.  Jl/anki'mf]  h\t.  '  the  creation.' 

16.  17,  18.     Shall]     Preferaljle     to    '  will  '    in     the    language     of    authoritative 
promise. 

17.  Ne7v]  v.L.  omits. 

19-20.  Cp.  Luke  xxiv.  44-53  ;  Acts  i.  3-12. 
19.  Jesus]  v.L.  ouiit^. 


THE   GOOD   NEWS   AS   RECORDED 
BY   LUKE 


Modern  research  has  abundantly  confirmed  the  ancient  tra- 
dition that  the  anonymous  author  of  the  third  Gospel  is  none 
other  than  "  Luke  the  beloved  physician  "  and  the  narrator  of 
the  "  Acts  of  the  Apostles"  (see  Col.  iv.  14;  2  Tim.  iv.  11; 
Philem,  24).  Even  Renan  acknowledges  this,  and  the  objec- 
tions of  a  few  extremists  appear  to  have  been  sufficiently  an- 
swered. The  question  of  date  is  not  easy  to  settle.  The  main 
problem  is  whether  the  book  was  v.-ritten  before  or  after  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70,  A.u.  Not  a  few  scholars  whose 
views  merit  great  respect  still  think  that  it  preceded  that  event, 
but  the  majority  of  critics  believe  otherwise.  Three  principal 
dates  have  been  suggested,  63,  A.D.,  80,  A.D.,  100,  a.d.  If  we 
accept  80,  A.D.,  we  shall  be  in  substantial  accord  with  Harnack, 
McGiffert,  and  Plummer,  who  fairly  represent  the  best  con- 
sensus of  modern  opinion.  There  is  no  evidence  as  to  where 
this  Gospel  was  composed,  although  its  general  style  suggests 
the  influence  of  some  Hellenic  centre.  Its  special  characteris- 
tics are  unmistakably  plain.  It  is  not  only  written  in  purer 
Greek  than  the  other  Gospels,  but  is  manifestly  the  most 
historic  and  artistic.  It  has  also  the  widest  outlook,  having 
obviously  been  compiled  for  Gentiles  in  general  and,  apparently, 
for  Greeks  in  particular.  The  author  was  evidently  an  edu- 
cated man  and  probably  a  physician,  and  was  also  a  close 
observer.  Eighteen  of  the  parables  and  six  of  the  miracles 
found  here  are  not  recorded  in  the  other  Gospels.  It  has  been 
well  said  that  those  "  portions  of  the  Gospel  narrative  which 
Luke  alone  has  preserved  for  us,  are  among  the  most  beautiful 
treasures  which  we  possess,  and  we  owe  them  in  a  great 
measure  to  his  desire  to  make  his  collection  as  full  as  possible." 
There  is  no  ground  for  doubting  that  Theophilus  was  a  real 
person.  He  was  probably  a  typical  Gentile  convert.  Luke's 
object,  however,  was  rather  to  write  history  than  construct  an 
*'  apology,"  and  for  this  reason  his  order  is  generally  chrono- 
logical. His  Gospel  is  often  termed,  and  not  without  reason 
"  the  Gospel  of  Paul."  Luke's  close  association  with  the 
great  apostle — an  association  to  which  both  the  record  in  the 
Acts  and  also  the  Pauline  letters  bear  testimony— at  once 
warrants  and  explains  the  ancient  assumption  that  we  have  here 
a  writing  as  truly  coloured  by  the  influence  of  Paul  as  that  of 
Mark  was  by  Peter.  The  degree  of  this  influence  has  been  a 
matter  of  great  debate.  But  that  this  is  especially  the  Gospel 
of  gratuitous  and  universal  salvation  is  patent  to  every  thought- 
ful reader.  Its  integrity  has  been  placed  beyond  dispute  by 
recent  controversy.  Marcion's  recension  of  Luke's  Gospel  in 
140,  A.D.,.  was  undoubtedly  a  mutilation  of  the  original. 


130 


THE  GOOD  NEWS  AS  RECORDED  BY  LUKE 

Seeing-  that  many  have  attempted  to  draw  up  a     i   1 
Preface.  •         c  .x,      r  \        u-   i.  •      j      •  u   ^  n  ^ 

narrative  of  the  facts  which  are  received  with  full 

assurance  among  us  on  the  authority  of  those  who  were  from     2 

the  beginning  eye-witnesses  and  were  devoted  to  the  service  of 

the  divine  Message,  it  has  seemed  right  to  me  also,  after  careful     3 

investigation  of  the  facts  from  their  commencement,  to  write  for 

you,  most  noble  Theophilus,  a  connected  account,  that  you  may     4 

fully  know  the  truth  of  the  things  which  you  have  been  taught 

by  word  of  mouth. 

-ru    n        *     *      There  was  in  the  time  of  Herod,  the  king   of     5 
The  Parents  of  '    .  '^  ^ 

John  the  Bap-  Judaea,  a  priest  of  the  name  of  Zechariah,  belong- 
'^  ■  ing  to  the  class  of  Abijah.     He  had  a  wife  who 

was  a  descendant  of  Aaron,  and  her  name  was  Elizabeth.    They     6 
were  both  of  them  upright  before  God,  blamelessly  obeying  all 
the  Lord's  precepts  and  ordinances.     But  they  had  no  child,     7 
because  Elizabeth   was   barren  ;  and  both   of  them    were   far 
advanced  in  life. 

Now  while  he  was  doing  priestly  duty  before     8 
'^pjedlctid.*'    God  in  the  prescribed  course  of  his  class,  it  fell  to     9 

his  lot — according  to  the  custom  of  the  priesthood 
— to  go  into  the  Sanctuary  of  the  Lord  and  burn  the  incense  ; 
and  the  whole  multitude  of  the  people  were  outside  praying,  at     10 
the  hour  of  incense.     Then  there  appeared  to  him  an  angel  of     1 1 
the  Lord  standing  on  the  right  side  of  the  altar  of  incense  ;  and     12 
Zechariah  on  seeing  him  was  agitated  and  terrified.     But  the     13 
angel   said  to  him,  "  Do  not   be   afraid,   Zechariah,  for  your 
petition  has  been  heard  :  and  your  wife  Elizabeth  will  bear  you 

1.  Recehied  withfiill  assurance]  This  sense,  justified  by  the  use  of  the  cognate 
noun  in  i  Thess.  i.  5  and  probably  elsewhere,  seems  to  harmonize  best  with  the  fol- 
lowing verse. 

2.  T/te  service  of  the  divine  Message]  i.e.  the  service  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  respect 
of  His  Message  to  the  world. 

5.  Zechariah,  Abijah]  These  are  the  O.T.  forms  of  the  names.  Elizabeth]  The 
ordinary  English  form,  the  Greek  being  '  Elizabet.' 

12.  Agitated]  See  verse  29,  n. 

13.  Do  not  be  afraid]  Or  '  dismiss  your  fears.'     See  verse  30,  n. 

131 


132  LUKE    I. 

a   son,   and  you   are  to  call  his   name   John.     Gladness   and     14 
exultant  joy  shall  be  yours,  and  many  will  rejoice  over  his  birth. 
For  he  will  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  no  wine  or  fer-     15 
mented  drink  shall  he  ever  drink  ;  but  he  will  be  filled  with  the 
Holy    Spirit  from  the  very  hour  of  his    birth.     Many  of  the     16 
descendants  of  Israel  will  he  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God  ;  and     17 
he  will  be  His  forerunner  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah,  to 
turn  fathers'  hearts  to  the  children,  and  the  rebelHous  to  walk 
in  the  wisdom  of  the  upright,  to  make  a  people  perfectly  ready 
for  the  Lord."     "By  what  proof,"  asked  Zechariah,  "shall   I     18 
know  this.''    For  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife  is  far  advanced 
in  years."     The  angel  answered,  "  I  am  Gabriel,  who  stand  in     19 
the  presence  of  God,  and  have  been  sent  to  talk  with  you  and  to 
tell  you  this  good  news.    And  now  you  will  be  silent  and  unable     20 
to  speak  until  the  day  when  this  has  taken  place  ;  because  you 
did  not  believe  my  words — words  which  will  be  fulfilled  at  their 
appointed  time." 

Meanwhile  the  people  were  waiting  for  Zechariah,  and  were     21 
surprised  that  he  stayed  so  long  in  the  Sanctuary.     When,  how-     22 
ever,  he  came  out,  he  was  unable  to  speak  to  them  ;  and  they 
perceived  that  he  had  seen  a  vision  in  the  Sanctuary  ;  but  he 
kept  making  signs  to  them  and  continued  dumb. 

When  his  days  of  service   were  at  an  end,  he  went  to  his     23 
home  ;  and  in  course  of  time  his  wife  Elizabeth  conceived,  and     24 
kept  herself  secluded  five  months.     "  Thus  has  the  Lord  dealt     25 
with  me,"  she  said,  "now  that  He  has  graciously  taken  away  my 
reproach  among  men." 
The  Birth  of        ^^  ^^^  ^'^^''^  month  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent     26 

Jesus  pre-     from  God  to  a  town  in  Galilee  called  Nazareth,  to     27 
a  maiden   betrothed   to  a  man   of  the  name   of 
Joseph,  a  descendant  of  David.     The  maiden's  name  was  Mary. 

So  Gabriel  went  into  the  house  and  said  to  her,  "  Joy  be  to     28 
you,  favoured  one  !    the  Lord  is  with  you."     She  was  greatly     29 
agitated  at  his   words,   and   wondered   what    such  a  greeting 
meant.     But  the  angel  said,  "  Do  not  be  frightened,  Mary,  for     30 
you  have  found  favour  with  God.     You  will  conceive  in  your 

26.  Nazareth\  Or  '  Nazaret.' 

27.  Mary\  Or  '  Mariam,'  the  Greek  form  of  '  Miriam.' 

28.  With  yoit\  v.L.  adds  '  Blest  are  you  among  women,'  as  in  verse  42. 

29.  AgitatecVi  Or  'startled.'     That  there  was  terror  also — as  in  Zechariah's  case 
(verse  12) — is  shown  by  the  next  verse. 

30.  Do  not  be  frightened]  Or  '  dismiss  your  fears.'     See  Matt,  xxvili.  5  and  note. 

31.  /£SL/S]  The  Greek  form  of  'Jeho-shua,'  that  is  'Jehovah  the  healer.'     See 
Matt.  i.  2t,  n.  ;  ix.  21,  22,  n. 


LUKE    I.  133 

womb  and  bear  a  son  ;  and  you  are  to  call  His  name  JESUS.    He     32 
will  be  great,  and  He  will  be  called  '  Son  of  the   Most  High.' 
And  the  Lord  God  will  give  Him  the  throne  of  His  forefather 
David  ;  and  He  will  be  King  over  the  House  of  Jacob  for  the     33 
ages,  and  of  His  Kingdom  there  will  be  no  end."     Mary  replied,     34 
"  How  can  this  be  seeing  that  I  have  no  husband  ? "    The  angel     35 
answered,  "The  Holy  Spirit  will  come  upon  you,  and  the  power 
of  the  Most  High   will  overshadow  you  ;  and  for  this  reason 
your   holy    offspring   will  be  called   '  the    Son   of  God.'    And     36 
see,  your  relative  Elizabeth — she  also  has  conceived  a  son  in 
her  old  age  ;   and  this  is  the  sixth  month   with  her  who  was 
called  barren.     For  no  promise  from  God  will  be  impossible."     37 
Mary   replied,    "I    am   the    Lord's    maidservant.       May  it  be     38 
with  me  according  to  your  words  !  "    And  so  the  angel  departed 
from  her. 

Not  long  after  this,  Mary  rose  up  and  went  in     39 

Eifzabeth       haste  into  the  hill  country  to  a  town  in  Judah. 

Here  she   came  to  the  house    of  Zechariah   and     40 
greeted  Elizabeth  ;   and   as    soon    as    Elizabeth    heard    Mary's     41 
greeting,  the  babe  leapt  within  her.     And  Elizabeth  was  filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,   and  called  out  with  a  loud  cry  of  joy,     42 
"  Blest  among  women  are  you,  and  the  offspring  of  your  body  is 
blest  !    But  why  is  this  honour  done  me,  that  the  mother  of  my     43 
Lord   should   come   to   me  ?    For,  the    moment  your   greeting     44 
reached  my  ears,  the  babe  within  me  leapt  for  joy.    And  blessed     45 
is  she  who  has  beheved,  because  the  word   spoken  to  her  from 
the  Lord  will  have  fulfilment." 

Then  Mary  said  :  46 

"^of  Pra^s^e"""        "  ^y  soul  extols  the  Lord, 

And  my  spirit  triumphs  in  God  my  Saviour  ;  47 

Because  He  has  not  turned  from  His  maidservant  in  her  lowly     48 

position. 
For  from  this  time   forward  all  generations   will  account    me 

happy, 

35.  Offspring^  Or  '  thing  that  is  to  be  born.' 

37.  hnpossible\  Or  '  powerless.'     But  see  Matt.  xvii.  20  ;  Job  xlii.  2. 

38.  48.  Maidservant]  Or  '  slave '  (female). 

39.  Not  long  after  this]  Lit.  'and  in  those  days.'  In  haste]  Not  meaning  that 
she  travelled  with  the  greatest  possible  speed,  but  that  she  had  a  serious  business  to 
attend  to.     Cp.  x.  4,  n. 

42.  Cry  of  joy]  The  word  usually  signifies  a  cry  of  distress,  but  evidently  it  is  not 
so  here.  Blest  amoytg  women]  Apparently  a  kind  of  Hebrew  superlative:  '  Of  all 
women  the  most  blest  by  God.'     Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  36,  n. 

45.  Who  has  believed]  Or  '  who  believed,'  referring  to  the  definite  time  of  the 
Annunciation,  verses  30-35.     Because]  Or  '  that.' 

47.    Triumphs]  See  Aorist\\.  6,  p.  21.     Saviour]  Or  '  Healer.' 


134  LUKE   I. 

Because  the  mighty  One  has  done  great  things  for  me —  49 

Holy  is  His  name  ! — 

And  His  compassion  is,  generation  after  generation,  50 

Upon  those  who  fear  Him, 

He  has  manifested  His  supreme  strength  ;  51 

He  has  scattered  those  who  were  haughty  in  the  thoughts  of 

their  hearts  ; 
He  has  cast  monarchs  down  from  their  thrones,  52 

And  exalted  men  of  low  estate  ; 

The  hungry  He  has  satisfied  with  choice  gifts,  53 

But  the  rich  He  has  sent  empty-handed  away  ; 

His  servant  Israel  He  has  helped,  54 

Remembering  His  compassion — 

In  fulfilment  of  His  promises  to  our  forefathers —  55 

For  Abraham  and  his  posterity  for  ever." 

So  Mary  stayed  with  Elizabeth  about  three  months,  and  then     56 
returned  home, 
-ru    o-  *u    f        Now  when  Elizabeth's  full  time  was  come,  she     57 

The  Birth  of  '  ■'' 

John  the  Bap-  gave   birth  to   a   son  ;  and    her   neighbours   and     58 

'^  '  relatives  heard  how  the  Lord  had  had  great  com- 

passion on  her  ;  and  they  rejoiced  with  her.     And  on  the  eighth     59 
day  they  came  to  circumcise  the  child,  and  were  going  to  call 
him  'Zechariah'  after  his  father.     His  mother,  however,  said,     60 
"No,  he  is  to  be  called  John."     "There  is  not  one  of  your    6r 
family,"  they  said,  "  who  bears  that  name  ;  "  and  they  asked  his     62 
father  by  signs  what  he  wished  him  to  be  called.     So  he  asked     63 
for  a  writing-tablet,  and  wrote,  "  His  name  is  John  ;  "  and  they 
all  wondered.     Instantly  his  mouth  and  his  tongue   were  set     64 
free,  and  he  began  to  speak,  blessing  God.     And  all  who  lived     65 
round  about  them  were  filled  with  awe,  and  throughout  the  hill 
country  of  Judaea  reports  of  these  things  were  spread  abroad. 
All  who  heard  the  story  treasured  it  in  their  memories,  and  said,     66 

What  then  will  this  child  be  ?"  For  the  Lord's  hand  was  in- 
deed with  him. 

And   Zechariah  his   father  was   filled  with   the  Holy  Spirit,     67 
and  spoke  in  a  rapture  of  praise. 

54.  Remetiibering]  I,it.  '  to  remember.'  A  Hebraistic  use  of  the  infinitive.  So — 
to  give  one  often-recurring  example  out  of  a  thousand — when  we  read,  "  And  the 
Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,"  the  '  saying  '  is  an  infinitive  in  the  Hebrew,  though 
it  is  a  participle  in  the  Greek  and  the  English.     Cp.  verse  72  ;  xv.  10. 

58.  Had  had  great  compassion  on\  Lit.  'had  made  His  compassion  great  with.' 
Again  a  Hebraism  of  frequent  occurrence,  recognizing  (by  the  '  with  ')  the  existence 
of  two  parties,  one  of  whom  makes  or  does— for  the  Hebrew  verb,  like  the  French 
/aire  means  either — mercy,  goodness,  kindness,  compassion,  love,  etc.,  towards  the 
other.     The  ordinary  English  preposition  in  such  a  case  is  '  towards.' 


LUKE   I.-II. 


135 


Zechariah's    "  Blessed  be  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,"  he  said,     68 
Hymn  of       "  Because   He  has  not  forgotten   His  people  but 

raise.         j^^^  effected  redemption  for  them, 
And  has  raised  up  a  mighty  Deliverer  for  us  69 

In  the  house  of  David  His  servant  — 
As    He   has   spoken  from  all   time  by  the  lips  of  His  holy     70 

Prophets — 
To  deliver  us  from  our  foes  and  from  the  power  of  all  who     71 

hate  us. 
He  dealt  pitifully  with  our  forefathers,  72 

And  remembered  His  holy  covenant, 

The  oath  which  He  swore  to  Abraliam  our  forefather,  73 

To  grant  us  to  be  rescued  from  the  power  of  our  foes  74 

And  so  render  worship  to  Him  free  from  fear,  75 

In  piety  and  uprightness  before  Him  all  our  days. 
And  you  moreover,  O  child,  shall  be  called  Prophet  of  the     76 

Most  High  ; 
For  you  shall  go  in  front  before  the  Lord  to  prepare  the  way 

for  Him, 
To  give  to  His  People  a  knowledge  of  salvation  'n 

In  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins 

Through  the  tender  compassion  of  our  God  78 

Through  which  the  daybreak  from  on  high  will  come  to  us. 
Dawning  on  those  who  now  dwell  in  the  darkness  and  shadow     79 

of  death, 
To  direct  our  feet  into  the  path  of  peace." 

And  the    child   grew   and  became   strong  in  character,  and     80 
lived  in  the  desert  till  the  time  came  for  him  to  appear  publicly 
to  Israel. 

The  Birth  of        "^^  *^^^  period  an  edict  was  issued  by  Caesar     i    i 
Jesus  at  Beth-  Augustus  for  the  registration  of  the  whole  Empire. 
lehem.         j^   ^^^^   ^j^^   ^^^^   registration,    made     during   the     2 

68.  Has  not  forgotten^  Or  '  has  looked  upon.' 

60.  A  mighty  Deliverer^  Lit.  '  a  horn  of  salvation.'     A  Hebraism. 

70.  Frojji  all  time]  Cp.  Acts  xv.  i8,  n. 

71.  To  deliver  tis\  Lit.  '  a  salvation.' 
75.  Piety]  Or  *  purity.' 

77.  Salvation]  Or  'deliverance,'  'healing.'     See  Matt.  ix.  21,  n. 

78.  Will  C07ne  to]  v.i..  'has  come  to.' 

79.  Dawning]  Lit.  'to  dawn.'  Cp.  verses  54,  72.  The  form  of  expression  is 
different  in  the  next  clause,  where  the  infinitive  means  'in  order  to  direct.'  Dzvell] 
Lit,  'sit.'     So  the  Hebrew  verb  for  '  to  sit'  is  qften  used  for  '  to  dwell.' 

80.  Desert]  Lit.  '  deserts  ; '  meaning  apparently  different  parts  of  the  Desert  of 
Judaea.     Cp.  Matt.  iii.  i,  n. 

I.  Registration]  Namely  of  persons.  A  first  step  towards  taxing.  Cp.  Acts  v. 
37.  The  ivhole  Empire]  Which  comprised  '  the  world  '  as  then  known.  Lit.  '  all  the 
inhabited'  (earth).    Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  14;  Acts  xi.  28  ;  Rom.  x.  i3  ;  Rev    iii.  10. 


136  LUKE   II. 

governorship  of  Ouirinius  in  Syria  ;  and  all  went  to  be  regis-     3 
tered — every  one  to  the  town  to  which  he  belonged.     So  Joseph     4 
went  up  from  Galilee,  from  the  town  of  Nazareth,  to  Judaea,  to 
David's  town  of  Bethlehem,  because  he  was  of  the  house  and 
lineage  of  David,  to  have  himself  registered  together  with  Mary,     5 
who  was  betrothed  to  him  and  was  with  child.     But  while  they     6 
were  there,  her  full  time  came,  and  she  gave  birth  to  her  first-     7 
born  son,  and  wrapped  Him  round,  and  laid  Him  in  a  manger, 
because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn. 

Now  there  were  shepherds  in  the  same  part  of    8 

"''hefd^'^"     ^^^   country,   keeping  watch  over    their  sheep  by 

night  in  the  open  fields,  when  suddenly  an  angel     9 
of  the  Lord  stood  by  them,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
round  them  ;  and  they  were  filled  with  terror.     But  the  angel     10 
said  to  them,    "  Put   away   all   fear ;    for    I   am    bringing   you 
good  news  of  great  joy — ^joy  for  all  the  People.      For  a  Saviour     11 
who  is  the  Anointed  Lord  is  born  to  you  to-day — in  the  town 
of  David.     And  this  is  the  token  for  you  :  you  will  find  a  little     12 
child  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes  and  lying  in   a   manger." 
And  immediately  there  was   with  the  angel  a  multitude  ot  the     13 
army  of  heaven  praising  God  and  saying, 

"  Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest  heavens,  14 

And  on  earth  peace  among  men  who  please  Him!" 

Then,  as  soon  as  the  angels  had  left  them  and  returned  to     15 
heaven,  the  shepherds  said  to  one  another,  "  Let  us  now  go  over 
as  far  as   Bethlehem  and  see  this   that  has   happened,  which 
the   Lord   has  made  known  to  us."     So  they  made  haste  and     16 
came  and  found  Mary  and  Joseph,  with  the  little  child  lying  in 
the  manger.      And  when  they  saw   Him,   they  told  what  had     17 
been  said  to  them  about  the  child  ;  and   all  who  heard  were     18 
astonished    at    what    the    shepherds    told    them.      But    Mary     19 
treasured  up  all  these  things,  often   dwelling  on  them  in  her 
mind.     And   the  shepherds    returned,    glorifying   and    praising     20 
God  for  all  that  they  had  heard  and  seen  in  accordance  with  the 
announcement  made  to  them. 

When  eight  days  had  passed  and  the  time  for  circumcising     2t 

7.  Inn]  Or  '  lodgfing-room,'  as  in  xxii.  ii  ;  Mark  xiv.  14.  The  word  is  not  found 
elsewhere  in  the  N.l". 

8.  In  the  ope7iJichis\  Or  '  under  the  open  sky,'  '  camping  out.' 
II.  Saviour]  Or  'Deliverer,'  'Healer.'     Cp.  i.  77. 

14  Men  who  please  Him]  Lit.  'men  of  good  pleasure.'  v.  L.  '  Peace  !  among 
men  (His)  good  pleasure  !'  But  apart  from  the  evidence  or"  the  most  ancient  MSS., 
if  this  had  been  the  true  reading,  we  should  most  probably  have  had  a  conjunciicm 
('  and  ')  before  the  '  among.' 


LUKE   II.  137 

-  Him  had  come,  He  was  called  JESUS,  the  name 
The  naming OT      .  j  7 

the  Child.       given  Him  by  the  angel  before  His  conception  in 

the  womb. 
And  when  the  appointed  days  for  their  purifica-     22 
craled  to"God.  ^'O"  ^^"^  passed,  they  carried  Him  up  to  Jerusalem 

to  present   Him  to  the  Lord — as  it  is  written  in     23 
the  Law  of  the  Lord  :   "  Every  first-born  male  shall  be 
CALLED  HOLY  TO  THE  LORD "   (Exod.   xiii.    2)— and  to  offer    24 
sacrifice  as  commanded  in  the  Law  of  the  Lord,  "  A  pair  of 

TURTLE-DOVES  OR  TWO  YOUNG  PIGEONS"  (Lev.  xii.  8). 

Symeon's  ^^^  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem  of  the  name     25 

Hymn  of       of  Symeon,  an  upright  and  God-fearing  man,  who 

was  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  and  the  ' 
Holy  Spirit  was  upon  him.  To  him  it  had  been  revealed  by  the  26 
Holy  Spirit  that  he  should  not  see  death  until  he  had  seen  the 
Lord's  Anointed  One.  Led  by  the  Spirit  he  came  to  the  27 
Temple  ;  and  when  the  parents  brought  in  the  child  Jesus  to 
do  with  regard  to  Him  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Law,  he  28 
took  Him  in  his  arms  and  blessed  God  and  said, 

"  Now,  O  Sovereign  Lord,  Thou  dost  send  Thy  servant  away     29 
in  peace,  in  fulfilment  of  Thy  word, 

Because  my  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation,  30 

Which  Thou  hast  made  ready  in  the  sight  of  all  nations —  31 

A  light  to  shine  upon  the  Gentiles,  32 

And  to  be  the  glory  of  Thy  People  Israel." 

And  while  the  child's  father  and  mother  were  wondering  at     t^'}, 
the  words  of  Symeon  concerning  Him,  Symeon  blessed  them     34 
and  said  to  Mary  the  mother,  "  This  child  is  appointed  for  the 
falling  and  the  uprising  of  many  in  Israel  and  for  a  token  to  be 
spoken  against ;  and  a  sword  will  pierce  through  your  own  soul    35 
also  ;  that  the  reasonings  in  many  hearts  may  be  revealed." 

There  was  also  Anna,  a  prophetess,  the  daughter     36 
of  Phanuel,  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Asher.     She 
was  of  a  very  great  age,  having  had  after  her  maidenhood  seven 
years  of  married  life,  and  then  being  a  widow  even  up  to  eighty-     yj 
four  years.     She  was  never  absent  from  the  Temple,  worship- 

24.    Turtle-doves]  A  species  of  bird  nowhere  else  mentioned  in  the  N.T.     The 
ring-dove  is  not  named  at  all. 
27.  Led  by]  Lit.  '  in.' 
31.  Natiots]  Lit.  '  the  people.'  .  .,,,.. 

34.  Is  appointed]  Lit.  'lies  like  a  stone.'     Uprising]  Or  as  in  the  A.V.      ri.smg 
again.*     Cp.  Eph.  iv.  9,  n.  ,    ^    ,  -.    j  . 

35.  In]  Lit.  'out  of.'     Cp.  xi.  13;  Actsxvii.  17.     Revealed]  Or    unveiled. 

36.  Anna]  Or  rather  '  Hanna.' 


138  LUKE   II. 

ping,  day  and  night,  with  fasting  and  prayer.     And  coming  up     38 
just  at  that  moment,  she  gave  thanks  to  God,  and  spoke  about 
the  child  to  all  who  were  expecting  the  deliverance  of  Jerusalem. 

Then,  as  soon  as  they  had  accomplished  all  that     39 
Nazareth.  ^°  the  Law  required,  they  returned  to  Galilee  to  their 

own  town  of  Nazareth.     And  the  child  grew  and     40 
became  strong  and  full  of  wisdom,  and  the  favour  of  God  rested 
upon  Him. 

Now  His  parents  used  to  go  up  year  by  year  to     41 
kTfhf  7empre^  Jerusalem  at  the  Feast  of  the  Passover.    And  when     42 

He  was  twelve  years  old  they  went  up  as  was  cus- 
tomary at  the  time  of  the  Feast,  and,  after  staying  the  full  num-     43 
ber  of  days,  when  they  started  back  home  the  boy  Jesus  remained 
behind  at  Jerusalem.     His   parents  did  not  discover  this,  but     44 
supposing  Him  to  be  in  the  travelling  company,  they  proceeded 
a  day's  journey.     Then  they  searched  up  and  down  for  Him 
among  their  relatives  and  acquaintances  ;  but  being  unable  to     45 
find  Him  they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  making  anxious  inquiry 
for  Him.     On  the  third  day  they  found  Him  in  the  Temple     46 
sitting  among  the  rabbis,  both  listening  to  them   and  asking 
them  questions,  while  all  who  heard  Him  were  astonished  at     47 
His  intelligence  and  at  the  answers  He  gave.     When  they  saw     48 
Him,  they  were  smitten  with  amazement,  and  His  mother  said 
to  Him,  "  My  child,  why  have  you  behaved  thus  to  us  ?    Your 
father  and  I  have  been  searching  for  you  in  anguish."     "  What     49 
is  the  meaning,"  He  replied,  "  of  your  having  been  searching  for 
me?    Did  you  not  know  that  it  is  my  duty  to  be  engaged  upon 
my  Father's  business  ?"    But  they  did  not  understand  the  signi-     50 
ficance  of  these  words. 
,..    ^,     ..  Then   He  went  down   with  them  and  came  to     Ki 

His  Obedience  ^ 

and  Develop-    Nazareth,  and  was  always  obedient  to  them  ;  but 
'^^"*"         His  mother  carefully  treasured  up  all  these  inci- 

38.  Deliverance'\  Lit.  '  redemption,' i.e.  deliverance  by  payment  of  a  price.  Cp. 
I  Pet.  i.  18,  19. 

46.  On  the  third  day]  Lit.  'after  three  days.'  One  day  was  occupied  by  the 
journey  from  Jerusalem,  the  second  by  the  return  journey,  and  on  the  third  He  was 
found.  It  is  not  the  English,  but  the  Hebrew,  idiom  that  must  control  our  interpre- 
tation of  such  expressions  of  time.  See  also  xxiv.  21,  n.  ;  Acts  ix.  9,  n.  ;  x.  30,  n. 
The  Temple]  i.e.  the  Temple  Courts.  See  Matt.  xxi.  12,  n.  Rabbis]  Lit. 
'  teachers.' 

47.  The  ansivers  He  gave]  Lit.  '  His  answers.' 

49.  To  be  engaged  upon  my  Father  s  business]  Some  render  '  to  be  in  my  Father's 
house.'  But  the  preceding  verse  being  in  the  present  tense  ("  it  is  my  duty  ")  seems 
to  point  to  the  duty  of  His  lifetime  ;  and  it  was  certainly  not  His  duty  to  be  habitu- 
ally in  the  Temple. 

51.  Incidents]  Or  'sayings.'  Memory]  lit.  'heart.'  There  is  no  separate  name 
for  the  faculty  of  memory  either  in  the  O.T.  or  the  N.T. 


LUKE   II.-III.  139 

dents  in  her  memory.    And  as  Jesus  grew  older  He  gained  both     52 
in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favour  with  God  and  man. 
John  the  Bap-      ^ow  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiber-     i     Q 
*!fudgemenr    ^"^    Caesar,    Pontius    Pilate    being    Governor    of 
and  Judaea,  Herod  Tetrarch    of  Galilee,    his    brother 

Repentance.    p^jUp  Tetrarch  of   Ituraea  and  Trachonitis,  and 
Lysanias  Tetrarch  of  Abilene,  during  the  high-priesthood  of    2 
Annas  and  Caiaphas,  a  message  from  God  came  to  John,  the 
son  of  Zechariah,  in  the  desert.     John  went  into  all  the  district     3 
about  the  Jordan  proclaiming  a  baptism  of  the  penitent  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sins  ;  as  it  is  written  in  the  book  of  the  Prophet    4 
Isaiah, 
"The  voice  of  one  crying  aloud  ! 
*  In  the  desert  prepare  ye  a  road  for  the  Lord  : 
Make  His  highway  straight. 

Every  ravine  shall  be  filled  up,  5 

And  every  mountain  and  hill  levelled  down  ; 
The     crooked     places     shall     be     turned     into 

STRAIGHT   roads, 
And   THE   RUGGED    WAYS    INTO   SMOOTH  ; 

And   then    shall   all    mankind    see    God's    salva-    6 
TiON'"  (Isa.  xl  3-5). 

Accordingly  he  used  to  say  to  the  crowds  who  came  out  to  be     7 
baptized  by  him,  "  O  vipers'  brood,  who  has  warned  you  to  flee 
from   the  coming   wrath  ?     Live  lives  which  shall  prove  your     8 
change  of  heart  ;  and  do  not  begin  to  say  to  yourselves,  '  We 
have  Abraham  as  our  forefather,'  for  I  tell  you  that  God  can 
raise   up  descendants  for  Abraham  from,   these  stones.     And     9 
already  the  axe  is  lying  at  the  root  of  the  trees,  so  that  every 
tree  which  fails  to  yield  good  fruit  will  quickly  be  hewn  down 
and  thrown  into  the  fire." 

The  crowds  repeatedly  asked  him,   "  What  then  are  we  to     10 
do.'"'     His  answer  was,  "Let  the  man  who  has  two  coats  give     11 
one  to  the  man  who  has  none  ;  and  let  the  man  who  has  food 
share  it  with  others." 

1-14.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  i-io ;  Mark  i.  i-6. 

1.  Rei^n]  Lit.  '  government.' 

2.  Annas]  Or  more  correctly  '  Hannas.'  To  John]  Lit.  'upon  John.'  Cp.  Isa. 
xliv.  3  ;  Acts  X.  44  ;  and  the  literal  rendering  of  i  Chron.  xxii.  8,  which  is  'And  the 
word  of  Jehovah  was  upon  me.' 

3.  0/ the  penitent]  Lit.  'of  repentance.'  Some  render  the  clause  'proclaiming 
a  baptism  to  teach  the  necessity  of  repentance  with  a  view  to  the  forgiveness  of  sins.' 

7.  Brood]  Lit.  'offsprings.'     Warned  .  .    to Jlee]  Or  'taught  .  o  how  to  escape.' 

8.  Raise  up]  Or  '  wake  up.' 

9.  Which  fails]  Or  '  if  it' fails.' 

II.  Coats]  Lit  '  under  garments.'     Cp.  Matt.  v.  40  and  note. 


I40  LUKE    III. 

There  came  also  a  party  of  tax-gatherers  to  be  baptized,  and  12 
they  asked  him,  "  Rabbi,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  "  Do  not  exact  13 
more  than  the  legal  amount,"  he  replied. 

The  soldiers  also  once  and  again  inquired  of  him,  "  And  we,     14 
what  are  we  to  do.?"     He  answered,  "  Neither  intimidate  any 
one  nor  lay  false  charges  ;  and  be  content  with  your  pay." 

And  while  the  people  were  in  suspense  and  all     15 
thl^Appeinng  were  debating  in  their  minds  whether  John  might 
and  Work  of   possibly  be   the  Anointed  One,  he  answered  the     16 

question  by  saying  to  them  all,  "As  for  me,  I  am 
baptizing  you  with  water,  but  One  mightier  than  I  is  coming, 
whose  very  shoe-lace  I  am  not  worthy  to  untie :  He  will  baptize 
you  in  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire.  His  winnowing-shovel  is  17 
in  His  hand  to  clear  out  His  threshing-floor,  and  to  gather  the 
wheat  into  His  garner  ;  but  the  chaff  He  will  burn  up  with  fire 
unquenchable." 

With  many  exhortations  besides   these  did  he     18 
"intlj" prison."  declare  the  Good  News  to  the  people.    But  Herod     19 

the  Tetrarch,  being  repeatedly  rebuked  by   him 
about  Herodias  his  brother's  wife,  and  about  all  the  wicked 
deeds  that  he  had  done,  now  added  this  to  crown  all  the  rest,     20 
that  he  threw  John  into  prison. 

But  when  all  the  people  had  been  baptized,  and     21 
Sid  Baptrsm.  Jesus  also  had  been  baptized  and  was  praying,  the 

sky  opened,  and  the  Holy    Spirit  came  down  in     22 
bodily  shape,  like  a  dove,  upon  Him,  and  a  voice  came  from 
heaven,   "  Thou   art    My    Son,  dearly  loved  :   in  Thee  is  My 
delight." 

Now  He— Jesus— when  He  began  His  ministry,     23 
""^^of  jtsifs'!^^  was  about  thirty  years  old.     He  was  the  son  (so 

it  was  supposed)  of   Joseph,  son  of   Heli,  son  of    24 
Matthat,  son  of  Levi,    son  of  Melchi,   son  of  Jannai,  son   of 

12.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

15-18.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  ii,  12;  Mark  i.  7,  8.  ... 

19,  20.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  3-5  ;  Mark  vi.  17-20.     These  verses  anticipate  the  narrative 
of  verses  21,  22. 
21-22.  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  13-17  :  Mark  i.  9-11.  .  ■       r  j 

21.  All  the  people}  i.e.  all  who  were  baptized  on  a  certain  day.  It  is  not  implied 
that  John  henceforth  ceased  to  baptize.  See  John  iii.  22,  23.  Had  beeti]  .Such  is  the 
force  of  the  form  and  tense  here  employed  in  each  of  the  eight  cases  where  it  is  found 
in  the  N.T.  as  an  expression  of  time.  The  eight  cases  are  all  in  Luke's  Gospel  or  in 
the  Acts.  There  is  a  ninth  instance  in  Heb.  iii.  12,  where  the  force  of  the  tense  is 
different  :  but  there  the  phrase  is  not  used  as  an  expression  of  time. 

22.  Is  My  delight]  On  the  tense  see  Aorist  vi.  6,  p.  21. 

23.  He—Jcsvs\  Or  'the  same  Jesus.'  Cp.  xxiii.  40,  n.  The  son  {so  it -was  sup- 
posed) of  Joseph,  son  0/  Heli]  Some  render  'the  son  (as  was  supposed,  of  Joseph), 
of  Heli." 


LUKE    III.-IV.  141 

Joseph,  son  of  Mattathias,  son  of  Amos,  son  of  Nahum,  son  of  25 

Esli,  son  of  Naggai,  son  of  Mahath,  son  of  Mattathias,  son  of  26 

Semein,   son  of  Josech,  son  of  Joda,  son   of  Johanan,  son  of  27 

Resa,  son  of  Zerubbabel,  son  of  Shealtiel,  son  of  Neri,  son  of  28 

Melchi,  son  of  Addi,  son  of  Cosam,  son  of  Elmadam,  son  of  Er, 

son  of  Joshuah,  son  of  Eliezar,  son  of  Jorim,  son  of  Maththat,  29 

son  of  Levi,  son  of  Symeon,  son  of  Judah,  son  of  Joseph,  son  of  30 

Jonam,  son  of  Eliakim,  son  of  Melea,  son  of  Menna,  son  of  31 

Mattatha,  son  of  Nathan,   son  of  David,  son  of  Jesse,  son  of  32 

Obed,   son  of  Boaz,  son  of  Sahnon,   son  of  Nahshon,  son  of  33 

Amminadab,  son  of  Admin,  son  of  Arni,  son  of  Hezron,  son  of 

Perez,  son  of  Judah,  son  of  Jacob,  son  of  Isaac,  son  of  Abra-  34 

ham,  son  of  Terah,  son  of  Nahor,  son  of  Serug,  son  of  Reu,  son  35 

of  Peleg,  son  of  Eber,  son  of  Shelah,  son  of  Cainan,   son   of  36 

Arpachshad,  son  of  Shem,  son  of  Noah,  son  of  Lamech,  son  of  yj 

Methuselah,    son   of  Enoch,  son   of  Jared,   son  of  Mahalalel, 

son  of  Kenan,  son  of  Enosh,  son  of  Seth,  son  of  Adam,  son  38 

of  God. 

His  terrible         Then  Jesus,   full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,    returned  i   A 

Experiences  in  from  the  Jordan,  and  was  led  about  by  the  Spirit 
the  Desert  ^  •  j  ir 

in  the  desert  for  forty  days  tempted  all  the  while     2 

by  the  devil.     During  those  days  He  ate  nothing,  and  at  the 

close  of  them  He  suffered  from  hunger.     Then  the  devil  said  to     3 

Him,  "If  you  are  God's  Son,  tell  this  stone  to  become  bread." 

Jesus  replied,  "It  is  written,  'It  is  not  on  bread  alone  that    4 

YOU  SHALL  LIVE'"  (Deut.  viii.  3). 

The  devil  next  led  Him  up  and  caused  Him  to  see   at  a     5 
glance  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world.     And  the  devil  said  to     6 
Him,  "To  you  will  I  give  all  this  authority  and  their  splendour; 
for  it  has  been  handed  over  to  me,  and  on  whomsoever  I  will  I 
bestow  it.     If  therefore  you  do  homage  to  me,  it  shall  all  be     7 
yours."    Jesus  answered  him,  "  It  is  written,  '  To  the  Lord    8 
THY  God  thou  shalt  do  homage,  and  to   Him  alone 
SHALT  thou  render  WORSHIP'"  (Deut.  vi.  13). 

Then  he  brought  Him  to  Jerusalem  and  caused  Him  to  stand     9 

33.  Son  o/Adtnin,  son  of  Ami]  Some  authorities  read  only  'son  of  Ami,'  some 
'  son  of  Aram'  (which  agrees  best  with  Ruth  iv.  19),  some  'son  of  Adam,  son  of  Ami.' 
1-13.  Cp.  Matt.  iv.  i-ii  ;  Mark  i.  12,  13. 
I.  By  the  Spirit]  Lit.  '  in  the  Spirit.'     See  xi.  15,  n. 

3.  9.  //]  Or  'since.'  In  the  Greek  there  is  no  necessary  suggestion  of  doubt  or 
uncertainty.     So  we  say  '  If  it  thunders  it  also  lightens.' 

4.  If  our  Lord  had  used  His  miraculous  powers  for  His  own  benefit  He  would 
have  undone  the  work  of  the  Incarnation  and  would  have  ceased  to  be  a  true  man- 
dependent  wholly  upon  His  Father's  will  and  care. 

5.  Ai  aglattce]  Lit.  '  in  a  moment  of  time.' 


142  LUKE    IV. 

on  the  gable  of  the  Temple,  and  said  to  Him,  "If  you  are  God's 
Son,  throw  yourself  down  from  here  ;  for  it  is  written,  lo 

'He   will   give    orders    to   His  angels  concerning 
thee,  to  guard  thee  safely;'  ii 

and 
'On  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 
Lest  at   any   moment    thou    shouldst   strike   thy 

FOOT   against   a   STONE '"  (Ps.  xci.   II,   12). 

Jesus  answered,  "  It  is  said,  '  THOU  SHALT  NOT  PUT  the  Lord     12 
THY  God  to  the  proof'"  (Deut.  vi.  i6).     So  the  devil,  having     13 
fully  tried  every  kind  of  temptation  on  Him,  left  Him  for  a 
time. 

Then  Jesus  returned    in  the  Spirit's  power   to     14 
Gaifiee^and*    Galilee  ;    and  His   fame   spread  through   all   the 
begins  to      adjacent  districts.     And  He  proceeded  to  teach  in     15 

preach.  ■> ,  .       .  ^       ,  .,  ^ 

their  synagogues,  wmnmg  praise  from  all. 

His  Visit  to  the      ^^  Came  to  Nazareth  also,  where  He  had  been     16 

Synagogue  at  brought  up  :  and,  as  was  His  custom.  He  went  to 
Nazareth  o  r-  ?  7  » 

the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath.    And  He  stood  up 

to  read  ;  whereupon  there  was  handed  to  Him  the  book  of  the     17 
Prophet  Isaiah,  and  opening  the  book    He   found   the   place 
where  it  was  written, 
"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  i8 

Because  He  has  anointed   me   to  proclaim   Good 

News  to  the  poor  ; 
He  has  sent  me  to  announce  release  to  the  pris- 
oners of  war 
And  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind  : 
To    send    away    free   those    whom    tyranny    has 

crushed. 
To   proclaim   the  year  of  acceptance    with    the 
Lord"  (Isa.  Ixi,  i,  2).  19 

And  rolling  up  the  book.  He  returned  it  to  the  attendant,   and     20 
sat  down— to  speak.     And  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue  were^ 
fixed  on  Him. 


13.  Fully  tried]  Or  '  brought  to  a  climax.'  Every  kind  of]  The  word  which  bears 
this  sense  in  Classical  Greek  is  unknown  to  the  N.T.  For  a  time]  Or  'till  some 
convenient  opportunity  offered.' 

14.  Cp.  Matt.  iv.  12  ;  Mark  i.  14  ;  John  iv.  1-3. 

15.  Cp.  Matt.  iv.  17  ;  Mark  i.  15.     He]  Or  '  He  Himself.' 

16.  The  Sabbath.     ^«</l  Or 'the  Sabbath,  and  stood  up  to  read.    And  there  was. ' 

17.  Book]  Or  'roll.' 

20.  Sat  down — /t?  jr/d'«/i']  Such  was  the  custom  of  Jewish  teachers.  Cp.  Matt.  v. 
I  ;  xxiii.  2.     Lit.  simply  '  sat  down.' 


LUKE  IV.  143 

He  preaches  to      '^^^^  ^^  proceeded  to  say  to  them,  "  To-day  is    21 

His  fellow      this   Scripture   fulfilled  in  your    hearing."      And     2^ 
Townsmen.        .  n  ,  .  ^  .f^iK^      -i- 

they  all  gave  close  attention  to  Plim,  wondering  at 
the  sweet  words  of  kindness  which  fell  from  His  lips,  while  they 
asked  one  another,  "  Is  not  this  Joseph's  son?"     "  Doubtless,"     23 
He  said,  "  you  will  quote  to  me  the  proverb,  '  Physician,  cure 
yourself :  all  that  we  hear  that  you  have  done  at  Capharnahum, 
do  here  also  in  your  native  town.'"     "  I  tell  you  in  solemn  truth,"     24 
He   added,    "that   no   prophet  is   welcomed   among    His  own 
people.     But  I  tell  you  in  truth  that  there  was  many  a  widow     25 
in    Israel   in    the   time  of  Elijah,  when  there  was  no  rain   for 
three  years  and  six  months  and  there  came  a  severe  famine 
over  all  the  land  ;  and  yet  to  not  one  of  them  was  Elijah  sent  :     26 
he  was  only  sent  to  a  widow  at  Zarephath  in  the   Sidonian 
country  (i  Kings  xvii.).     And  there  was  also  many  a  leper  in     27 
Israel  in  the  time  of  the  Prophet  Elisha,  and  yet  not  one  of 
them  was  cleansed,  but  Naaman  the  Syrian  was  "  (2  Kings  v.). 

Then  all  in  the  synagogue,  while  listening  to  these     28 

murd^er'"mm.   words,  were  filled  with  fury.     They  rose,  hurried     29 

Him  outside  the  town,  and  brought  Him  to  the 
brow  of  the  hill  on  which  their  town  was  built,  to  throw  Him 
down  the  cliff ;  but  He  passed  through  the  midst  of  them  and     30 
went  His  way. 

So  He  came  down  to  Capharnahum,  a  town  in     31 

De'^moniacfaf  Galilee,  where  He  frequently  taught  the  people  on 
Capharna-     \]^q  Sabbath  days.      And  they  were   greatly  im-     32 
pressed  by  His  teaching,  because  He  spoke  with 
the  language  of  authority.      But  there  was  in  the  synagogue     2)3 
a  man  possessed  by  the  spirit  of  a  foul  demon.      In  a  loud     34 
voice  he  cried  out,  "Ha!  Jesus  the  Nazarene,  what  have  you 
to  do  with  us?      I   know  who   you    are— God's    Holy    One!" 
But   Jesus  rebuked  the  demon.      "Silence!"    He   exclaimed;     35 
"come   out   of  him;"  whereupon  the  demon  hurled  the  man 
into  the  midst  of  them,    and   came  out  of  him  without  doing 

22.  Aitention']  As  though  preparing  themselves  to  attest  the  precise  words  which 
Jesus  used.     Sweet  words  of  kindness]  Lit.  '  words  of  grace.' 

23.  At]  Lit.  'to  ;'  all  that  you  having  gone  to  Capliarnahum  have  done  there. 
This  is  what  the  grammarians  call  the  'pregnant  construction.'  (Godet"s  explana- 
tion is  inexact.)     Cp.  vi.  8  ;  xii.  21  ;  John  viii.  26  ;  ix.  7  ;  i  Pet.  iii.  20. 

24.  In  solemn  truth]  Or  '  Amen.'  See  Matt.  v.  18,  n.  The  word  occurs  six  times 
in  Luke. 

25.  There  -was  no  rain]  Lit.  '  The  heaven  was  shut,'  a  Hebrew  figure  of  speech, 
as  in  Gen.  viii.  2. 

31-37.   Cp-  Mark  i.  21-28. 

31.   Cp.  Matt.  iv.  13-16. 

33.  Possessed  by]  Lit.  '  ha\  iiig.' 


144  LUKE    IV-V. 

him  any  harm.       All  were   astonished    and    awe-struck ;    and     36 

they  questioned  one  with  another,  "  What  sort  of  language  is 

this  ?   for  with  authority    and    real  power    He  gives  orders  to 

the  foul  spirits  and  they  come  out,"     And  the  talk  about  Him     37 

spread  into  every  part  of  the  neighbouring  country. 

But  when  He  rose  and  left  the  synagogue  He     38 

Mother-in-Law  went  to  Simon's  house.     Now  Simon's  mother-in- 

''^Heaith  *°     ^^^  ^^^  suffering  from  an  acute  attack  of  fever  ; 

and  they  consulted  Him  about  her.     Then  stand-     39 

ing  over  her  He  rebuked  the  fever,  and  it  left  her  ;  and  she  at 

once  rose  and  waited  on  them. 

At  sunset  all  who  had    friends   suffering  from     40 

"^ivtrrades^''     ^ny  illness  brought  them  to  Him,  and  He  laid  His 

hands  on  them  all,  one  by  one,  and  cured  them. 

Demons  also  came  out  of  many,  loudly  calling  out,  "  You  are     41 

the  Son  of  God."     But  He  rebuked  them  and  forbad  them  to 

speak,  because  they  knew  Him  to  be  the  Christ. 

Next  morning,  at  daybreak,  He  left  the  town     42 
Jesus  ,  °  ,•  ,  ,         ,  , 

preaches      and  went  away  to  a  solitary  place  ;  but  the  people 

^^'caiife^e""*    Aocked  out  to  find  Him,  and  coming  to  the  place 

where  He  was  they  endeavoured  to   detain    Him 

that  He  might  not  leave  them.     But  He  said  to  them,  "  I  have     43 

to  tell   the   Good  News   of  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  the  other 

towns  also,  because  for  this  purpose  I   was  sent."      And   for     44 

some  time  He  preached  in  the  synagogues  in  Galilee. 

On   one   occasion   the  crowd    was  pressing  on     I    K 

c7piesca?ied.    ^^"^  ^"^  listening  to  God's  Message,  while  He 

was  standing  by  the    Lake   of   Gennesaret.     He,     2 

however,  saw  two  fishing-boats  drawn  up  on  the  beach  (for  the 

men  had  gone  away  from  them  and  were  washing  the  nets),  and     3 

going  on  board  one  of  them,  which  was  Simon's,  He  asked  him 

to  push  out  a  little  from  the  land.     Then   He  sat   down  and 

taught  the  crowd  of  people  from  the  boat. 

When  He  had  finished  speaking.  He  said  to  Simon,  "  Push     4 

38-41.  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  14-17  ;  Mark  i.  29-34. 

38,  Suffe rinse from\  Cp.  viii.  37,  n. 

39.  Rebuked]  Or  '  reprimaaded  ; '  the  fever  being  a  servant  under  His  orders. 
Cp.  Matt.  viii.  9. 

41.    The  Christ]  Or  '  the  Anointed,'  '  the  Messiah.' 

42-44.  Cp.  Mark  i.  35-39. 

44.  for  some  time]  This  seems  to  be  implied  in  the  tense  of  the  verb.  Galilee]  v.L. 
'  Judaea.' 

4.  Push  out  .  .  let  do^un]  The  former  of  these  verbs  is  in  the  singular,  addressed 
to  Peter  alone  :  the  latter  of  them  is  in  the  plural,  and  we  must  suppose  our  Lord 
while  uttering  it  to  have  looked  round  on  the  others — owners  and  crew — who  were 
in  the  boat. 


LUKE   V.  145 

out   into   deep   water,    and   let   down   your   nets   for   a   haul." 
"  Rabbi,"  replied  Peter,  "all  night  long  we  have  worked  hard     5 
and  caught  nothing  ;  but  at  your  command  I  will  let  down  the 
nets."     This  they  did,  and  enclosed  a  vast  number  of  fish  ;  and     6 
their  nets  began  to  break.    So  they  signalled  to  their  partners     7 
in  the  other  boat  to  come  and  help  them  ;  they  came,  and  they 
filled  both  the  boats  so  that  they  almost  sank. 

When  Simon  Peter  saw  this,  he  fell  down  at  the  knees   of    8 
Jesus,  exclaiming,   "  Master,  leave  my  boat,  for  I  am  a  sinful 
man."     (For  he  was  astonished  and   terrified— he  and  all  his     9 
companions— at  the  haul  of  fish  which  they  had  taken  ;  and     10 
so  were  Simon's  partners  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zabdai.) 
But  Jesus  replied  to  Simon,  "  Fear  not  :  from  this  time   you 
shall  be  a  catcher  of  men."     Then,  after  bringing  their  boats  to     11 
land,  they  left  everything  and  followed  Him. 

^       On  another  occasion,  when   He  was  in  one  of    12 

A  Leper  cured.    ,  ,  , 

the  towns,  there  was  a  man  there  covered  with 
leprosy,  who,  seeing  Jesus,  threw  himself  at   His  feet  and  im- 
plored Him,  saying,  "Sir,  if  only  you  are  willing,  you  are  able 
to  make  me  clean."     Reaching  out  His  hand  and  touching  him,     13 
Jesus  said,  "I  am  willing;  be  cleansed!"  And  instantly  the 
leprosy  left  him.     He  ordered  him  to  tell  no  one;  "but  go,"     14 
He  said,  "show  yourself  to  the  Priest,  and  make  the  offering  for 
your  purification  which  Moses  appointed,  as  evidence  for  them." 
But  all  the  more  the  report  about  Him  spread  abroad,  and  great     15 
multitudes   crowded   to   hear   Him    and  to  be   cured    of  their 
diseases;  but  Jesus  Himself  constantly  withdrew  into  the  desert     16 
and  there  prayed. 

The  Cure  of  a      ^"^   ^^^    ^^   ^^^   teaching,   and    there    were     17 
paralysed      Pharisees  and  teachers  of  the   Law  sitting  there 

who  had  come  from  every  village  in  Galilee  and 
Judaea  and  from  Jerusalem,   and  the  power  of  the  Lord  was 

5.  Rabbi]  This  Hebrew  word  is  nowhere  used  by  Luke,  as  it  is  by  the  other  three 
Evangelists  ;  but  the  Greek  word  employed  only  here  and  in  five  other  places  in 
this  Gospel  is  apparently  intended  as  a  translation  of  '  Rabbi.' 

8.  Leave  my  boai\  Lit.  'go  out  away  from  me.' 

9.  Astonished  and  terri/ied]  One  word  in  the  Greek  as  we  have  rendered  it 
(  'awe'  )  in  Acts  iii.  lo.  It  was  not  simply  wonder — even  in  a  high  degree  as  signi- 
fied by  our  words  'astonishment'  and  'amazement' — that  caused  Peter  thus  to 
act  and  speak,  although  both  the  etymology  and  the  usage  of  the  classical  writers 
point  to  that  as  the  original  sense  of  the  word.  'Terror  is  clearly  the  dominant  if  not 
the  only  thought  in  Mark  xiv.  33;    xvi.  5,  6  ;  Acts  iii.  10. 

12-16.  Cp.  Matt    viii.  1-4  ;  Mark  i.  40-45. 

17-26.  Cp.  Matt.  i.x.  1-8  ;   Mark  ii.  1-12. 

17.  Sitting  there]  Lit.  'sitting.'  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  73.  So  in  this  same  verse  'was 
present'  is  in  the  Greek  simply  '  was.'  For  Him  to  cure  people]  Lit.  'for  Him  to 
cure.'     v.L.  'to  cure  them.' 

L 


146  LUKE  V. 

present  for  Him  to  cure  people.     And   a  party  of  men  came     i8 
carrying  a  palsied  man  on  a  bed,  and  they   endeavoured    to 
bring  him  in  and  lay  him  before  Jeus.     But  when  they  could     19 
find  no  way  of  doing  so  because  of  the  crowd,  they  went  up 
on  the  roof  and  let  him  down  through  the  tiling — bed  and  all— 
into  the  midst  in  front  of  Jesus.     He  saw  their  faith  and  said  to     20 
him,  "  Friend,  your  sins  are  forgiven." 

Then  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  began  to  cavil,  asking,  "Who     21 
is  this,  uttering  blasphemies?     Who  but  God  can  forgive  sins?" 
Well  aware  of  their  reasonings,  Jesus  answered  their  questions     22 
by  asking  in  turn,  "  What  is  this  you   are  debating  in    your 
hearts?     Which  is  easier?  to  say,  'Your  sins  are  forgiven,'  or  to     23 
say, 'Rise  and  walk'?     But  to  prove  to  you  that  the  Son  of    24 
Man  has  authority  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  " — turning  to  the 
paralytic  He  said,  "  I  bid  you.   Rise,   take   up  your  bed,  and 
go  home."     Instantly  he  stood  up  in  their  presence,  took  the     25 
mattress  on  which   he  had  been  lying,  and  went  away  to  his 
home,   giving   glory    to    God.     Amazement    seized    them    all.     26 
"  Glory  to  God  !  "  was  the  abiding   feeling.     Yet  fear  flashed 
through  their  minds  and    they    said,  "We  have  seen  strange 
things  to-day." 

After    this    He   went  out   and    noticed    a  tax-     27 

^(Viltthew.^     gatherer,  Levi  by  name,  sitting  at  the  Toll-Office ; 

and  He  said  to  him,  "  Follow  me."     He  rose,  left     28 
everything,  and  followed  Him.     Levi  also  gave  a  great  enter-     29 
tainment  at  his  house  in  honour  of  the  Master,  and  there  was  a 
large  party  of  tax-gatherers    and   others    at   table  with   them. 
This  led  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  of  their  party  to  expostulate     30 
with  His  disciples  and  ask,  "  Why  are  you  eating  and  drinking 
with  these  tax-gatherers  and  notorious  sinners?"     But  Jesus     31 
replied  to  them,  "  It  is  not  men  in  good  health  who  require  a 
physician,  but  the  sick.     I  did  not  come  to  call  the  righteous  to     32 
repentance,  but  sinners." 

The  Disciples'       ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^°    ^"^'  "  J°^"'^  disciples  fast     33 
Neglect  of     often  and  pray,  as  do  also  those  of  the  Pharisees  ; 
Fasting.       ^^^  yours  eat  and  drink."     Jesus  replied,  "Can     34 

20.  Friend\  Lit.  'man  '    Forgiveti]  Lit.  'forgiven  to  you.' 

21.  77//i]  Or  '  this  fellow.' 

22.  What  is  this  you  are]  Or  '  why  are  you.' 

26.  The  seemingly  literal  translation  'they  glorified  God,  and  were  filled  with  fear' 
fails  to  convey  the  important  distinction  between  the  tenses  of  the  Greek  verbs  :  '  glori* 
fied  '  being  in  the  imperfect,  '  were  filled  '  in  the  aorist. 

27-32.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  9-13  ;  Mark  ii.  13-17. 

33-39.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  14-17  ;  Mark  ii.  iS-22. 


LUKE   V.-VI.  147 

you  compel  the  bridal  party  to  fast,  so  long  as  they  have  the 
bridegroom  among  them  ?     But  a  time  for  this  will  come,  when     35 
the  bridegroom  has  been  taken  away  from  them  :  then,  at  that 
time,  they  will  fast." 

He  also  spoke  in  figurative  language  to  them  :     ^6 
justifies  it.        ^o  0"e  tears  a  piece  from  a  new  garment   to 
mend  an  old  one.     If  he  did  he  would  not  only 
spoil  the  new,  but  the  patch  from  the  new  would  not  match  the 
old.     Nor  does  anybody  pour  new  wine  into  old  wine-skins.     ■}^-] 
If  he  did,  the  new  wine  w^ould  burst  the  skins,  the  wine  itself 
would  be    spilt,  and   the  skins  be  destroyed.      But  new  wine     38 
must   be   put   into  fresh  wine-skins.     Nor  does  any  one  after     39 
drinking  old  wine  wish  for  new  ;    for  he    says,    '  The  old    is 
better.'" 
A  Charge  of        Now  on  the  second-first  Sabbath  while  He  was     i    g 
Sabbath       passing  through  the  wheatfields,  His  disciples  were 
'"^'      plucking   the   ears   and  rubbing  them  with   their 
hands  to  eat  the  grain.     And  some  of  the    Pharisees    asked,     2 
"  Why  are  you  doing  what  the  Law  forbids  on  the  Sabbath  1 " 
Jesus  answered  them  :  "  Have  you  never  read  so  much  as  this,     3 
what  David  did  when  he  and  his   followers  were  hungry  ;  how     4 
he   entered   the    house    of   God   and    took   and   ate    the  Pre- 
sented Loaves  and  gave  some  to  his  followers — loaves  which 
none  but  the  Priests  are  allowed  to  eat .?"  (i  Sam.  xxi.  6.)    ''The     5 
Son  of  Man,"  He  added,  "  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  also." 

On  another  Sabbath  He  had  gone  to  the  syna-     6 
^resto^ed!*^     gogue  and  was  teaching  there  ;  and  in  the  congre- 
gation was  a  man  whose  right  arm  was  withered. 
The    Scribes   and   the    Pharisees    were   on   the   watch   to   see     7 
whether  He  would  cure  him  on  the  Sabbath,  that  they  might 
be  able  to  bring  an  accusation  against  Him.     He  knew  their     8 
thoughts,  and  said  to  the  man  with  the  withered  arm,  "Rise, 
and  stand  there  in  the  middle  ;  "  and  he  rose  and  stood  there. 

36.  Did  .  .  would  spoil  .  .  ivould  not  match\  Lit.  'does  .  .  will  tear  .  .  will  not 
match.' 

37.  Did  .  .  7vould  burst  .  .  7vould  be  spili\  Lit.  'does  .  .  will  burst  .  .  will  be 
spilt.' 

39.  Better]  Or  'excellent.'  Lit.  'good.'  So  the  positive  is  used  in  the  sense  of 
the  comparative  in  JMatt    xxvi.  24. 

1-5.  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  1-8  ;  Mark  ii.  23-28. 

I.  Second-first]  v.l.  omits  this  adjective,  the -meaning  of  which  is  far  from  clear. 

3.  Never\  Lit.  '  not.'  This  is  one  of  the  Hebraisms  which  abound  in  the  N.T.,  there 
being  in  Hebrew  no  word  in  common  use  for  'never.'  By  substituting  'not'  for 
'  never,'  Lev.  vi.  13,  the  R.V.  does  not  improve  on  the  A.V. 

5.  Also^v.'L.  omits  this  word. 

6-1 1.   Cp.  Matt.  xii.  9-14  :   Mark  iii.  1-6. 

8.  Stand  there  in  the  middle]  Lit.  'stand  into  the  middle.'     Cp.  iv.  23,  n. 


148  LUKE  VI. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  them,  "  I  put  it  to  you  all  whether  we  are     9 
allowed  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath,  or  to  do  evil  ;  to  save  a 
life,  or  to  destroy  it."    And  looking  round  upon  them  all  He  said     10 
to  the  man,  "  Stretch  out  your  arm,"     He  did   so,  and  the   arm 
was  restored.     But  they  were  filled  with  madness,  and  began  to     1 1 
discuss  with  one  another  what  they  should  do  to  Jesus. 
Jesus  selects       About  that  time  He  went  out  on  one  occasion     12 
twelve         into  the  hill  country  to  pray  ;   and  He  remained 
pos  es.      ^^j  night  in  prayer  to  God.      When  it  was  day.  He     13 
called  His  disciples ;  and  He  selected  from  among  them  twelve, 
whom  He  also  named  Apostles.     These  were  Simon,  to  whom     14 
also  He  had  given  the  name  of  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother  ; 
James  and    John;    Philip    and    Bartholomew;    Matthew   and     15 
Thomas  ;   James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  and  Simon  called  the 
Zealot  ;  James's  relative  Judas,  and  Judas  Iscariot  who  proved     16 
to  be  a  traitor. 

With  these  He  came  down  till   He  reached  a   level  place,     17 
where  there  was  a  great  crowd  of  His  disciples,  and  a  multitude 
of  people  from  every  part  of  Judaea,  from  Jerusalem,  and  from 
the  sea-side  district  of  Tyre    and  Sidon,  who   came   to   hear     18 
Him  and  to  be  cured  of  their    diseases  ;  and  those  who  were 
tormented  by  foul  spirits  were  cured.     The  whole  crowd  were     19 
eager  to  touch  Him,  because  power   went  forth  from  Him  and 
cured  every  one. 

Then  fixing  His  eyes  upon  His  disciples,  Jesus  said  to  them  :     20 
"Blessed   are   you    poor,   because    the    Kingdom    of    God    is 
yours.     Blessed  are  you  who  hunger  now,  because  you  shall  be     21 
well-fed.     Blessed  are  you  who  now  weep  aloud,  because  you 
shall  laugh.      Blessed  are  you  when  men  shall  hate  you  and     22 
exclude  you  from  their  society  and  insult  you,  and  spurn  your 
very  names  as  evil  things,  for  the    Son  of  Man's    sake.      Be     23 
glad  at  such  a  time,  and  dance  for  joy  ;  for  your   reward  is 
great  in  heaven  ;  for  that  is  just  the  way  their  forefathers  be- 
haved to  the  Prophets  ! 

12-13.  Cp.  Mark  xii.  13-15. 

12.  Hill  country]  No  elevation  within  many  miles  of  Capharnahum  is  sufficiently 
high  to  be  called  '  a  mountain  '  in  English.  Prayer  to  God]  Lit.  *  the  prayer  of  God,' 
just  as  we  say  '  the  worship  of  God,'  '  the  praise  of  God.' 

14-1Q.    Cp.  Matt.  iv.  24,  25  ;  x.  2-4  ;   Mark  iii.  7-12  and  16-19. 

14.  Had  given]  See  John  i.  42,  and  Aorist  vi.  2,  3,  p.  19. 

16.  Ja>ness  relative]  Lit.  simply  'James's.'  Whether  son  or  brother  we  are  not 
told  ;  but  probably  son. 

17.  Till  He  reached]  Or  '  and  stood  still  on.'  The  Greek  does  not  necessarily  imply 
that  He  continued  standing.     Cp.  Matt.  v.  i. 

20-21.  Cp.  Matt.  V.  3-6. 
22-26.  Cp.  Matt.  V.  22-26. 


LUKE  VI.  149 

'■■  But  alas  for  you  rich  men,  because  you  already  have  your     24 
consolation  !    Alas  for  you  who  now  have  plenty  to  eat,  because     25 
you  will  be  hungry  !     Alas  for  you  who  laugh  now,  because  you 
will  mourn  and  weep  aloud  !     Alas  for  you  when  men  shall  all     26 
have  spoken  well  of  you  ;  for  that  is  just  the  way  their  fore- 
fathers behaved  to  the  false  Prophets  ! 

"  But  to   you    who  are   listening   to  me    I    say,    Love    your     27 
enemies  ;  seek  the  welfare  of  those  who  hate  you  ;  bless  those     28 
who  curse  you  ;  pray  for  those  who  revile  you.      To  him  who     29 
gives  you  a  blow  on  one  side  of  the  face  offer  the  other  side 
also;  and  to  him  who  is  robbing  you  of  your  outer  garment 
refuse  not  the  under  one  also.     To  every  one  who  asks,  give  ;     30 
and  from  him  who  takes  away  your  property,  do  not  demand 
it  back.     And  behave  to  your  fellow  men  just  as  you   would     31 
have  them  behave  to  you. 

"  If  you  love  those  who  love  you,  what  credit  is  it  to  you  ?     32 
Why,  even  bad  men  love  those  who  love  them.     And  if  you  are     33 
kind  to  those  who  are  kind  to  you,  what  credit  is  it  to  you  ? 
Even  bad  men  act  thus.     And  if  you  lend  to  those  from  whom     34 
you  hope  to  receive,  what  credit  is  it  to  you.'*     Even  bad  men 
lend  to  their  fellows  so  as  to  receive  back  an  equal  amount. 
Nevertheless  love  your  enemies,  be  beneficent,  and  lend  with-     35 
out  hoping  for  any  repayment  :  then  your  recompense  will  be 
great,  and  you  will  be  sons  of  the  Most  High  ;  for  He  is  kind 
to  the  ungrateful  and  wicked.     Be  compassionate  just  as  your     36 
Father  is  compassionate. 

"Judge  not,  and  you  shall  not  be  judged  ;  condemn  not,  and     2)7 
you   shall   not   be    condemned  ;    pardon,    and    you    shall    be 
pardoned  ;    give,   and  gifts  shall   be  bestowed  on   you.      Full     T)^ 
measure,  pressed,  shaken  down,  and  running  over,  shall  they 
pour  into  your  laps  ;    for  with  the  same  measure  that  you  use 
thev  shall  measure  to  you  in  return." 

He  also  spoke  to  them  in  figurative  language.     "Can  a  blind    39 

24.  Alas /or]  Or  perhaps  '  woe  to.'  Upon  Christ's  lips  the  word  was  not  one  of 
mere  denunciation.  It  expressed  infinite  pity  too.  Jesus,  instead  of  imprecatin,^ 
vengeance  on  the  guilty  city  of  Jerusalem,  wept  aloud  over  it  ;  as  elsewhere  (John 
iii.  17  ;  xii.  47)  we  find  Him  declaring  that  at  His  first  advent  He  had  not  come  into 
the  world  to  be  its  Judge.  Also  in  ^iatl.  xxiv.  19  our  Lord  is  assuredly  not  denounc- 
ing the  women  who  were  to  suffer.     See  also  Matt.  xi.  21,  n. 

27-30.   Cp.  Matt.  V.  39-42. 

31.  Cp.  Matt.  vii.  12. 

32-36.   Cp.  Malt.  V.  44-48. 

33.  j^/«^fl  Or  '  in  the  habit  of  doing  good.'  Even]  v.L.  'Way,  even:'  or  'For 
even  ;'  and  so  in  verse  32. 

37-38    Cp.  Matt.  vii.  i,  2. 

37.  Pardon  .  .  pardoned]  Or  '  release  .  .   released.' 

39-42    Cp.  Matt.  vii.  3-5 ;  x.  24  ;  xv.  14. 


rjo  LUKE   VI.-VII. 

man  lead  a  blind  man  ? "  He  asked  ;  "  would  not  both  fall  into 
the  ditch  ?     There  is  no  disciple  who  is  superior  to  his  teacher  ;     40 
but  every  one  whose  instruction  is  complete  will  be  like  his 
teacher. 

"And  why  look  at  the  chip  in  your  brother's  eye  instead  of  41 
giving  careful  attention  to  the  beam  in  your  own?  How  can  42 
you  say  to  your  brother,  '  Brother,  let  me  take  that  chip  out  of 
your  eye,'  when  all  the  while  you  yourself  do  not  see  the  beam 
in  your  own  eye?  Vain  pretender  !  take  the  beam  out  of  your 
own  eye  first,  and  then  you  will  see  clearly  to  take  the  chip  out 
of  your  brother's. 

"  There  is  no  good  tree  that  yields  unsound  fruit,  nor  again     43 
any  unsound  tree  that  yields  good  fruit.    Every  tree  is  known  by     44 
its  own  fruit.     It  is  not  from  thorns  that  men  gather  figs,  nor 
from  the  bramble  that  they  can  get  a  bunch  of  grapes.    A  good     43 
man  from  the  good  stored  up  in  his  heart  brings  out  what  is 
good  ;  and  an  evil  man  from  the  evil  stored  up  brings  out  what 
is  evil  ;  for  from  the  overflow  of  his  heart  his  mouth  speaks. 

"And  why  do  you  all  call  me  *  Master,  Master,'  and  yet  do     46 
not  what  I  tell  you  to?    Every  one  who  comes  to  me  and  listens     47 
to  my  words  and  puts  them  in  practice,  I  will  show  you  whom 
he  is  like.    He  is  like  a  man  building  a  house,  who  digs  and  goes     48 
deep  and  lays  the  foundation  on  the  rock  ;  and  when  a  flood 
comes,  the  torrent  bursts   upon  that   house,  but  is  unable  to 
shake  it,  because  it  is  securely  built.     But  he  who  has  heard     49 
and  not  practised  is  like  a  man  who  has  built  a  house  upon  the 
soft  soil  without  a  foundation,  against  which  the  torrent  bursts, 
and  immediately  it  collapses,  and  terrible  is  the  wreck  and  ruin 
of  that  house." 

A  Roman  After    He     had     finished     teaching    all    these     i   ' 

Soldier's  Slave  things  in  the  hearing  of  the  people,  He  went  into 

restore  .      Capharnahum.      Here  the   servant   of  a   certain     2 
captain,  a  man  dear  to  his  master,  was  ill  and  at  the  point 
of  death  ;  and  the  captain,  hearing  about  Jesus,  sent  to  Him     3 
some  of  the  Jewish  Elders,  begging  Him  to  come  and  restore 
his  servant  to  health.     And  they,   when  they  came  to  Jesus,     4 

43-46.  Cp.  Matt.  vii.  16-21  ;  xii   43. 

48.  D/^s]  Or  'dug,' and  so  througliout  these  two  verses.     See  viii.  5,  n. 

i-io.  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  i,  and  5-13. 

1.  /«  i/ie  hearing  oj]  Not  '  to  ; '  for  it  was  spoken  to  the  disciples.     Cp.   JMatt.  v. 
I,  2. 

2.  3,  10.  Sen-'ani]  Or  'slave.'  ^ 

3.  Resfore  to  keall   ]  Lit.  '  heal   .  .   through.'     Cp.  Acts   xxiii.    24  ;   i  Pet.   iii.  20  ; 
and  see  Matt.  ix.  21,  n. 


LUKE   VII.  151 

earnestly  entreated  Him,  pleading,  "  He  deserves  to  have  this 
favour  granted  him,  for  he  loves  our  nation,  and  at  his  own     5 
expense  he  built  our  synagogue  for  us."     Then  Jesus  went  with     6 
them.     But  when  He  was  not  far  from  the  house,  the  captain 
sent  friends  to  Him  with  the  message  :  "  Sir,  do  not  trouble  to 
come.     I  am  not  worthy  of  having  you  come  under  my  roof ; 
and  therefore  I  did  not  deem  myself  worthy  to  come  to  you.     7 
Only  speak  the  word,  and  let  my  young  man  be  cured.     For  I     8 
too  am  a  man  obedient  to  authority,  and  have  soldiers  under 
me  ;  and  I  say  to  one,  '  Go,'  and  he  goes  ;  to  another,  '  Come,' 
and  he  comes  ;  and  to  my  slave,  '  Do  this  or  that,'  and  he  does 
it."    Jesus  listened  to  the  captain's  message  and  was  astonished     g 
at  him,  and  He  turned  and  said  to  the  crowd  that  followed  Him, 
"  I  tell  you  that  not  even  in  Israel  have  I  found  faith  like  that." 
And  the  friends  who  had  been  sent,  on  returning  to  the  house,      10 
found  the  servant  in  perfect  health. 

A  Widow's  Son      Shortly  afterwards  He  went  to  a  town  called     1 1 
brought  back  Nain,  attended  by  His  disciples  and  a  great  crowd 

of  people.     And  when  He  was  come  near  the  gate     12 
of  the  town,  they  were  just  then  bringing  out  for  burial  a  young 
man  who  was  his  mother's  only  son  ;  and  she  was  a  widow  ; 
and  a  great  number  of  the  townspeople  were  with  her.     The     13 
Lord  saw  her,  was  moved  with  pity  for  her,  and  said  to  her, 
"  Do  not  weep."     Then  He  went  close  and  touched  the  bier,  and     14 
the  bearers  halted.     "  Young  man,"  He  said,  ''  I  command  you, 
wake!"   The  dead    man    sat   up   and   began   to   speak;    and     15 
He  restored  him  to  his  mother.     All  were  awe-struck,  and  they  '  16 
gave  glory  to  God — some  saying,  "  A  Prophet,  a  great  Prophet, 
has  risen  up  among  us,"  and  others  saying,  "  God  has  not  for- 
gotten His  people."     And  this  report  concerning  Him  spread     17 
throughout  all  Judaea  and  in  all  the  adjacent  country. 
The  Ba  tizer's      John's  disciples  brought  him  an  account  of  all     18 
sore  Per-       these  things  ;  so  John  called  two  of  his  disciples 
^  ®^'  ^"        and  sent  them  to  the  Lord.    "  Are  you  the  Coming     19 
One?"  he  asked,  "or  is  there  another  that  we  are  to  expect?" 

6.  /  a/fi  not  <2h'c.]  Or  '  I  am  not  of  sufficient  importance  for  you  to  enter.'     These 
were  the  captain's  second  thoughts. 

7.  Let  .  .  be  cwed]  v.l.  ,    as   in   Matthew,    'shall   be  cured.'     Vouno^  niatt]  Or 
'  boy.'     So  the  English  in  India  speak  of  their  native  menservants  as  '  boys.' 

II.  Shortly  after%va7ds\  V.L.  '  the  next  day.'     His  disciples^  v.l.  prefixes  '  a  large 
number  of.' 

13.  Do  not  'weep\  See  Matf.  vi.  31  ;  xxviii.  5. 

16.   Risen]  Or  'been  raised.' 

18-23.   Cp.  Malt.  xi.  2-6. 

19,  20.  Another]  v.l.  'a  different  one,'  as  in  Matt.  xi.  3. 


152  LUKE   VII. 

The  men  came  to  Jesus  and  said,  "John  the  Baptist  has  sent  us     20 
to  you  with  this  question  :  Are  you  the  Coming  One,  or  is  there 
another  that  we  are  to  expect?"    He  immediately  cured  many     21 
of  diseases,  severe  pain,  and  evil  spirits,  and  to  many  who  were 
blind  He  gave  the  gift  of  sight.     Then  He  answered  the  mes-     22 
sengers,    "  Go  and   report  to  John  what  you  have  seen  and 
heard  :  blind  men  receive  sight,  the  lame  walk,  lepers  are  puri- 
fied,  deaf  persons  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  to  life,  the  poor 
have   the    Good    News    proclaimed   to    them  ;    and   blessed   is     23 
every  one  who  does  not  stumble  and  fall  because  of  my  claims." 
Christ's  Testi-      When  John's  messengers  were  gone,    He  pro-     24 

mony  as  to  ceeded  to  say  to  the  multitude  concerning  John, 
"  What  did  you  go  out  into  the  desert  to  gaze  at  ? 
A  reed  waving  in  the  wind?  But  what  did  you  go  out  to  see?  25 
A  man  wearing  luxurious  clothes  ?  People  who  are  gorgeously 
dressed  and  live  in  luxury  are  found  in  palaces.  But  what  did  26 
you  go  out  to  see  ?  A  Prophet  ?  Aye,  I  tell  you,  and  far  more 
than  a  Prophet.     John  is  the  man  about  whom  it  is  written,  27 

'See,  1  AM  SENDING  My  messenger  before  thy  face, 
And  he  shall  make   ready  thy   way  before  thee' 

(Mai.  iii.  i). 

"  1    tell  you  that  among  all  of  women  born  there  is  not  one     28 
greater  than  John.     Yet  one  who  is  of  lower  rank  in  the  King- 
dom of  God  is  greater  than  he.     And  all  the  people,  including     29 
the    tax-gatherers,    when    they    listened    to    him     upheld   the 
righteousness  of  God,  by  being  baptized  with  John's  baptism. 
But  the  Pharisees  and  expounders  of  the  Law  have  frustrated     30 
God's  purpose  as  to  their  own  lives,  by  refusing  to  be  baptized, 

"  To   what   then   shall    I    compare   the   men  of  the    present     3 1 
generation,  and  what  do  they  resemble  ?   They  are  like  children     32 
sitting  in  the  pubHc  square  and  calling  out  to  one  another,  '  We 
have  played  the  flute  to  you,  and  you  have  not  danced  :  we  have 
sung  dirges  and  you  have  not  shown   sorrow.'     For  John  the     33 
Baptist  has  come  eating  no  bread  and  drinking  no  wine,  and 
you  say  '  He  has  a  demon  ! '    The  Son  of  Man  has  come  eating     34 
and  drinking,  and  you  say,  '  Look,  there  is  a  man  who  is  over- 

21.  He  immediately  cured]  Or  'Just  at  that  same  time  He  had  cured.'  On 
'  same  '  cp.  xxiii    40. 

22.  Receive]  Or,  more  in  accordance  with  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word, 
'  recover/  But  the  same  verb  is  also  used  of  persons  born  bhiid  (John  ix.  11,  15,  18). 
Raised  to  life]  Or  '  awoke.' 

24-35.  Cp.  Matt.  xi.  7-19. 

2,0.  God's  />u}-/>ose]  An  expression  employed  several  times  bj- Luke.  Cp.  Acts  ii. 
23  ;  xiii.  36  :  xx.  27  ;  Heb.  vi.  17.     Baptized]  Lit.  '  baptized  by  him.' 


LUKE   VII.  153 

fond  of  eating  and  drinking— he  is  a  friend  of  tax-gatherers  and 
notorious  sinners!'    But    wisdom   is  justified  by    all  who   are     35 
truly  wise." 

.  Now   one  of  the    Pharisees    repeatedly   invited     ^6 

Jesus  in  the     -t-  i  1  •      1  ' 

House  of      Hun  to  a  meal  at  his  house  ;   so  He  entered  the 
Phar?sle^     house  and  reclined  at  the  table.     And  there  was  a     37 
woman  in  the  town  who  was  a  notorious  sinner. 
Having  learnt  that  Jesus  was  at  table  in  the  Pharisee's  house 
she  brought  a  flask  of  perfume,  and,  standing  behind  close  to     38 
His  feet,  weeping,  began  to  bathe  His  feet  with  her  tears  ;  and 
with  her  hair  she  wiped  the  tears  away  again,  while  she  lovingly 
kissed  His  feet  and  poured  the  perfumie  over  them.     Noticing     39 
this,  the  Pharisee,  His  host,  said  to  himself,  "  This  man,  if  he 
were  really  a  prophet,  would  know  who  and  what  sort  of  person 
this  woman  is  who  is  touching  him— and  would   know  that  she 
is  an  immoral  woman." 

In  answer  to  his  thoughts  Jesus  said  to  him,  "  Simon,  I  have     40 
a  word  to  say  to  you."     "  Rabbi,  say  on,"    he  replied,     Jesus     41 
continued,  "There  were  two  men  in  debt  to  one  money-lender  : 
one  owed  him  five  hundred  shillings  and  the  other  fifty.     But     42 
neither  of  them  .:ould  pay  anything  ;  so  he  freely  forgave  them 
both.     Tell  me,  then,  which  of  them  will  love  him  most  ?  "     "  I     43 
suppose,"  replied  Simon,  "  the  one  to  whom  he  forgave  most." 
Jesus   rejoined,    "  You   have    judged    rightly."      Then   turning     44 
towards   the   woman    He   said   to    Simon,    "  Do   you   see    this 
woman  ?    I  came  into  your  house :  you  gave  me  no  water  for  my 
feet  ;  but  she  has  bathed  my  feet  with  her  tears,  and  then  wiped 
the  tears  away  with  her  hair.     No  kiss  did  you  give  me  ;  but     45 
she  from  the  moment  I  came  in  has  not  left  off  tenderly  kissing 
my  feet.     No  oil  did  you  pour  even  on   my  head  ;  but  she  has     46 
poured  perfume  upon  my  feet.     This  is  the  reason  why  I   tell     47 
you  that  her  sins,  her  many  sins,  are  forgiven — because  she  has 
loved  much  ;  but  he  who  is  forgiven  little,  loves  little."     And     48 

35.  Isjustijied\  Lit.  'has  been'  (implying  'and  always  will  be')  'justified,' or 
'vindicated.'     Who  are   ttuly  7vise\  Lit.  'her  children.' 

36.  N^oiv]  Lit.  '  but.'  Ill  spite  of  the  tone  of  censure  in  which  our  Lord  had  been 
speaking  of  the  Pharisees,  verse  30.  Repeatedly  i/n'iied]  Such  seems  to  be  the  force 
of  the  tense  (imperfect),  which  does  not  signify  one  single  simple  act.  Jesus  appar- 
ently did  not  at  first  accept  the  invitation  ;  so  the  Pharisee  kept  on  asking  Him. 
'  Had  repeatedly  invited  '  is  a  possible  rendering. 

37.  IVas  at  table]  Or  '  was  going  to  dine.' 

38.  Behind  close  to  His  feet]  For  all  the  guests  lay  with  their  feet  (unshod)  out- 
ward.    See  John  .viii.  23,  n. 

39.  49.    This  vian]  Or  '  this  fellow.'      JVhat  sort  o/]  Cp.  Mark  xiii.  i. 

40.  His  thoughts]  Cp.  Matt.  i.x.  4.     Rabbi]   Lit.  '  I'eacher.' 

48.  Are forgiveti]  A  Greek  perfect  tense  indicating  a  present  slate  resulting  from 
an  act  accomplished  at  some  undefined  time  in  the  past  (Godet).    See  also  Aorist  vii.  3. 


154  LUKE    VIL-VIII. 

He    said  to  her,  ''  Your  sins  are  forgiven."     Then    the    other     49 
guests  began  to  say  to  themselves,  "  Who  can  this  man  be  who 
even  forgives  sins  ?"     But  He  said  to  the  woman,  "  Your  faith      50 
has  cured  you  :  go,  and  be  at  peace." 

.    .  Shortly   after  this  He  visited  town  after  town,     i    Q 

A  missionary  ,     .,,  ^  .„  .    •     •         tt-     ^t  ^ 

Tour  in  and  Village  after  village,  proclaimmg  His  Message 
Galilee.  ^^^  teihng  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  The  Twelve  were  with  Him,  and  certain  women  whom  2 
He  had  delivered  from  evil  spirits  and  various  diseases — Mary 
called  the  Magdalene,  from  whom  seven  demons  had  come  out, 
and  Joanna  the  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod's  steward,  and  Susanna,  3 
and  many  others,  all  of  whom  contributed  from  their  own  pro- 
perty to  the  support  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles. 

And  when  a  great  crowd  was  assembling,  and     4 
Tije  Parable  of  ^^g    receiving    additions    from    one    town    after 

another.    He   spoke   a    parable   to    them.     "  The     5 
sower,"  He  said,  "  goes  out  to  sow  his  seed  ;  and  as  he  sows, 
some  of  the  seed  falls  by  the  way-side,  and  is  trodden  upon,  or 
the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  peck  it  up.     Another  part  drops     6 
upon  the  rock,  and  after  growing  up  it  withers  away  for  want  of 
moisture.     Another  part  falls  among  the  thorns,  and  the  thorns     7 
grow  up  with  it  and  stifle  it.     But  some  of  the  seed  falls  into     8 
good  ground,  and  grows  up  and  yields  a  return  of  a  hundred  for 
one."     While  thus  speaking.  He  called  aloud  :  "  Listen   every 
one  who  has  ears  to  listen  with  !  " 

The  disciples  proceeded  to  ask  Him  what  this     9 

The  Story      parable   meant.      "To   you,"    He   replied,    "it    is     10 
explained.       t"  ,  r    ,        tt-        1  r 

granted  to  know  the  secrets  of  the  Kingdom  of 

God  ;  but  all  others  are  taught  by  parables,  in  order  that  they 

may  see  and  yet  not  see,  and  may  hear  and  yet  not  understand. 

The  meaning  of  the  parable  is  as  follows.     The  seed  is  God's     1 1 

Message.     Those  by  the  way-side  are  those  who  have  heard,     12 

and  then  the  devil  comes  and  carries  away  the  Message  Irom 

their  hearts,  lest  they  should  believe  and  be  saved.     Those  on     13 

the  rock  are  the  people  who  on  hearing  the  Message  receive  it 

50.  Cured yo7{\  i.e.  either  '  relieved  your  spiritual  pains,'  or  'saved  you.'  Go,  and 
be  at  peace]  Lit.  '  Go  into  peace.' 

I.  The  Good  Neivs  of  the  Khigdom'\  i.e.  the  good  news  that  the  Kingdom  was 
now  close  at  hand.     See  Mark  i.  14,  15.     Delivered]  Lit,  'cured.' 

3.  Joanna]  More  correctly  '  Johanna.'  The  support  0/  Jesus  and  His  disciples] 
Lit.  '  tlieir  support.'     v.L.  *  His  support.' 

4-18.   Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  1-23  ;  Mark  iv.  1-25. 

5.  Goes  out]  Or  '  went  out  ; '  and  so  throughout  the  parable.  But  the  present  tense 
is  more  in  accordance  with  our  English  idiom. 

9.  Proceeded  to  ask]  Or  'repeatedly  asked; '  the  Greek  imperfect. 


LUKE   VIII.  155 

joyfully  ;  but  they  have  no  root  :  for  a  time  they  believe,  but 
when  trial  comes  they  fall  away.  That  which  fell  among  the  14 
thorns  means  those  who  have  heard,  but,  as  they  go  on  their 
way,  the  Message  is  stifled  by  the  anxieties,  wealth  and  gaieties 
of  time,  and  they  bring  nothing  to  perfection.  But  as  for  that  15 
in  the  good  ground,  it  means  those  who,  having  listened  to  the 
Message  with  open  minds  and  in  a  right  spirit,  hold  it  fast,  and 
patiently  yield  a  return. 

"  When  any  one  lights  a  lamp,  he  does  not  cover     16 
glvingTight.''  ^^  ^^^^  ^  vessel  or  hide  it  under  a  couch  ;  he  puts 
it  on  a  lampstand,  that  people  who  come  in  may 
see  the  light.     There  is  nothing  hidden,  which  shall  not  be     17 
openly  seen  ;  nor   anything   secret,  which  shall  not  be  known 
and  come  into  the  light  of  day.     Be  careful,  therefore,  how  you     18 
hear;  for  whoever  has  anything,  to  him  more  shall  be  given,  and 
whoever  has  nothing,  even  that  which  he  thinks  he  has  shall 
be  taken  away  from  him." 
Christ's  Reia-       '^^en  Came  to  Him  His  mother  and  His  brothers,     19 

tives  try  to     but  could  not  get  near  Him  for  the  crowd  ;  but  He     20 
res  ram    im.   ^^^  ^^^^^  "Your  mother  and  brothers  are  standing 
on  the  edge  of  the  crowd  and  want  to  see  you."     "  My  mother     21 
and  my   brothers,"   He  replied,   "are  those   who  hear  God's 
Message  and  obey  it." 

,  o.  One  day  He  went  on  board  a  boat — both  He     22 

A  otorm  re-  ■' 

buked  and      and  His  disciples  ;  and  He  said  to  them,  "  Let  us 
cross  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  Lake."     So  they 
set  sail.     During  the  passage  He  fell  asleep,  and  there  came     23 
down  a  squall  of  wind  on  the  Lake,  so  that  the  boat  began  to  fill 
and  they  were  in  deadly  peril.     So  they  came  and  woke  Him,     24 
crying,   "  Rabbi,  Rabbi,  we  are  drowning."     Then  He  roused 
Himself  and  rebuked  the  wind  and  the  surging  of  the  water,  and 
they  ceased  and  there  was  a  calm.     "  Where  is  your  faith  ?"  He     25 
asked  them.     But  they  were  filled  with  terror  and  amazement, 
and  said  to  one  another,  "  Who  then  is  this  ?   for  He  gives 
orders  both  to  wind  and  waves,  and  they  obey  Him." 

15.  Miftds  .  .  spirit\  Lit.  'heart  .  .  heart,'  as  in  the  A.V.  ;  but  this  word  seems 
here  to  signify  the  intellectual  as  well  as  the  moral  part  of  our  nature.    See  Eph.  i.  i8. 

16.  t/Wt-rac^Mc/jJ-Cp.  John  xiii.  25,  n.     Or 'under  the  bed.'     A  lampstand]  Or 
'  the  lampstand.' 

19-21.   Cp.  Matt.  xii.  46-50 ;  Mark  iii.  31-35.  x      xt      j      .  . 

21.    T/wse2v/i»]  "Pointing  to  His  disciples,"  says  Matthew  (xii.  29).     No  doubt 
the  Twelve  sat  nearest  to  Him. 

22-25.   Cp.  Matt.  viii.  18,  and  23-27  ;  Mark  iv.  35-41-       _ 

23.  The  boat\  Lit.  'they.'     The  English  idiom  also  admits  this. 

24.  Rabbi\  Cp.  v.  5  and  note. 


156  LUKE   VIII. 

A  Gerasen  Then  they  put  in  to  shore  in  the  country  of  the     26 

Demoniac      Gerasenes,  which  lies  opposite  to  Gahlee.     Here,     27 
on  landing,  He  was  met  by  one  of  the  townsmen 
who  had  demons — for  a  long  time  he  had  not  put  on  any  gar- 
ment, nor  did  he  live  in  a  house,  but  in  the  tombs.     When  he     28 
saw  Jesus,  he  cried  out  and  fell  down  before  Him,  and  said  in 
a  loud  voice,  "  What  have  you  to  do  with  me,  Jesus,  Son  of  God 
Most  High.?    Do  not  torture  me,  I  beseech , you."     For  already     79 
He  had  been  commanding  the  foul  spirit  to  come  out  of  the 
man  ;  for  many  a  time  it  had  seized  and  held  him,  and  they  had 
repeatedly  put  him  in  chains  and  fetters  and  kept  guard  over 
him,  but  he  used  to  break  the  chains  to  pieces,  and,  impelled  by 
the  demon,  to  escape  into  the  desert.    Jesus  asked  him,  "  What     30 
is  your  name  ?  "    "  Legion,"  he  replied — because  a  great  number 
of  demons  had  entered  into  him  ;  and  they  besought   Him  not     31 
to  command  them  to  be  gone  into  the  Bottomless  Pit. 

Now  there  was  a  great  herd  of  swine  there  feeding  on  the     32 
iiill-side ;  and  the  demons  begged  Him  to  give  them  leave  to  go 
into  them,  and  He  gave  them  leave.     The  demons  came  out  of     33 
the  man  and  left  him,  and  entered  into  the  swine  ;  and  the  herd 
rushed  violently  down  the  cliff  into  the  Lake  and  were  drowned. 

The  swineherds,  seeing  what  had  happened,  fled     34 
th^e  Miracte?   ^^^  reported  it  both  in  town  and  country  ;  where-     35 
upon  the  people  came  out  to  see  what  had  hap- 
pened.    They  came   to  Jesus,  and  they  found  the  man  from 
whom  the  demons  had  gone  out  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
clothed  and  in  his  right  mind  ;  and  they  were  terrified.     And     36 
those  who  had  seen  it  told  them  how  the  demoniac  was  cured. 
Then  the  whole  population  of  the  Gerasenes  and  of  the  adjacent     2)1 
districts  begged  Him  to  depart  from  them  ;  for  their  terror  was 
extreme.     So  He  went  on  board  and  returned. 

But  the  man  from  whom  the  demons  had  departed  earnestly     38 
asked   permission   to  go  with    Him  ;  but   He   sent  him  away. 
"  Return  home,"  He  said,  "  and  tell  there  all  that  God  has  done     39 

26-39.   Cp.  Matt.  viii.  28-34 ;  Mark  v.  1-20. 

26.  Gerasenes\  Some  authorities  read  '  Gadarenes,'  and  yet  others  '  Gergesenes.' 
29.  Hcui  been  cotniiianding]  See  Aorisl,  p.   12.     3 Liny  a  tiifie]  Or  '  for  a  long 
time.' 

31.  Bottomless  Pit]  Cp.  Rom.  x.  7. 

32.  A  great  herd  0/  sivine\  Lit.  'a  herd  of  many  swiue  ; "  2,000  according  to 
Mark  V.  13. 

33.  Ciune  out  of  the  man  and  left  html  Lit.  'came  out  away  from  the  man.' 

36.  And  those]  v.l.  adds  'also.' 

37.  Their  terror  was  extreme]  Lit.  '  they  were  in  the  grasp  of  (or  '  Itolden  with,' 
R.V.^  'great  terror.'  The  verb  here  used  occurs  nine  limes  in  Luke's  writings,  and 
three  times  in  the  rest  of  the  N.T. 


LUKE   VIII.  157 

for  you."     So  he  went  and  published  through  the  whole  town  all 
that  Jesus  had  done  for  him. 

Now  when  Jesus  was  returning,  the  people  gave     40 
*^Dauihter.^     ^i^^  ^  ^^^"1  welcome  ;  for  they  had  all  been  look- 
ing  out   for  Him.     Just  then  there  came  a  man    41 
named  Jair,    a   Warden  of  the  Synagogue,  who  threw  himself 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  entreated  Him  to  come  to  his  house  ; 
for  he  had  an  only  daughter,  about  twelve  years  old,  and  she     42 
was  dying.     And  as   He  went,   the  dense  throng  crowded  on 
Him. 

And  a  woman  who   for  twelve  years  had  been     43 
inva?idTu"rtd*  afflicted    with    haemorrhage— and   had   spent   on 
doctors  all  she  had,  but  none  of  them  had  been 
able  to  cure  her— came  close  behind  Him   and   touched  the    44 
tassel  of  His  robe  ;  and  instantly  her  flow  of  blood  stopped. 
"  Who  is  it  touched  me  ? "  Jesus  asked.     And  when  all  denied     45 
having  done  so,  Peter  and  the  rest  said,  "  Rabbi,  the  crowds  are 
hemming   you   in  and  pressing  on   you."     But   Jesus   replied,     46 
"  Some  one  has  touched  me  ;  for  I  feel  that  power  has  gone 
forth  from  me."     Then  the  woman,  perceiving  that  she  had  not     47 
escaped  notice,   came  trembling,    and   throwing   herself  down 
at  His  feet  she  stated  before  all  the  people  the  reason  why  she 
had  touched  Him  and  how  she  was  instantly  cured.  "  Daughter,"     48 
said  He,  "  your  faith  has  cured  you  :  go,  and  be  at  peace." 
jair's  Child        While  He  was  still  speaking,  some  one  came  to     49 
brought  back  the  Warden  of  the  Synagogue  from  his  house  and 
*°  '■'^®"        said,  "  Your  daughter  is  dead  ;  trouble  the  Rabbi 
no  further."     Jesus  heard  the  words  and  said  to  him,  "  Have  no     50 
fear,  only  believe,   and  she  shall  be  restored  to  life."     So  He     51 
came  to  the  house,  but  allowed  no  one  to  go  in  with  Him  but 
Peter  and  John  and  James  and  the  girl's  father  and  mother. 
The  people  were  all  weeping  aloud  and  beating  their  breasts  for     52 
her  ;  but  He  said,  "  Leave  off  wailing  ;  for  she  is  not  dead,  but 
asleep."     And  they  jeered  at  Him,  knowing  that  she  was  dead.     53 

40-56.   Cp.  Matt.  ix.  18-26  ;  Mark  v.  21-43. 

40.  IVas  returnin,?]  The  force  of  the  tense  (imperfect  infinitive)  is  important.  As 
soon  as  the  boatload  of  men  was  near  enough  to  be  distinguished  as  consisting  of 
Jesus  and  His  disciples,  the  shout  of  welcome  would  be  raised,  and  would  be  con- 
tinued till  Jesus  actually  stepped  ashore.     But  v.L.  reads  '  had  returned.' 

43.  None  of  them  had  been  able  to  cure  her]  Or  '  she  had  not '  sufficient  '  strength ' 
of  constitution  '  to  be  cured  by  any  of  them.'  The  same  verb  occurs  in  Matt,  viii, 
28,  where  see  note. 

46.  I feel\  See  Aorist,  pp.  21  (at  top)  and  37. 

48.  See  vii.  50,  n. 

49.  Rabbi]  Lit.  '  Teacher.' 


158  LUKE   VIII.-IX. 

He,  however,  took  her  by  the  hand  and  called  aloud,  "  Child,  54 
awake  !  "  And  her  spirit  returned,  and  instantly  she  stood  up  ;  55 
and  He  directed  them  to  give  her  food.  Her  parents  were  as-  56 
tounded  ;  but  He  forbad  them  to  mention  the  matter  to  any  one. 

Then   calling  the  Twelve    together    He   conferred  on   them     i   0 
power  and  authority  over  all  the  demons  and  to  cure  diseases  ; 
and  sent  them  out  to  proclaim  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  to  cure     2 
the  sick.     And  He  commanded  them,  "  Take  nothing  for  your     3 
journey  ;  neither  walkingstick  nor  bag  nor  bread  nor  money, 
and  do  not  have  an  extra  under  garment.     Whatever  house  you     4 
enter,  make  that  your  home,  and  from  it  start  afresh.    Wherever     5 
they  refuse  to  receive  you,  as  you  leave  that  town  shake  off  the 
very   dust   from   your   feet   as  a   protest   against    them."      So     6 
they  departed  and  visited  village  after  village,  spreading  the 
Good  News  and  performing  cures  everywhere. 

Now  Herod  the  Tetrarch  heard  of  all  that  was  going  on ;  and     7 
he  was  bewildered  because  of  its  being  said  by  some  that  John 
had  come  back  to  life,  by  others  that  Elijah  had  appeared,  and     8 
by  others  that  some  one  of  the  ancient  Prophets  had  come  back 
to  life.     And  Herod  said,  "John  I  have  beheaded;   but  who     9 
is  this,  of  whom  I  hear  such  reports?"     And  he  sought  for  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  Jesus. 

More  than  '^^^  apostles,  on  their  return,  related  to  Jesus     10 

5,000  People  all  they  had  done.  Then  He  took  them  and 
withdrew  to  a  quiet  retreat,  to  a  town  called 
Bethsaida.  But  the  immense  crowd,  aware  of  this,  followed  1 1 
Him  ;  and  receiving  them  kindly  He  proceeded  to  speak  to 
them  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  those  who  needed  to  be 
restored  to  health,  He  cured. 

Now  when  the  day  began  to  decline,  the  Twelve  came  to  12 
Him  and  said,  "  Send  the  people  away,  that  they  may  go  to  the 
villages  and  farms  round  about  and  find  lodging  and  a  supply 
of  food  ;  because  here  we  are  in  an  uninhabited  district."  "You  13 
yourselves,"  He  said,  "  must  give  them  food."  "  We  have 
nothing,"  they  replied,  "  but  five  loaves  and  a  couple  of  fish, 
unless  indeed  we  were  to  go  and  buy  provisions  for  all  this  host 
of  people."     (For  there  were  about  5,000  adult  men.)     But   He     14 

56.  Asto7inded'\  Or  '  beside  themselves  with  joy.' 

1-6.   Cp.  Matt.  X.  I,  and  5-15  ;  Mark  vi.  7-13. 

2.    The  sick]  v.L.  omits  these  words. 

7-9.   Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  I,  2  :  Mark  vi.  14-16. 

10-17.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  13-21  ;  Mark  vi.  30-44  ;  John  vi.  1-14. 

TO.    7'<? a /"^ww]  Meaning  apparently 'near  a  town.'     Cp.  verse  12. 


LUKE  IX.  159 

said  to  His  disciples,  "  Make  them  sit  down  in  parties  of  about 
fifty  each/"'     They  did  so,  making  them  all,  without  exception,     15 
sit  down.     Then  He  took  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fish,  and     16 
looking  up  to  heaven    He  blessed  them  and  broke  them  into 
portions  which   He  gave  to  the  disciples  to  distribute  to  the 
people.     So  they  ate  and  were  fully  satisfied,  all  of  them  ;  and     17 
what  they  had  remaining  over  was  gathered  up,  twelve  baskets 
of  fragments. 

One  day  when  He  was  praying  by  Himself  the     18 

Peter  acknow-    ,.      •    ,  ,  j      tt  1      1       1 

ledges  Jesus    disciples    were   present ;    and    He    asked    them, 
S?e?siah^      "  ^^^°  ^^  ^^^  people  say  that  I  am  ?  "     "John  the     19 

Baptist,"  they  replied  ;  "  but  others  say  Elijah  ; 
and  others  that  some  one  of  the  ancient  Prophets  has  come 
back  to  life."     "But  you,"  He  asked,  "who  do  you  say  that  I     20 

am?"       "God's    Anointed    One,"    replied    Peter.     21 
Hls"ovvii''Death  And  Jesus  Strictly  forbad  them  to  tell  this  to  any 
and  Resurrec.  Q^e  ;  and  He  said,  "The  Son  of  Man  must  suffer     22 

much    cruelty,  be   deliberately   disowned   by   the 

Elders  and  High  Priests  and  Scribes,  and  be  put  to  death,  and 

on  the  third  day  be  raised  to  life  again." 

And   He  said  to  all,  "  If  any  one  is  desirous  of    23 
Nor  may  His    -  ,,       .  1    ^  u-       •  ir        j    .    1  i  • 

Followers     followmg  me,  let  him  ignore  self  and  take  up   his 
refuse  the      cross  day  by  day,  and  so  be  my  follower.     For     24 
wnoever  desires  to  save  his  fife  shall  lose  it,  and 
whoever  loses  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  save  it.     Why,  what     25 
benefit  is  it  to  a  man  to  have  gained  the  whole  world,  but  to 
have  lost  or  forfeited  his  own  self?     For  whoever  shall  have     26 
been  ashamed  of  me  and  my  teachings,  of  him  the  Son  of  Man 
will  be  ashamed  when  He  comes  in  His  own  and  the  Father's 
glory  and  in  that  of  the  holy  angels.     I  tell  you  truly  that  there     27 
are  some  of  those  who  stand  here  who  will  certainly  not  taste 
death  till  they  have  seen  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

It  was  about  eight  days  after  this  that  Jesus,  taking   with     28 

16.  Gave]  Cp.  Mark  vi.  41,  n.     To  distribute  to]  Lit.  '  to  put  before.' 
18-27.  Cp.  Matt.  xvi.  13-28  ;  Mark  viii.  27-ix.  i. 
20.  Atiointed  One]  Or  'Christ,'  'Messiah.' 

22.  Be  7-aised to  life]  Or  'awake.* 

23.  To  air]  Cp.  Mark  viii.  34.  Ignore  self]  Let  him  disown  the  authority  of  his 
lower  nature,  and  say  'no  ! '  to  its  dictates. 

25.  Forfeited]  Or  '  had  to  pay  his  own  self— his  own  existence— as  a  fine.'  Cp. 
Heb.  X.  34. 

28-36.  Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  1-13  ;  Mark  ix.  2-13.  The  vision  of  the  Cross  is  now  suc- 
ceeded by  a  vision  of  the  heavenly  glory  which  lies  behind  the  Cross. 

28.  Up  the  mountain]  The  same  expression  as  in  vi.  12  (see  note  there),  but  we 
learn  from  Matt.  xvii.  i;  Mark  ix.  2;  that  the  mount  of  Transfiguration  was 'no 
ordinary  hill. 


i6o  LUKE  IX. 

Him  Peter,  John,  and  James,  went  up  the  mountain 
uratton.'^'  ^o  pray.     And  while  He  was  praying  the  appear-     29 
ance  of  His  face  underwent  a   change,  and    His 
clothing  became  white  and  radiant.     And  suddenly  there  were     30 
two  men  conversing  with   Him,  who  were  Moses  and  Elijah. 
They  came  in  glory,  and  kept  speaking  about  His  death,  which     31 
He  was  so  soon  to  undergo  at  Jerusalem.     Now  Peter  and  the     32 
others  were  weighed  down  with  sleep  ;  but  keeping  themselves 
awake  all  through  they  saw  His  glory,  and  the  two  men  stand- 
ing with  Him.     And  when  they  were  preparing  to  depart  from     33 
Him,  Peter  said  to  Jesus,  "  Rabbi,  we  are  thankful  to  you  that 
we  are  here  ;  let  us  put  up  three  tents— one  for  you,  one  for 
Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah  ; "  not  knowing  what  he  was  saying. 
But  while  he  was  thus  speaking,  there  came  a  cloud  which  spread     34 
over  them  ;  and  they  were  awe-struck  when  they  h?d  entered 
into  the  cloud.    Then  there  came  a  voice  from  withi  1  the  cloud  :     35 
"  This  is  My  Son,  My  Chosen  One  :  listen  to  Him.''     After  this     36 
voice  had  spoken,  Jesus  was  found  alone. 

They  kept  it  to  themselves,  and  said  not  a  word  to  any  one  at 
that  time  about  what  they  had  seen. 

On  the  following  day,   when    they   were    come     37 

Boy^uredi     down  from  the  mountain,  a  great  crowd  came  to 

meet  Him  ;  and  a  man  from  the  crowd  called  out,     38 
"  Rabbi,  I  beg  you  to  pity  my  son,  for  he  is  my  only  child. 
At  times  a  spirit  seizes  him  and  he  suddenly  cries   out  :  it  con-     39 
vulses  him,  and  makes  him  foam  at  the  mouth,  and  does  not 
leave   him  till  it  has   well-nigh  covered   him  with  bruises.     I     40 
entreated  your  disciples  to  expel  the  spirit,  but  they  could  not." 
Jesus  replied,  "O  unbelieving  and  perverse  generation  !     How     41 
long  shall  I  be  with  you  and  bear  with  you?     Bring  your  son 
here   to   me."     Now   while  the   youth  was  coming,  the  spirit     42 

29.   Radiant]  Or  'like  the  flashing  lightning.' 

31.  Came]  Lit.  'madetheir  appearance,'  or  (see  verse  32)  '  had  come,'  '  had  made 
their  appearance,'  in  their  celestial  brightness. 

33.  Rabbi]  Cp.  v.  5,  n. 

34.  Spread  over]  Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  5.  They  had  entered]  It  is  grammatically  pos- 
sible, though  contrary  to  classical  usage,  that  this  '  they  '  may  include  the  three  dis- 
ciples (cp.  Acts  XXV.  21  ;  Rom.  ii.  19)  ;  but  they  could  scarcely  be  overshadowed  by  a 
cloud  that  enveloped  them.  The  voice  too  (verse  38)  came  to  them  from  within  (or, 
out  of)  the  cloud,  v.l.  has  a  ditferent  pronoun  for  '  they  '  which  distinctly  excludes 
the  disciples. 

37-43.  Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  14-21  ;  Mark  ix.  14-29. 

38.  Rabbi]  Lit.  '  Teacher.'     I  beg  you  to  look]  v.l.  '  Look,  I  beg  you.' 

39.  Does  not  leave  &=€.]  Lit.  'while  '(not  'after')  'bruising'  (or  'crushing'  or 
'shattering '  )  '  him,  with  difficulty  withdraws  from  him.' 

42.  Dashed  him  to  the groxind]  Or  '  tore  him  with  spasms,'  Rebuked]  Or  '  repri- 
manded.'   Cp.  iv.  39. 


LUKE   IX.  i6i 

dashed  him  to  the  ground    and    cruelly  convulsed  him.      But 
Jesus  rebuked  the  foul   spirit,  and  cured  the  youth    and  gave 
him  back  to  his  father.     And  all  were  avve-slruck  at  the  mighty     43 
power  of  God. 
Jesus  predicts      ^"^^  while  every  one  was  expressing  wonder  at 

ancfoS'    fj'  ^-'^^   ^^  '''^^  ^'''"-'  ^e  S'"d  to  His  disciples, 

"As    for   you,    store    these    my    sayings    in   your     44 
memories  ;  for  before  long  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  given  up 
into  the  power  of  men."      But  they  did  not  understand   His    45 
meaning  :  it  was  veiled  from  them  that  they  might  not  perceive 
it,  and  they  were  afraid  to  ask  Him  about  it. 

Now  there  arose  a  dispute  among  them,   which     46 
Hu'miMtyand   of  them  was  to  be  the  greatest.     And  Jesus,  know-     47 
^charfty.^      ing  the  reasoning  that  was  in  their  hearts,  took 
a  young  child  and  made  him  stand  by  His  side 
and  said  to  them,  "  Whoever  for  my  sake  receives  this  little     48 
child,  receives  me  ;  and  whoever  receives  me,  receives   Him 
who    sent   me.     For    the    lowliest   among   you    all — he   is    the 
greatest."     "  Rabbi,"  replied  John,  "  we  have  seen  a  man  using     49 
your  name  to  expel  demons  ;  and  we  forbad  him,  because  he 
does  not  come  with  us."     "  Do  not  forbid   him,"   said  Jesus,     50 
"  for  he  who  is  not  against  you  is  on  your  side." 

Now  when    the    time  drew  near    for    Him    to     51 
Samaritar/s.    ^^  received  up  again  into  heaven.  He  proceeded 

with  fixed  purpose  towards  Jerusalem,   and  sent     52 
messengers  before  Him.     They  went  and  entered  a  village  of 
the  Samaritans  to  make  ready  for  Him.     But  they  would  not     53 
receive  Him,  because  He  was  evidently  going  to   Jerusalem. 
When   the   disciples  James   and    John    saw    this,    they    said,     54 
"Master,  shall  we  order  fire  to  come  dovvn  from  heaven  and 
consume  them?"  (2  Kings  i.  10.)     But  He  turned  and  rebuked     55 
them.     And  they  went  to  another  village.  56 

43-45.  Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  22-23;  Ivlark  ix.  30-32. 

43.  Mighty  powe7-\  Lit.  'majesty.'  The  same  word  occurs  Acts  .\ix.  27;  2  Pet. 
i.  16.  _ 

44.  Memories^  Lit.  'ears.'     PoTier\  Lit.  'hands.' 

45.  Veiled^  The  classical  student  may  compare  Plutarch,  Pericl.  35,  2.  The  word 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T. 

46-50.  Cp.  ^L1lt.  xviii.  1-5  ;  Mark  ix.  33-41. 

47.  Knowing]  y. I.,  'seeing.' 

48.  Whoever  .  .  receives]  Lit.  '  whoever  shall  have  received.'  For  niy  sake] 
Or 'as  being  mine.'  Lit.  'in  my  name.'  Cp. .Matt,  xviii.  5,  n.  ;  Mark  ix.  37,  n. 
Qj-eatest]  See  Matt.  xxii.  36,  n. 

50.  Donot  forbid  him]  Cp.  vii.  13,  and  see  Mark  ix.  39,  n. 

54.  Consume  them]  v.l.  adds  'as  Klijah  also  did.' 

55,  56.  Them]  v.l.  adds  'and  said.  You  do  not  know  the  kind  of  Spirit  of  which 
you  are  the  servants  ;  for  the  Son  of  Man  did  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to 
save  them.' 

.M 


i62  LUKE    IX.-X. 

And,  as  they  proceeded  on  their  way,  a  man     57 
^^'te^sted!"^^  came  to  Him  and  said,  "  I  will  follow  you  where- 

ever  you  go."      Jesus   replied,   "  The    foxes   have     58 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  Man 
has  nowhere  to  lay  His  head." 

To  another  He  said,  "  Follow  me."        "  Master,"    the    man     59 
replied,  "allow  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."     "  Leave     60 
the  dead,"  Jesus  rejoined,  "to  bury  their  own  dead;  but  you 
must  go  and  announce  far  and  wide  the  coming  of  the  King- 
dom of  God." 

Again  another  said,  "  Master,  I  will  follow  you  ;  but  allow  me     61 
first  to  go  and  say  good-bye  to  my  friends  at  home."     Jesus     62 
answered  him,  "No  one  who  has  put  his  hand  to  the  plough 
and  then  looks  behind  him  is  fit  for  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

After  this  the  Lord  appointed   seventy  others,     i 
Evang'ehsts.    ^"^   ^^'"'^   them   before   Him,  by  twos,   to   go   to 
every  town  or  place  which  He  Himself  intended  to 
visit.     And  He  addressed  them  thus  :  "  The  harvest  is  abun-     2 
dant,  but  the  reapers  are  few  :  entreat  therefore  the  Owner  of 
the  harvest  to  send  out  more  reapers  into  His  field.     And  now     3 
go.     Remember  that  I  am  sending  you  out  as  lambs  into  the 
midst  of  wolves.     Carry  no  purse,  bag,  nor  change  of  shoes  ;     4 
and  salute  no  one  on  your  way. 

"Whatever  house  you   enter,   first    say,    'Peace    be   to   this     5 
house!'     And  if  there  is  a  lover  of  peace  there,  your  peace  shall     6 
rest  upon  it  ;  otherwise  it  shall  come  back  upon  you.     And  in     7 
that  same  house  stay,  eating  and  drinking  at  their  table  ;  for 
the  labourer  deserves  his  wages  :  do  not  move  from  one  house 
to  another. 

57-62.   Cp.  Matt.  viii.  19-22. 

58.  A^ests]  Or  '  roosting-places.' 

59.  Godet  supposes  that  the  father  in  question  was  not  yet  dead,  but  that  his  son, 
the  would-be  disciple,  desired  to  postpone  casting  in  his  lot  with  the  Saviour,  until 
after  the  father  had  died  and  he  had  come  into  the  property.  But  after  all,  the  will 
of  God  and  ihe  call  of  Christ  are  the  ultimate  criteria  of  human  duty,  and  occasion- 
ally as  in  the  case  of  Abraham  (Gen.  xxii.  2)  our  faith  and  obedience  are  tested, 
increased  and  perfected,  by  our  being  bidden  to  do  a  harsh  and— judged  by  ordinary 
standards  of  conduct — luireasonable  thing. 

60.  The  coining  0/  the  Kingdont\  Lit.  simply  'the  Kingdom.' 
62.  Fit /or]  I.E.  'tit  to  be  admitted  into.' 

1-16.  Cp.  Matt.  xi.  20-24. 

1.  17.  Seventy']  v.l.  'seventy-two.'     0!hers\  v.l.  adds  'also.' 

2.  The  hardiest]  i.e.  the  spiiitual  harvest  of  the  Jewish  age,  of  which  the  first 
preachers  of  Christianity  were  the  reapers.     Cp.  John  iv.  38.     Field]  Lit.  '  harvest.' 

3.  Remember  that]  Lit.  '  Behold  ! ' 

4.  Salute  no  erne]  Eastern  salutations  are  complicated  and  tedious.  Cp.  2  Kings 
iv.  29. 

6.  Loz'er]  Lit.  'son,' a  Hebraism.     Upon  it]  Or  'upon  him.' 

7.  In  that  same  house]  .According  to  the  rules  of  classical  Greek  this  phrase  should 
be  rendered  '  in  the  house  itself  (or  '  indoors  all  the  time  ' )  but  this  is  unlikely  to  be 


LUKE   X.  163 

''And  whatever  town  you  come  to  and  they  receive  you,  eat  8 

what  they  put  before  you.     Cure  the  sick  in  that  town,  and  tell  9 

them,  'The  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  your  door.'     But  whatever  10 
town  you  come  to  and  they  will  not  receive  you,  go  out  into  the 

broader  streets  and  say,  'The  very  dust  of  your  town  that  hangs  11 
about  us  we  wipe  off  as  a  protest  ;  only  be  sure  of  this  that  the 

Kingdom  of  God  is  close  at  hand.'     I  tell  you  that  it   will  be  12 
more  endurable  for  Sodom  on  the  great  day  than  for  that  town. 

*' Alas  for  thee,  Chorazin  !     Alas  for  thee,  Beth-  i^ 

Chorazin,  ••  j      1      t-       i      j     1  •        ■,         ,  r  ■.    . 

Bethsarda,  saida  !  i*  or  had  the  miracles  been  performed  m 
^^hum^"^"  '^y^^  ^"^^  Sidon  which  have  been  performed  in 
you,  long  ere  now  they  would  have  repented,  sit- 
ting in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  However,  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  14 
it  will  be  more  endurable  at  the  Judgement  than  for  you.  And  15 
thou,  Capharnahum,  shalt  thou  be  lifted  high  as  heaven.-* 
Thou  shalt  be  driven  down  as  low  as  Hades. 

"  He  who  listens  to  you  listens  to  me ;  and  he  who  disregards     i6 
you  disregards  me,  and  he  who  disregards  me  disregards  Him 
who  sent  me." 

When    the    Seventy   returned,    they   exclaimed     17 
'^^s'eventy!^*  joyfully,  "  Master,  even  the  demons  submit  to  us 

when  vi^e  utter  your  name."     He  replied,  "I  saw     18 
Satan  fall  like  a  lightning-flash   out  of  heaven.      See,   I  have     19 
given  you  power  to  tread  serpents  and  scorpions  underfoot,  and 
to  trample  on  all  the  power  of  the  Enemy  ;  and  in  no  case 
shall  anything  do  you  harm.     Nevertheless  rejoice  not  at  this,     20 
that  the  spirits  submit  to  you  ;  but  rejoice  that  your  names  are 
registered  in  heaven." 

On  that  same   occasion  Jesus  was    filled   with     21 

^hetr  Suc?es^s*  rapturous  joy  through  the  Holy  Spirit.     "  I  give 

Thee  fervent  thanks,"  He  exclaimed,  "  O  Father, 

Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  Thou  hast  hidden  these  things 

from  sages  and  men  of  understanding,  and  revealed  them  to 

the  true  sense.     Cp.  verse   21  ;  ii.  38  ;  iii.  23;  vii.  21;  xii.  12  ;  xiii.  i,  31  ;  xx.  19; 
xxiii.  12.  40  and  note  ;  xxiv.  33  :  Matt.  iii.  4 ;  Mark  vi.  17,  33. 
13.  Alas  for]  Cp.  vi.  24  and  Matt.  xi.  21  and  note. 

16.  Disregards]  Or  'sets  at  nought.' 

17-24.  Cp.  Matt.  xi.  25-30.  ^ 

17.  When  we  utter  your  name]  Lit.  simply  '  in  your  name. 

18.  Fall]  It  is  the  act  of  falHng— the  act  as  'a  whole— that  the  tense  (the  aorist) 
here  signifies.  Cp.  xii.  54  ;  Rev.  ix.  i,  n.  A  rendering,  less  brief  but  more  exact, 
would  be  '  I  was  looking  on  when  Satan  was  hurled  like  a  lightnuig-flash  out  of 
heaven.'     See  Goodwin's  Moods  and  Tenses,  §  148. 

19.  P-^^w^r /(?  /r^«a']  Lit.  'the  authority  of  treading.'    ^  . 

21.  6"a;w]  Cp.  verse  7.  Rapturous]  Or  'triumphant.  Cp.  1.  Al '.  Matt.  v.  12; 
Acts  ii.  46. 


i64  LUKE    X. 

babes.      Ves,   Father,   for   such   has  been    Thy   gracious  will. 
All  things  are  delivered  to  me  by  my  Father ;  and  no  one  knows     22 
who  the  Son  is  but  the  Father,  nor  who   the   Father  is  but  the 
Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  may  choose  to  reveal  Him." 

And  He  turned  towards  His  disciples  and  said  to  them  apart,     23 
"  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  what  you  see  !  for  I  tell  yoa     24 
that  many  prophets  and  kings  have  desired  to  see  the  things  you 
see,  and  have  not  seen  them,  and  to  hear  the  things  you  hear, 
and  have  not  heard  them." 

Then  an  expounder  of  the  Law  stood  up  to  test     25 
"E°ern°arLife;^  Him  with  a  question.     "Rabbi,"'  he  asked,  '•'  what 

shall  I  do  to  inherit  the  Life  of  the  ages  ?  "  Jesus     26 
answered,  "  Go  to  the  Law  :  what  is  written  there  ?  how  does 
it  read  ? "  He  replied,  '" '  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy    27 
God  with  thy  whole  heart,  thy  whole  soul,  thy  whole 
strength,  and  thy  whole  mind  ;  and  thy  fellow  man  a3 
MUCH  AS  THYSELF'""  (Deut.  vi.  5  ;  Lev.  xix.   18).      "A  right     28 
answer:"  said  Jesus,  "do  that,  and  you  shall  live.''     But  he,     29 
desiring  to  justify  himself,  said,   ''  But   what  is  meant  by  my 
'fellow  man'  ?" 

'The  kind-         Jesus   replied,  "  A   man    was    once   on  his  way     30 
hearted  _     down   from   Jerusalem    to   Jericho    when    he    fell 
mar.  an.      ^jyjQ^g  robbers,  who  after  both  stripping  and  beat- 
ing him  went  away  leaving  him   half  dead.       Now   a   priest     31 
happened  to  be  going  down  that  way,  and  on  seeing  him  passed 
by  on  the  other  side.     In  like  manner  a  Levite  also  came  to  the     32 
place,  and  seeing  him  passed    by  on  the  other  side.     But  a     ^3 
certain  Samaritan,  being  on  a  journey,  came  where  he  lay,  and 
seeing  him  was  moved  with  pity.     He  went  to  him,  and  dressed     34 
his    wounds  with    oil    and    wine   and   bound    them   up.     Then 
placing  him  on  his  own  mule  he  brought   him  to  an  inn  where 
he  besiowed  ever>-  care  on  him.     The  ne.xt  day  he  took  out  two     35 
shillings  and  gave  them  to  the  innkeeper.     'Take  care  of  him,' 
he  said,  'and  whatever  further  expense  you  are  put  to,  I  will 
repay  it  you  at  my  next  visit.'     Which  of  those  three  seems  to     36 
you  to  have  acted  like  a  fellow  man  to  him  who  fell  among  the 

22.  Him'\  Or  '  it.' 

25.  Rabbi'x  Or  '  Teacher.' 

27.  H-'tiA]  The  preposition  comes  four  times  in  the  Greek,  and  is  literally  'out  of 
(as  m  Mark  xiL  30)  .  .  in  .   .   in  .   .  in '  (as  in  Matt.  xxii.  37). 

34.  Muie^  Or  ■  ass."  /««]  Not  the  same  word  as  in  ii.  7.  This  word  is  not  found 
elsewhere  in  the  N.T. 

36.  Likf  a  fellcvj  man]  And  by  his  conduct  showed  that  he  recognized  the  unfor- 
tunate man  as  he\:  s,  in  turn,  Au  neighbour  whom  God's  law  ordered  him  to  love. 


LUKE   X.-XI. 


165 


robbers?"     He  answered,   "The  one  who  showed  him  pity."     37 
'■  Go,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  act  in  the  same  way." 

As  they  pursued  their  journey   He  came  to  a     ^8 
Martha  and  ■.    •         -n  ^  -^ 

Mary.         certam  viUage,    where   a   person    named    Martha 

welcomed  Him  to  her  house.      She  had  a  sister     39 

called  Mary,  who  seated  herself  at  the  Lord's  feet  and  listened 

to  His  teaching.     Martha  meanwhile  was  biisy  and  distracted     40 


.n  waiting  at  table,  and  she  came  and  said,  "  Master,  do   you 

not  care  that  my  sister  is  leaving  me  to  do  all  the  waiting.? 

Tell  her  to  assist  me."     "  Martha,  Martha,"  replied  Jesus,  "  you     41 

are  anxious  and  worried  about  a  multitude  of  things  ;  and  yet     42 

only  one  thing  is  really  necessary.     Mary  has  chosen  the  good 

portion  and  she  shall  not  be  deprived  of  it." 

At  one  place  where  He  was  praying,  when  He     ill 
A  Lesson  in  r  tt-i  r  tt      -,■      ■    ,  .  ,  XX 

Prayer.        ^'o^e  from   His  knees  one  of  His  disciples  said  to 

Him,    "  Master,   teach    us    to  pray,  just   as   John 
taught  his  disciples."     So  He  said  to  them,  "  When  you  pray,     2 
say,    '  Father,   may  Thy  name  be  kept  holy  ;    let    Thy    King- 
dom come  ;  give  us  day  after  day  our  bread  for  the  day  ;  and  3,  4 
forgive  us  our  sins,  for  we  ourselves  also  forgive  every  one  who 
fails  in  his  duty  to  us  ;  and  bring  us  not  into  temptation.' " 
Prayer  must        And  He  said   to  them,    "Which  of  you    shall     5 
be  persistent,   have    a    friend    and    shall    go    to    him    in    the 

37.  T/te  one  luho  showed  htm  pity\  A  somewhat  carious  circumlocution.  Such 
was  the  hatred  between  the  two  races  that  this  Jewish  lawyer  avoids  using  even  the 
word  '  Samaritan." 

39.  At  the  Loid'sfeet'\  Cp.  vii.  38.     But  see  the  third  note  on  the  next  verse. 

40.  Busy  attd  distracted]  Lit.  'pulled  this  way  and  that.'  Is  iea7>ing\  Lit.  'has 
been  leaving,'  the  imperfect  tense.  See  Aorist,  p.  12.  But  v.L.  gives  tlie  aorist, 
'has  left  me.'  Cnjiie]  Lit.  'stood  over  (or,  by)  Him.'  Our  Lord  was  probably 
reclining  at  table.  See  John  xiii.  23,  n.  On  the  other  hand  we  may  take  Acts  xxii. 
3  to  throw  light  on  IMary's  sitting  '  at  the  feet '  of  her  Lord,  and  may  translate,  instead 
of  '  in  waiting  on  '  and  '  to  do  all  the  waiting,'  '  in  arranging  for'  and  '  to  do  every- 
thing.' 

41.  Only  one  thing  is  really  necessary]  Apparently  our  Lord's  primary  meaning 
was  that  His  wants  were  so  simple  that  a  single  dish  was  ail  that  was  needed  to  satisfy 
them.  Martha's  mistake  arose  from  her  not  understanding  that  Christ  had  some- 
thing infinitely  better  to  bestow  on  her  than  anj'thing  which  she  could  give  Him. 
The  relative  positions  of  Him  and  the  two  sisters  were  the  reverse  of  what  they 
seemed  to  be.  In  reality  He  was  the  (spiritual)  host  and  they  were  His  guests.  Cp. 
John  iv.  10. 

1-13.  Cp.  Matt.  vi.  9-13  ;  vii.  7-1 1. 

I.  Rose  from  His  knees]  Lit.  'left  off.'  But  Jews  and  Mohammedans  usually 
kneel  when  offering  private  prayer. 

3.  Give  us]  The  tense  (present)  makes  this  a  petition  for  constant  giving,  unlike 
Matt.  vi.  IT. 

4.  Fails  in  his  duty]  Or  perhaps  'is  in  deljt.'  But  this  sadly  narrows  the  plea  we 
are  permitted  10  offer.  In  the  Greek  ttiere  is  a  participle  here,  whilst  in  Matt.  vi.  12 
the  corresponding  words  are  nouns.  But  the  verb  from  which  all  three  are  derived 
bears  the  two  senses  of  '  owe  '  (as  in  the  parable.  Matt,  xviii.  23)  and  'ought'  — 
pecuniary  obligation,  moral  obligation — in  about  the  ratio,  in  places  where  tlie  sense 
is  clear,  of  one  to  five.     An  arithmetical  argument,  but  one  not  without  weight. 

5.  Loaves  ofbread\  See  Matt.  xiv.  17,  n. 


1 66  LUKE  XL 

middle  of  the  night  and  say,  '  Friend,  lend  me  three  loaves  of 
bread  ;  for  a  friend  of  mine  has  just  come  to  my  house  from  a     6 
distance,  and  I  have  nothing  for  him  to  eat  ; '  and  you  from     7 
indoors    shall  answer,  '  Do  not   pester  me  :  the  door   is   now 
barred,  and  I  am  here  in  bed  with  my  children  :  I  cannot  get 
up  and  give  you  bread  '  ?    I  tell  you  that  even  if  he  will  not  rise     8 
and  give  him  the  loaves  because  he  is  his  friend,  at  any  rate 
because  of  his  persistency  he  will  rouse  himself  and  give  him  as 
many  as  he  requires. 

"  So   I  say  to  you.  Ask,  and  what  you  ask  for     9 
'"'promise'^    shall  be  given  to  you  ;  seek,  and  you  shall  find  ; 

knock,  and  the  door  shall  be  opened  to  you.     For     10 
every  one  who  asks,  receives  ;  and  he  who  seeks,  finds  ;  and  to 
him  who  knocks,  the  door  shall  be  opened.     And  what  father  is     11 
there  among  you,  who,  if  his  son  asks  for  a  shce  of  bread,  will 
offer  him  a  stone?    or  if  he  asks  for  a  fish,  will  instead  of  a  fish 
offer  him  a  snake  ?   or  if  he  asks  for  an  egg,  will  offer  him  a     12 
scorpion?    If  you  then,  with  all  your  human  frailty,  know  how     13 
to  give  your  children  gifts  that  are  good  for  them,  how  much 
more  certainly  will  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  give  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  those  who  ask  Him  !  " 

,.     ^  On    one   occasion    He   was   expelling    a   dumb     14 

He  replies  to      ,  ,        ,  ,         ,  t"  »  t 

an  infamous    demon  ;  and  when  the  demon  was  gone  out  the 
Slander.       (jmi-,b   man   could    speak,    and   the   people    were 
astonished.     But  some  among  them  said,  "  It  is  by  Baal-zebul     15 
the  prince  of  the  demons  that  he  expels  the  demons."     Others,     16 
to  put  Him  to  the  test,  asked  Him  for  a  sign  in  the  sky.     And     17 
knowing  their  thoughts  He  said  to  them,  "  Every  kingdom  in 
which  civil  war  rages  goes  to  ruin  :  family  attacks  family  and  is 


7.    You  from  indoors]  Lit.  '  the  other  from  indoors.' 

8    Persistrncy]  The  primary   .sense  of  tliis  word  is  '  impudence,'  but  it  would  be 
ridiculous  always  to  translate  words  according  to  their  original  meaning. 
\i.  A  slice  of  bread]  Lit.  '  a  loaf.'     Rut  cp.  verse  5. 

13.  IVitk  all  your  liuman  frailty]  Cp.  Matt.  vii.  ir.  It  is  in  both  places  lit. 
'being  wicked,' but  Luke  uses  a  different  word  to  express  'being.'  Cp.  Acts  viii. 
16,  n.  Who  is  in  heaven]  Lit.  '  out  of  heaven.'  Cp.  Mark  iii.  21  ;  Acts  xvii.  13; 
and  notes. 

T4-15.  Cp.  Matt.  ix.  32-34. 

14.  People]   Lit.  'crowds.' 

15.  By  Baal-zebul]  Lit.  'in  Baal-zebul.'  Some  take  this  'in'  to  mean  'em- 
powered by,'  but  it  is  more  probably  'as  possessed  by,'  for  the  same  preposition  is 
used  in  Mark  i.  23  ;  v.  2.  When  in  iv.  i  we  read  that  Jesus  '  was  led  about  in  the 
Spirit,'  the  preposition  seems  to  have  the  .same  force. 

16.  Sign  in  the  sky]  Cp.  Mark  viii.  11  and  note  ;  cp.  Matt.  xii.  38-42. 
17-26.   Cp.  Matt.  xii.  43-45. 

17.  /«  ivhich  ci"iiil  tvar  7-ages]  Lit.  'which  has  been  divided  against  itself.' 
Family  attacks  family  and  is  overthrown]  Lit.  '  house  falls  upon  (or,  against) 
house.' 


LUKE   XI.  167 

overthrown.     And  if  Satan  really  has  engaged  in  fierce  conflict     18 
with  himself,  how  shall  his  kingdom  stand  ?   because  you  say 
that  I   expel  demons  by  Baal-zebul.     And  if  it  is  by   Baal-zebul     19 
that  I  expel  the  demons,  by  whom  do  your  disciples  expel  them  ? 
They  therefore  shall  be  your  judges.     But  if  it  is  by  the  power     20 
of  God  th  u  I  drive  out  the  demons,  it  is  evident  that  the  King- 
dom of  God  has  come  upon  you. 

"Whenever   a   strong    man,   fully   armed    and     21 
The  Devil's  •         j     •  j-         T-  ,       , 

immense      equipped,  IS  guardmg  his  own  castle,  he  enjoys 

Power  over     peaceful  possession  of  his  property  ;  but  as  soon     22 
as  another  stronger  than  he  attacks  him  and  over- 
comes him,  he  takes  away  that  complete  armour  of  his  in  which 
he  trusted,  and  distributes  the  plunder  he  has  collected.     Who-     23 
ever  is  not  with  me  is  against  me,  and  whoever  is  not  gathering 
with  me  is  scattering  abroad. 

Moral  Refor-        "  When  a  foul  spirit  has  left  a  man,  it  roams     24 
mation  may    about  in  the  desert,  seeking  a  resting-place;  but, 
not  last.       unable  to  find  any,  it  says,  '  I  will  return  to  the 
house  I  have  left  ; '  and  when  it  comes,  it  finds  the  house  swept     25 
clean  and  in  good  order.     Then  it  goes  and  brings  with  it  seven     ?6 
other  spirits  more  malignant  than  itself,  and  they  enter  and 
dwell  there ;  and   in   the   end   that   man's   condition  becomes 
worse  than  it  was  at  first." 

^  ,   ^.  As  He  thus  spoke,  a  woman  in  the  crowd  called     27 

Only  the  .  ^      . 

obedient  are  out  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Blessed  is  the  mother  who 
to  be  envied,  ^^^y^^^  yQ^^  ^^^^  ^j^^  breasts  that  you  have  sucked." 
"Nay  rather,"  He  replied,  "  they  are  blessed  who  hear  God's     28 
Message  and  carefully  keep  it." 

The  Jews  Now   when   the   crowds   came  thronging  upon     29 

"lof"® guilty  Him,  He  proceeded  to  say,  "The  present  genera- 
ancient  tion  is  a  wicked  generation  :  it  requires  some  sign, 
Heathen.        ^^^   ^^   ^-^^    ^^^^^   ^^   g-^^^^   ^^  jj.    g^cept    that    of 

18.  Really  has\  The  emphasis  of  these  two  words  is  expressed  by  a  separate  ijar- 
ticle  {kai)  in  tlie  (^reeiv.     Cp.  i  Cor.  iv.  7  ;  vli.  11,  21,  28  ;  xi.  19  ;  xv.  29  ;  Gal.  vi.  i. 

19     Your  disciples\  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  27,  n.  ^    r,  .m. 

20.  Pojver]  Lit.  'finger.'  Cp.  Exod.  viii.  19.  The  Kingdom  0/ God]  Ihe  en- 
thronement of  God's  Messiah  over  the  lives  of  individuals  an  1  nations  necessarily 
involving  the  dethronement  (Rev.  xii.  9;  xx.  2)  of  the  devil,  up  to  that  time  the 
prince  or  ruler  of  this  world  (Jolin  xiv.  30).  Has  come  upon  you]  Cp.  Matt.  xu. 
28,  n.  The  idea  seems  to  he  that  the  expulsion  of  lesser  evil  spirits  portended 
the  overthrow  also  of  their  chieftain. 

25.   In  ^ood  ordef]  Cp.  M:iU.  xii.  44,  n.  ,.,,  ,        ..j-jj. 

28    Nay  rather,  they  are  blessed]  Or  '  Blessed  mdeed  are  they,    the     indeed 
being  emphatic.     Carefully  keep  it]  The  same  verb  is  rendered  '  guard    m  verse  21, 
Cp.  Matt.  xix.  20,  n. 

29-36.  Cp.  Matt.  xii.  38-42. 


i68  LUKE   XL 

Jonah.    For  just  as  Jonah  became  a  sign  to  the  men  of  Nineveh,     30 
so  the  Son  of  Man  will  be  a  token  to  the   present  generation. 
The  Queen  of  the  South  will  awake  at  the  Judgement  together     31 
with  the  men  of  the  present  generation,  and  will  condemn  them  ; 
because  she  came  from  the  extremity  of  the  earth  to  hear  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  but  mark,  One  greater  than  Solomon  is 
here.     There  will  stand  up  men  of  Nineveh  at  the  Judgement     37. 
together   with  the   present   generation,    and  will    condemn    it ; 
because  they  repented  at  the  preaching  of  Jonah  ;  and  mark. 
One  greater  than  Jonah  is  here. 

"  When  any  one  lights  a  lamp,  he  never  puts  it     33 
^^/TiSl t'iti!?''  ill  the  cellar  or  under  the  bushel,  but  on  the  lamp- 

givmg  Light.  '  " 

Stand,  that  people  who  come  in  may  see  the  light. 
The  lamp  of  the  body  is  the  eye.     When  your  eyesight  is  good,     34 
your  whole  body  also  is  lighted  up  ;  but  when  it  is  defective, 
your  body  is  darkened.      Consider  therefore  whether  the  light     35 
that  is  in  you  is  anything  but  mere  darkness.     If,  however,  your     36 
whole  body  is  penetrated  with  light,  and  has  no  part  dark,  it 
will  be  so  lighted,  all  of  it,  as  when  the  lamp  with  its  bright 
shining  gives  you  light." 
^1^     I    ^  ^        When  He  had  thus  spoken,  a  Pharisee  invited     37 
Pharisee's      Him  to  breakfast  at  his  house  ;  so  He  entered  and 
House.         ^^^^  p^-g  place  at  table.     Now  the  Pharisee  saw     38 
to  his  surprise  that  He  did  not  wash  His  hands  before  break- 
fasting.    The  Lord  however  said  to  him,   "  Here  we  see  how     39 
you  Pharisees  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  or  plate,  v.'hile  your 
secret  hearts  are  full  of  greed  and   selfishness.     Foolish  men  !     40 
Did  not  He  who  made  the  outside  make  the  inside  also  ?    But    41 
as  to  what  is  within,  give  alms,  and  instantly  all  is  clean  in  you. 
A  sorrowful         "  ^^^  alas  for  you  Pharisees  !    for  you  pay  tithes     42 
Denunciation  on  your  mint  and  rue  and  every  kind  of  garden 
ypocrisy.   ygggj-g^j-jj^^   r^^^  g^j-g   indifferent    to  justice  and  the 
love  of  God.     These  are  the  things  you  ought   to  have  attended 
to,   while  not  neglecting  the  others.     Alas    for  you  Pharisees  !     43 
for  you  love  the  best  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  you  like  to  be 
bowed  to  in  places  of  public  resort.     Alas  for  you  !  for  you  are     44 

31,  32.  One  greater]  Lit.  'more.' 
33.  In  the  cellar]  Or  '  in  a  cellar.' 
39.   Si'ljishness]  Or  '  wiclvcdness.' 

41.  Give  alms]  Equivalent  to  saying  'practise  all  righteousness,' almsgiving  being, 
a':cording  to  tlie  Pharisees,  the  chief  element  in  righteousness  (cp.  Matt.  vi.  i,  n.U 
and  to  many  of  them  the  most  difficult  element  (cp.  verse  39  ■;  xvi.  14).  Instantly] 
Cp.  Matt.  viii.  24,  n.     In  yon]   Lit.  '  to  you.' 

42.  Alas]  Cp.  vi.  24.     Attended  to]  Lit.  'done.' 


LUKE    XI.-XII. 


169 


like  the  tombs  which  lieliidden,  and  people  who  wnlk  over  them 
are  not  aware  of  their  existence." 

Hereupon   one   of  the   expounders   of  the    Law    exclaimed,     45 
*' Rabbi,  in  saying  such  things  you  reproach  us  also."    "  Alas  too     46 
for  you  expounders  of  the  Law  !  "    replied  Jesus,  "for  you  load 
men  with  cumbrous   burdens   which   you   yourselves  will   not 
touch  with  one  of  your  fingers.     Alas  for  you  !  for  you  repair    47 
the  tombs  of  the   Prophets,  whom  your  forefathers  killed.     It     48 
follows  that  you  are  the  witnesses  to  the  actions  of  your  fore- 
fathers and  you  fully  approve  thereof;    they  slew,  you  build. 
For  this  reason  also  the  Wisdom  of  God  has  said,  '  I  will  send     49 
Prophets  and  Apostles  to  them,  of  whom  they  will  kill   some 
and  persecute  others,  so  that  the  blood  of  all  the  Prophets,  that     50 
is  being  shed  from  the  creation  of  the  world  onwards,  may  be 
required  from  the  present  generation  ;  all,   from  the  blood  of    51 
Abel  down  to  the  blood  of  Zechariah  who  perished  between  the 
altar  and  the  House'  (Enoch  ix.  i).     Yes,  I  tell  you,  it  shall  be 
required  from  the  present  generation.     Alas  for  you  expounders     52 
of  the  Law  !    for  you  have  taken  away  the  key  of  knowledge  : 
you  yourselves  have  not  entered,  and  those  who  wanted  to  enter 
you  have  hindered." 

After  He  had  left  the  house,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  com-     53 
menced  a  vehement  attempt  to  entangle  Him  and  make   Him 
give  off-hand   answers  on   numerous  points,  lying  in    wait   to     54 
catch  some  unguarded  expression  from  His  lips. 

AWarnifiK         Meanwhile    the   people    had    come    streaming     i   TO 
against       towards  Him  by  tens  of  thousands,  so  that  they 
ypocnsy.      ^y^^e  trampling  one  another  under  foot.     And  now 
He  proceeded  to  say  to  His  disciples  first,  "  Beware  of  the  yeast 
of  the  Pharisees,  that  is  to  say,  beware  of  hypocrisy.     There  is     2 
nothing  that  is  covered  up  which  will  not  be  uncovered,  nor 
hidden  which  will  not  become  known.     Whatever  therefore  you     3 
have  said  in  the  dark,  will  be  heard  in  the  light  ;  and  what  you 
have  whispered  within  closed  doors  will  be  proclaimed  from  the 
house-tops. 

"  But  to  you  who  are  my  friends  I  say.  Be  not  afraid  of  those     4 

45.  Rabbi]  Lit.  '  Teacher.' 

48.  It  follows  that]  See  Aorist,  p.  48.     Witnesses  .  .  approve  of\  Cp.  Acts   vii. 
58  ;  viii.  I. 

50.  That  is  being  shed]  The  tense  (present)  seems  to  he  intended  to  include   the 
future  as  well  as  the  past — 'all  that  has  been  or  shall  be  shed.' 

51.  Required]  Cp.  2  Chron.  xxiv.  22. 

I.    To  His  disciples  first,   ''Beware]  Or   'to   His  disciples,   "Above  all  things 
beware." ' 


lyo  LUKE   XII. 

A  Warning  ^^^^°  ^^^^  ^^^^  body  and  after  that  can  do  nothing 
against  fear,   further.      I    will    warn  you    whom   to    fear:    fear     5 

'"^    ^""       him    who   after  killing  has   power  to  throw  into 
Gehenna  :  yes,  I  say  to  you,  fear  him.     Are  not  five  sparrows     6 
sold  for  a  penny  ?    and  yet  not  one  of  them  is  a  thing  forgotten 
in  God's  sight.    But  the  very  hairs  on  your  heads  are  all  counted.     7 
Away  with  fear  :  you  are  more  precious  than  a  multitude  of 
sparrows. 

"  And  I  tell  you  that  every  man  who  shall  have     8 
anci'o?noV    acknowledged  me  before  men,  the   Son  of  Man 
disowning      will  also  acknowledge  before  the  angels  of  God  ; 

but  He  who  disowns  me  before  men  will  be  dis-     9 
owned  before  the  angels  of  God. 

.  "  Moreover  every  one  who  shall  speak  against     10 

rejecting  the  the  Son  of  Man,  may  obtain  forgiveness  ;  but  he 
inward  Light.  ^^^^  blasphemes  the  Holy  Spirit  will  never  obtain 
forgiveness.  And  when  they  are  bringing  you  before  syna-  11 
gogues  and  magistrates  and  governors,  do  not  anxiously  ponder 
the  manner  or  matter  of  your  defence,  nor  what  you  are  to  say  ; 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  teach  you  at  that  very  moment  what  12 
you  must  say." 

Just  then  a  man  in  the  crowd  appealed  to  Him.     13 

Jesus  refuses         -'  rr  ^ 

to  be  an  earth.  "  Rabbi,"  he  said,  "  tell  my  brother  to  give  me  a 
ly  Arbitrator.  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  inheritance."     "Man,"    He   replied,     14 
"  who  has   constituted  me  a  judge   or   arbitrator  over  you  ? " 
And  to  the  people   He  said,   "Take  care,  be  on  your  guard     15 
against  all  covetousness,  for  no  one's  life  consists  in  the  super- 
abundance of  his  possessions." 

And  He  spoke  a  parable  to  them.     "A  certain     16 

A  Warning  '  "^ 

against  world-  rich   man's   lands,"  He   said,  "  yielded   abundant 

ly  Greed.       crops,    and   he    debated    within    himself,    saying,     17 
'What  am   I  to  do  ?    for  I  have  no  place  in  which  to  store  my 
crops.'     And  he  said  to  himself,  '  This  is  what  I  will  do  :  I  will     18 
pull  down  my  barns  and  build  larger  ones,  and  in  them  I  will 
store  up  all  my  harvest  and  my  wealth  ;  and  I  will  say  to  my     19 

6.  One/enny]  Lit.  'two  as'^aria.'     Cp.  Matt.  x.  29,  n. 

8.  Every  man  w/to]  The  Greek  is  very  emphatic  'every  one  whosoever,'  '  be  he 
who  he  may,'  '  without  exception.'     Acknaiv/edi^ed]  Cp.  Matt.  x.  32,  n. 

10.  Shall  sf>eak\  Lit.  '  shall  .speak  a  word.'  But  in  English  this  expression 
commonly  signifies  the  utterance  of  something  short  or  otherwise  insignificant.  Our 
Saviour's  gracious  promise  is  not  so  limited.  May  obtain]  Lit.  'shall  obtain.' 
Blasphemes]  Lit.  '  shall  have  blasphemed  '  (or  '  reviled  ')-     Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  39.  ' 

13.   Rabbi]  Lit.  '  Teacher.' 

19,20,23.  Life]  Or  'soul.'  Cp.  i  Thess.  v.  23;  Matt.  x.  28,  39;  Mark  viii, 
35i  36. 


LUKE   XII.  171 

life,  '  Life,  you  have  ample  possessions  laid  up  for  many  years 
to  come  :  take  your  ease,  eat,  drink,  enjoy  yourself     But  God     20 
said  to  him,  '  Foolish  man,  this  night  your  life  is  demanded  from 
you;  and  these  preparations — for  whom  shall  they  be?'    So  is     21 
it  with  him  who  amasses  treasure  for  himself,  but  has  no  riches 
in  God." 
All  Worry  is        ^^^^  turning  to   His  disciples  He  said,  "For     22 
forbidden  to    this  reason  I  say  to  you.  Dismiss  all  anxious  care 

Christians.       r  ^•  1     ^  ,    ^ 

for  your  lives,  what  you  are  to  eat,  and  for  your 
bodies,  what  you  are  to  put  on.     For  life  is  a  greater  gift  than     23 
food,  and  the  body  is  a  greater  gift  than  clothing.     Observe  the     24 
ravens;  they  neither  sow  nor  reap,  and  have  neither  store-chamber 
nor  barn  ;  and  yet  God  feeds  them  :  how  far  more  precious  are 
you   than  the   birds  !    And   which   of  you  is  able   by  anxious     25 
thought  to  add  a  moment  to  his  life  ?    If  then  you  are  unable  to     26 
do  even  a  very  little  thing,  why  be  over-anxious  about  other 
matters.''     Observe  the   lilies,   how   they   grow:    they   neither     27 
labour  nor  spin  ;    and  yet  I   tell  you  that  not  even   Solomon 
in  all  his  splendour  was  as  beautifully  dressed  as  one  of  these. 
But  if  God  so  clothes  the  vegetation  in  the  fields,  that  blooms     28 
to-day  and  to-morrow  becomes  fuel  for  the  oven,  how  much 
more  will  He  clothe  you,  you  men  of  feeble  faith  ! 

"Do  not,  therefore,  be  asking  what  you  are  to     29 
•Aim^chiefly    ^^^  ^^^  ^l^,^|.  ^^^  ^^^  ^^  drink  ;  and  do  not  waver 

Pre-eminence  between  hope  and  fear.     For  though  the  nations     30 
in  Goodness.'       ^    ,  ,  f^  ,  ,  .  '^  . 

of  the  world  pursue  these  thmgs,  as  for  you,  your 

Father  knows  that  you  need  them.     But  make  His  Kingdom  the     31 
object  of  your  pursuit,  and  these  things  shall  be  given  you  in 
addition. 

"  Dismiss  your  fears,  little  flock  :  your  Fatlier     32 
'Sn^Hea^e^n.'**'  A^ds  a  pleasu're  in  giving  you  the  Kingdom.     Sell     33 

your  possessions  and  give  alms.  Provide  your- 
selves with  purses  that  will  never  wear  out,  a  treasure  inex- 
haustible in  heaven,  where  no  thief  can  come  or  moth  consume. 

21  In  God]  Lif.  (laid  up) '  into  God,'  as  the  rich  man  intends  to  brin?  his  corn  nnd 
wine  and  uil  'into'  his  barns  to  be  kept  there.  Cp.  iv.  23,  n.  ;  vi.  8.  Or  perhaps  the 
sense  is  '  in  relation  to  God.'  „,.    ,t-      iuj     i 

22.  Z,;7W]  Lit.  'life' or 'soul.'     Bodies]  hit      body .  ,1,,.   .u, 

II    Food  .  .  clothing]  Or  'its   food  .  .  its   clothnig.'    The  thought   is  that     he 

unseen  Father  who  bestows  the  greater  gift  may   be  unpl.ctly  trusted  to  bestow  the 

^^^11'.' A]  v.L.  '  one  '  or  'a  single.'     Moment  to  his  life]  Or  'a  cubit  (half  a  yard)  to 
his  height.'     Cp.  Matt.  vi.  27,  n. 

28.  Blooms]  Lit.  'exists.' 

32.  Dismiss  your  fears]  Cp.  vn.  13, 


172  LUKE   XII. 

For  where  your  vvealtli  is  stored,  there  also  will  your  heart  be.     34 
"  Have  your  belts  on,  and  let  your  lamps  be     35 

ai'e^t  fo"ryotjr  alight  ;  and  be  yourselves   like  men    waiting    for     36 
Master's       their  master— on  the  look-out  till  he  shall  return 
from  the  wedding  feast — that  when  he  comes  and 
knocks  they  may  open  the  door  instantly.     Blessed  are  those     37 
servants,  whom  their  Master  when  He  comes  shall  find  on  the 
watch.     I    tell  you,   in  solemn  truth,  that  He  will  tie  a  towel 
round  His  own  waist,  and  will  bid  them  recline  at  table  while 
He  comes  and  waits  on  them.     And  whether  it  be  in  the  second     38 
watch  or  in  the  third  that  He  comes  and  finds  them  so,  blessed 
are  they.     Of  this  be  sure,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had     39 
known  what  time  the  robber  was  coming,  he  would  have  kept 
awake  and  not  have  allowed  his  house  to  be  broken  into.     Be     40 
you  also  ready,  for  at  an  hour  when  you  are  not  expecting  Him 
the  Son  of  Man  will  come." 

"  Master,"  said  Peter,  "are  you  addressing  this  parable  to  us,     41 
or  to  all  alike  ?  "    The  Lord  replied,  "  Who,  then,  is  the  faithful     42 
and  intelligent  steward  whom  his  Master  will  put  in  charge  of 
His  household  to  serve  out  their  rations  at  the  proper  times  ? 
Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  Master  when  He  comes  shall     43 
find  so  doing.     1  tell  you  truly  that  He  will  put  him  in  authority     44 
over  all  His  possessions.     But  if  that  servant  should  say  in  his     45 
heart,  '  My  Master  is  a  long  time  in  coming,'  and  should  begin 
to  beat  the  menservants  and  the  maids,  and  to  eat  and  drink, 
drinking  even  to  excess  ;  that  servant's  Master  will  come  on  a     46 
day  when  he  is  not  expecting  Him  and  at  an  hour  that  he  knows 
not  of,  and  will  punish  him  severely,  and  make  him  share  the 
Jot  of  the  unfaithful.     And  that  servant  who  had  been  told  his     47 
Master's  will  and  yet  made  no  preparation  and  did  not  obey 
His  will,  will  receive  many  lashes  ;  but  he  who  had  not  been     48 
told  it  and  yet  did  what  deserved  the  scourge,  will  receive  but 
few  lashes.     To  whomsoever  much  has  been  given,  from  him 

36.  Retuf-n]  Lit.    'pack  up  (or,  loose  from  his  moorings)  and  come.'     The  same 
verb  occurs  once  elsewhere,  Phil.  i.  23,  and  the  kindred  noun  once,  2  Tim.  iv.  6. 
37  to  47.   Sema/it]  Or  'slave.'     Servants]  Or  'slaves.' 

45.  Should  say  .  .  should  beght\  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  classical  Greek  corre- 
sponding to  this  form  of  expression  is  unknown  to  the  N.T.  AT enset rants]  Lit. 
'boys,'  but  not  'younger'  slaves,  as  some  have  supposed.  Tlie  head  slave  or 
steward  among  the  Romans  used  to  employ  the  stick  freely  even  upon  men,  irre- 
spectively of  their  age.     Cp.  vii.  7. 

46.  Punish  /liin  severely]  Lit.  '  cut  him  in  twOj' 

48.  EntrustCii]  Or  'committed.'  As  'a  sum  deposited,'  says  Godet  ;  but  the 
figure  is  rather  that  of  a  stave  whose  duty  it  was  to  expend  (as  dispensator'),  or  to 
trade  with  (as  institor),  his  master's  money,  than  that  of  a  banker  who  receives 
deposits. 


LUKE   XII.-XIII.  173 

much  will  be  required  ;  and  to  whom  much  has  been  entrusted, 
of  him  a  larger  amount  will  be  demanded. 

Conflict  must       "  ^  came  to  throw  fire  upon  the  earth,  and  what     49 
precede  eter-  is  my  desiie  ?     Oh  that  it  were  even  now  kindled  !     150 

But  I  have  a  baptism  to  undergo  ;  and  how  am  I 
pent  up  till  it  is  accomplished  !    Do  you  suppose  that  I  came  to     51 
give  peace  on  earth  ?     No,  I  tell  you  that  I  came  to  bring  dis-     52 
sension.     For  from  this  time  there  will  be  in  one  house   five 
persons  split  into  parties  :  three  will  form  a  party  against  two 
and  two  will  form  a  party  against  thiee  ;  father  against  son  and     53 
son  against  father;  mother  attacking  daughter  and  daughter  her 
mother,  mother-in-law  her  daughter-in-law,  and  daughter-in-law 
her  mother-in-law"  (Micah  vii.  6). 

Then  He  said  to  the  people  also,  "When  you  see  a  cloud     54 
rising   in  the  west,    you  immediately    say,   '  There  is  to  be  a 
shower  ; '   and  it  comes  to  pass.     And  when  you  see  a  south     55 
wind  blowing,  you  say,  '  It  will  be  burning  hot  ;'  and  it  comes 
to  pass.     Vain  pretenders  !    you  know  how  to   read  the  aspect     56 
of  earth  and  sky  :  how  is  it  you  cannot  read  this  present  time  ? 

"Why,   too,    do   you   not   of  yourselves  arrive   at  just  con-     57 
elusions  ?    For  when,  with  your  opponent,  you  are  going  before     58 
the  magistrate,  on  the  way  take  pains  to  get  out  of  his  power  ; 
for  fear  that,  if  he  should  drag  you  before  the  judge,  the  judge 
may  hand  you  over  to  the  officer  of  the  court,  and  the  officer 
lodge  you  in  prison.     Never,  I  tell  you,  will  you  get  free  till  you     59 
have  paid  the  last  farthing." 

A  F  retaste  of     ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^'^^^  people  Came  to  tell  Him  about     i    1  Q 
national       the  Galilaeans  whose   blood  Pilate  had  mingled 
Judgement.    ^.^^^   ^^^j^.   sacrifices.       "Do   you   suppose,"    He     2 
asked   in   reply,    "  that   those    Galilaeans   were  worse   sinners 

49-53.  Christianity  ultimately  brings  eternal  peace  and  joy  to  individuals  and 
families,  to  nations  and  to  the  world.  But  with  prophetic  foresight  our  Lord  here 
anticipates  the  fact  that  the  peace  and  the  joy  must  often  be  preceded  by  terrible 
conflict  and  suffering. 

50.  B7(i]  I  long  to  see  that  universal  battle  in  which  Truth  and  Righteousness  will 
triumph  ;   but  the  Cross  must  come  first  ! 

5I-53-   Cp.  Matt.  x.  34-36. 

54.  Feople\  Lit.  'crowds.'  Rising]  The  act  in  progress,  not  the  act  as  a  whole. 
Cp.  ■  blowing  '  (verse  55)  and  x.  18.  A  shower]  Or  'rain.'  Not  however  long  con- 
tinued rain,  but  a  heavy  tropical  shower. 

58.  Going  bf/ore  the  magistrate]  An  appeal  for  national  repentance  seems  included 
here.     The  whole  Jewish  people  was  now  on  its  way  to  judgement. 

58,  59.  The  '  you  '  and  '  your  '  here  are  singular. 

58.  J''o>\  I.E.  '  for  in  matters  of  this  life  each  of  you  knows  how  to  act.'  Should 
.  .  viay]  There  is  a  difference  of  construction  in  the  Greek  which  doubtless  indi- 
cates a  different  shade  of  meaning. 

2.  Those]  U\t.  'these.'  The  Greek  words  commonly  rendered  'this'  and  'that' 
are  not  distinguised  in  use  in  quite  tlie  same  way  as  our  English  demonstratives  are. 
Occasio;.aily  (as  in  xvii.  34  ;  Gal.  vi.  7)  this  is  recognised  even  in  the  A.  V. 


174  LUKE   XIII. 

than  the  mass  of  the  Galilaeans,  because    this   happened  to 
them  ?     I  tell  you,  certainly  not.     On  the  contrary,  if  you  are     3 
not  penitent  you  will  all  perish  as  they  did.     Or  those  eighteen     4 
on  whom  the  tower  at  Siloam  fell,  do  you  suppose  they  had 
failed  in  their  duty  more  than  all  the  rest  of  the  people  who  live 
in  Jerusalem  ?     I  tell  you,  certainly  not.     On   the  contrary,  if    5 
you  do  not  repent  you  will  all  perish  just  as  they  did." 

And  He  gave  them  the  following  parable.     "A     6 
"'"^Fig-'Tree!^"'  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^  ^   fig-tree   growing   in  his  garden 
came  to  look  for  fruit  on  it  and  could  find  none.     So 
he  said  to  the  gardener, '  See,  this  is  the  third  year  I  have  come  to     7 
look  for  fruit  on  this  fig-tree  and  cannot  find  any,      Cut  it  down. 
Why  should  so  much  ground  be  actually  wasted  ? '     But  the     8 
gardener  pleaded,  '  Leave  it,  Sir,  this  year  also,  till  I  have  dug 
round  it  and  manured  it.     If  after  that  it  bears  fruit,  well  and     9 
good  ;  if  it  does  not,  then  you  shall  cut  it  down.'" 

^         ^  Once  He  was  teaching  on  the  Sabbath  in  one  of     10 

Cure  of  a       ,  ,  ^  , 

crippled      the  synagogues  where  a  woman  was  present  who     1 1 
Woman.      ^^^  eighteen  years  had  been  a  confirmed  invalid  : 
she  was  bent  double,  and  was  unable  to  lift  herself  to  her  full 
height.     But  Jesus  saw  her,  and  addressing  her  aloud,  He  said,     12 
"Woman,  you  are  free  from  your  weakness  ;"  and  He  put  His     13 
hands  on  her,  and  she  immediately  stood  upright  and  began  to 
give  glory  to  God. 

Then  the  Warden  of  the  Synagogue,  indignant  that  Jesus  had  14 
cured  her  on  a  Sabbath,  said  to  the  crowd,  "  There  are  six  days  in 
the  week  on  which  people  ought  to  work  ;  on  those  days  there- 
fore come  and  get  yourselves  cured,  and  not  on  the  Sabbath  day." 
But  the  Lord's  reply  to  him  was,  "  Hypocrites,  does  not  each  15 
of  you  on  the  Sabbath  untie  his  bullock  or  his  ass  from  the  stall 
and  lead  him  to  water  ?  and  this  woman,  daughter  of  Abraham     16 

3.  Are  not  penitent]  Lit.  '  shall  not  repent.'  As  they  did]  Lit.  '  in  a  similar  way.' 
There  may  be  a  special  reference  intended  here  to  the  violent  deaths  which,  in 
retribution  for  their  impenitence,  many  of  our  Lord's  contemporaries  died.  1,100,000 
persons  are  said  to  have  perished  in  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  and  Joseph  us  (Wars  ii. 
18)  records  that  great  massacres  of  the  Jews  throughout  the  Roman  Empire  took 
place  about  the  same  time.     Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  28. 

4.  Failed  in  their  duty]  Cp.  xi    4. 

5.  Do  not  repent]  lAt.  '  shall  not  have  repented.'  Just  as  they  did]  Lit.  'in  the 
same  manner.' 

9.  IVeil  and  good]  These  words  are  not  in  the  original,  but  the  sentence  is  left 
unfinished.  Cp.  Gen.  xxx.  27;  Exod.  xxxii.  32;  Matt.  xv.  5;  Mark  vii.  11 ; 
Acts  xxiii.  9. 

11.  Been  a  confirmed  invalid]  Lit.  '  had  a  spirit  of  weakness.'     Cp.  verse  16. 

12.  You  are/ree]  i.e.  '  not  merely  my  will  (though  you  knew  it  not)  has  liberated 
you,  but  you  remain  in  a  state  of  liberty.'  Such  is  the  force  of  the  perfect  tense.  See 
Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 


LUKE   XIII.  175 

as  she  is,  whom  Satan  had  bound  for  no  less  than  eighteen 
years,  was  she  not  to  be  loosed  from  this  chain  because  it  Avas 
the  Sabbath  day?^'     As  He  thus  spoke,  all  His  opponents  were     17 
ashamed,  while  the  whole  multitude  was  dehghted  at  the  many 
glorious  things  continually  done  by  Him. 

'Th    Mu  t  rd       This  prompted  Him  to  say,  "  What  is  the  King-      18 
Seed,' and      dom  of  God  like  ?  and  to  what  shall  I  compare  it.'' 
®*^  ■         It  is  like  a  mustard-seed  which  a  man  drops  into     19 
the  soil  in  his  garden,   and  it  grows  and  becomes  a  tree  in 
whose  branches  the  wild  birds  roost.     And  again  He  said,   "  To     20 
what  shall  I  compare  the  Kingdom  of  God?     It  is  like  yeast     21 
which  a  woman  takes  and  buries  in  a  bushel  of  flour,  to  work 
there  till  the  whole  is  leavened."' 

Intense  ^^  ^^^  passing  through  town  after  town  and     22 

Earnestness     village  after  village,  steadily  proceeding  towards 

eman  e  .      Jerusalem,  when  some  one  asked  Him,  "  Sir,  are     23 
there  but  few  who   are  to    be  saved.'*"    He    answered    them, 
"  Strain  every  nerve  to  force  your  way  in  through  the  narrow     24 
gate  ;  for  multitudes,  I  tell  you,  will  endeavour  to  find  a  way 
in  and  will  not  succeed.     As  soon  as  the  Master  of  the  house     25 
shall  have  risen  and  shut  the  door,  and  you  have    begun    to 
stand  outside  and  knock  at  the  door  and  say,   '  Sir,  open  the 
door  for  us,'  while  He  answers,  '  I  do  not  know  you  :  you  are  no 
friends   of  mine  ; '  then  you  will  plead,  '  We  have  eaten  and     26 
drunk  in  your  company  and  you  have  taught  in  our  streets.' 
But  He  will  reply,  '  I  tell  you  that  you  are  no  friends  of  mine  :     27 
begone  from  me,  all  of  you,  wrongdoers  as  you  are.'    There  will     28 
be  the  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  when  you  see  Abraham 
and  Isaac  and  Jacob  and  all  the  Prophets  in  the   Kingdom  of 
God,  and  yourselves  being  driven  far  away.     They  will  come     29 
from   east   and    west,    from    north   and   south,   and   sit   at    the 
banquet  in  the  Kingdom  of  God.     And  I  tell  you  that  some     30 
now  last  will  then  be  first,  and  some  now  first  will  then  be  last." 

Just  at  that  time    there   came   some    Pharisees     31 

Antipas.      ^^^  warned  Him,  saying,  "  Leave  this  place  and 
continue  your  journey  ;   Herod  means  to  kill  you." 

18-21.   Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  31-33  ;  Mark  iv.  30-32. 

24.  Strain  e^ery  nerve]  Cp.  John  xviii.  36,  n.  Endeavour  to  find  a  way  in]  Or 
'  search  for  an  entrance.' 

25.  Some  put  no  stop  at  the  end  of  verse  24  and  translate  'will  not  succeed  when 
once  the  Master.'  Voit  are  no  friends  0/  tnine]  Lit.  '  I  do  not  know  whence  (i.e.  of 
what  family)  you  are.' 

28.    The  7t>ee/>inz]  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  12,  n.     Driziett  far  aioay]  Lit.  '  thrown  outside.* 
30.  /  tell  you  that]  Lit.  'Lo  ! '     Will  then]  Lit.  '  will.' 


176  LUKE    XIII.-XIV. 

"  Go,"  He  replied,  "  and  take  this  message  to  that  fox :  '  See,     32 
to-day  and  to-morrow  I  am  driving  out  demons  and  effecting 
cures,  and  on  the  third  day  I  finish  my  course."     Yet  I   must     33 
continue  my  journey  to-day  and  to-morrow  and  the  day  follow- 
ing ;  for  it  is  not  conceivable  that  a  Prophet  should 

Jesus  grieves  .     °  '  ^ 

over  Jerusa-    perish  out  of  Jerusalem.     O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,     34 

^"^'  thou   who    murderest   the    Prophets    and    stonest 

those  who  have  been  sent  to  thee,  how  often  have  I  desired  to 
gather  thy  children  just  as  a  hen  gathers  her  brood  under  her 
wings,  and  you  would  not  come !  See,  your  house  is  left  to  you.  35 
But  I  tell  you  that  you  will  never  see  me  again  until  you  say, 
'  Blessed  is  He  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the  lord  ! ' 
(Ps.  cxviii.  26)." 

Dropsy  cured       ^^^  day— it  was  a  Sabbath— He  was  taking  a     I   ] 

on  a  Day  of    meal   at  the  house  of  one  of  the   Rulers   of  the 
Pharisee  party,  while  they  were  closely  watching 
Him.      In    front  of   Him  was   a  man    suffering  from  dropsy.     2 
This  led  Jesus  to  ask  the  lawyers  and  Pharisees,  "Is  it  allowable     3 
to  cure  people  on  the  Sabbath  ?"     They  gave  Him  no  answer  ;     4 
so  He  took  hold  of  the  man,  cured  him,  and  sent  him  away. 
Then  He  turned  to  them  and  said,  "  Which  of  you  shall  have  a     5 
child  or  a  cow  fallen  into  an  underground  tank  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  and  will  not  immediately  hft  him   out."^"      To  this  they     6 
could  make  no  reply. 

Then  when  He  noticed  that  the  invited  guests     7 

^HiTmlnty'."     chose  the  best  seats,  He  used  this  as  an  illustra- 
tion and  said  to  them,  "When  any  one  invites  you     8 
to  a  wedding  banquet,  do  not  take  possession  of  the  best  seat, 
lest  perhaps  some  more  honoured  guest  than  you  may  have  been 
asked,  and  the  man  who  invited  you  both  will  come  and  will  say     9 
to  you,  '  Make  room  for  this  guest,'  and  then  you,  ashamed,  will 
move  to  the  lowest  place.     On  the    contrary,    when   you    are     10 
invited,  go  and   take    the   lowest  place,   that  when  your  host 
comes  round  he  may  say  to  you,  '  My  friend,  come  up  higher  ; ' 
this  will  be  doing  you  honour  in  the  presence  of  all  the  other 

33.  Vet]  Though  I  do  not  hasten  my  steps  because  of  Herod's  threats  or  your 
sinister  designs. 

34-35.  Cp.  Matt,  xxiii:  1-39. 

35.  /s  le/i]  Cp.  Malt,  xxiii.  38,  n.     Until]  v.l.  adds  'the  time  comes  when.' 

I.   Taking-  a  meal]  Or  probably  'dining.'     But  cp.  verse  12. 

5.  Child]  Lit.  '  son.'  v.i,.  reads  '  ass,'  '  cow,"  or  '  bullock.'  There  is  in  the  Greek 
word  no  indication  of  sex.  Undcrgrojmd  tank]  Cp.  Gen.  xxxvii.  22,  24 ;  Jcr. 
xxxviii.  6. 

7.  Seats]  Lit.  'reclining  places.' 

10.  Doing  you  honour]  \J\i.  'glory  to  you.' 


LUKE    XIV.  177 

guests.     For  whoever  uplifts  himself  will  be  humbled,  and  he     11 
who  humbles  himself  will  be  uplifted." 

A  Lesson  in         ^^^^  ^°  ^^^  ^°^'^'  ^^^  ^^^  invited  Him,  He  said,     12 
disinterested    "When  vou  give  a  breakfast  or  a  dinner,  do  not 

Kindness.        ...  r  •       j  u        i  1    .•  •    , 

invite  your  friends  or  brothers  or  relatives  or  rich 
neighbours,  lest  perhaps  they  should  invite  you  in  return  and  a 
requital  be  made  you.     But  when  you  entertain,  invite  the  poor,     13 
the  crippled,  the  lame,  and  the  blind  ;  and  you  will  be  blessed,     14 
because  they  ha\e  no  means  of  requiting  you,  but  there  will  be 
requital  for  you  at  the  Resurrection  of  the  righteous." 
Invitations  After  listening  to  this  teaching,  one  of  His  fellow     15 

rudely  re.     guests  Said  to  Him,  "  Blessed  is  he  who  shall  feast 

in    God's    Kingdom."     Jesus    replied,    "A    man     16 
once    gave    a    great    dinner,    to    which     he    invited    a    large 
number   of  guests.     At    dinner-time    he   sent    his    servant    to     17 
announce  to  those  who  hal  been  invited,  'Come,  for  things  are 
now  ready.'     But   they  all  without  exception  began  to  excuse     18 
themselves.     The  first  told  him,  '  I  have  purchased  a  piece  of 
land,  and  must  of  necessity  go  and  look  at  it.     Pray  hold  me 
excused.'     A  second  pleaded,  'I  have  bouglit  five  yoke  of  oxen,     19 
and   am   on    my    way   to   try    them.     Pray  hold  me  excused.' 
Another  said,  M  am  just  married.     It  is   Lmpossible  for  me  to     20 
come.'     So  the  servant  came  and  brought  these  answers  to  his     21 
master,  and  they  stirred  his  anger.     '  Go  out  quickly,'  he  said, 
'  into  the  streets — the  wide  ones  and  the  narrow.     You  will  see 
poor  men,  and  crippled,  blind,  lame  :  fetch  them  all  in  here.' 
Soon  the  servant  reported  the  result,  saying,  'Sir,  what  you     22 
ordered  is  done,  and  there  is  room  still.'     '  Go  out,'  replied  the     23 
master,  'to  the  high  roads  and   hedge-rows,  and  compel  the 
people  to  come  in,  so  that  my  house  may  be   filled.     For  I  tell     24 
you    that   not   one    of  those    who  were  invited  shall  taste  my 
dinner.' " 

Christ's  Claim      ^^^    ^'^   journey   vast    crowds   attended   Him,     25 
over  us  is      towards  whom  He  turned  and  said,  "If  any  one  is     26 
supreme,      coming  to  me  who  does  not  hate  his  father  and 
mother;  wife  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  yes  and  his  own 
life  also,  he  cannot  be  a  disciple  of  mine.     No  one  who  does     27 

14.  Btii]  See  A  oris t,  pp.  45,  46.'   Resurrection  of  the  righteotis\  Cp.  John  v,  25; 
I  Cor.  XV.  23  ;   Rev.  xx.  4-6. 

16.  Cp.  Rev.  xix.  7,  17. 

17.  Serz'ant]  Or  'slave.'  So  in  verses  21,  22,  23. 
19.  On  my  wa)\  Or  'just  starting.'  Cp.  verse  30. 
26-27.   Cp.  Matt.  x.  37, 

26.  Li/e\  Or  'soul.' 


178  LUKE   XIV. -XV. 

not  carry  his  own  cross  and  come  after  me  can  be  a  disciple  of 

mine. 

"Which    of  you,    desiring    to    build    a    tower,     28 

fng'^Him  w^'  ^"^s  not  sit   down   first  and    calculate    the    cost, 

should  count  asking   if  he   has    the   means   to    finish  it  ?— lest     29 
the  Cost.  .  . 

perhaps,  when  he  has  laid  the  foundation  and  is 

unable  to  finish,  all  who  see  it  shall  begin  to  jeer  at  him,  saying,     30 

'This  man  began  to  build,  but  could  not  finish.'     Or  what  king,     31 

marching  to  encounter  another  king  in  war,  does  not   first  sit 

down  and  deliberate  whether  he  is  able  with  ten  thousand  men 

to  meet  the  one  who  is  advancing  against  him  with  twenty 

thousand  ?     If  not,  while  the  other  is  still  a  long  way  off,  he     32 

sends  messengers  and  sues  for  peace.     Just  so  no  one  of  you     33 

who  does  not  detach  himself  from  all  that  belongs  to  him  can  be 

a  disciple  of  mine. 

"  Salt  is  good  ;   but  if  even  the  salt  has  become   tasteless,     34 
what  will  you  use  to  season  it?     Neither  for  land  nor  dunghill     35 
is  it  of  any  use  :  they  throw  it  away.     Listen,  every  one  who 
has  ears  to  listen  with  !  " 

Now  the  tax-gatherers  and  the  notorious  sinners     i   ][^ 
'^^Iheep/'"^    were  everywhere  in  the  habit  of  coming  close  to 

Him  to  listen  to  Him  ;  and  this  led  the  Pharisees     2 
and  the  Scribes   indignantly  to  complain,  saying,    "  He  gives 
a  welcome  to  notorious  sinners,  and  joins  them  at  their  meals !" 
So  in  figurative  language  He  asked  them,  "  Which  of  you  men,  3,  4 
if  he  has  a  hundred  sheep  and  has  lost  one  of  them,  does  not 
leave  the  ninety-nine  in  their  pasture  and  go  in  search  of  the 
lost  one  till  he  finds  it?    And  when  he  has  found  it,  he  lifts  it  on     5 
his  shoulder,  glad  at  heart.     Then  coming  home  he  calls  his     6 
friends  and  neighbours  together,  and  says,  'Congratulate  me,  for 
I  have  found  my  sheep — the  one  I  had  lost.'     I  tell  you  that  in     7 
the  same  way  there  will  be  rejoicing  in  heaven  over  one  repent- 
ant   sinner — more    rejoicing  than   over   ninety-nine    blameless 
persons  who  have  no  need  of  repentance. 

'The  lost  "  ^''  what  woman  who  has  ten  silver  coins,  if     8 

^°'"-'         she  loses  one  of  them,  does  not  light  a  laiUp  and 

31.  Marching],  Or  'setting  out.'     Cp.  verse  19. 

32.  Messengers]  Lit.   'an  embassy."    Sues  for  peace\  Or  'inquires  what  are  the 
conditions  of  peace." 

2,-i- Just  so]  Lit.  '  Just  so  therefore  (or,  then).'     Cp.  Acts  xxvi.  4.     Detach  hijnsel/ 
J'roni]  Or  '  bid  farewell  to." 
34-35.   Cp.  Matt.  V.  13. 

?4.  Salt  is  good]  Lit.  '  Salt  then  is  good."     Cp.  verse  33  ;  Malt.  v.  13,  n. 
3-7.   Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  10-14. 
6,  9.  Congratuiate  !/ie]  Or  'Share  my  joy."     Cp.  Phil.  ii.  17,  18, 


LUKE   XV.  179 

sweep  the  house  and  search  carefully  till  slie  finds  it  ?     And     9 
\\hen  she  has  found  it,  she  calls  together  her  friends  and  neigh- 
bours, and  says,  '  Congratulate  me,  for  I  have  found  the  coin 
which  I   had  lost.'     I  tell  you  that  in  the  same   way  there  is     10 
rejoicing  among  the  angels  of  God  over  one  repentant  sinner." 

He  went  on  to  say,  "  There  was  a  man  who  had     1 1 
^Son/  '^^   two  sons.    The  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father,     12 
'  Father,  give  me  the  share  of  the  property  that 
comes  to  me,'     So  he  divided  his  wealth  between  them.     No     13 
long  time  afterwards  the   younger   son   got   all   together   and 
travelled  to  a  distant  country,  where  he  wasted  his  money  in 
debauchery  and  excess.    At  last,  when  he  had  spent  everything,     14 
there  came  a  terrible  famine  throughout  that  country,  and  he 
began  to  feel  the  pinch  of  want.     So  he  went  and  hired  himself    15 
to  one  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  country,  who  sent  him  on  to  his 
farm  to  tend  swine  ;  and  he  longed  to  make  a  hearty  meal  of     16 
the  pods  the  swine  were  eating,  but  no  one  gave  him  any. 

"But   on  coming  to  himself  he  said,    'How    many    of  my     17 
father's  hired  men  have  more  bread  than  they  want,  while  I  here 
am  dying  of  hunger  I     I  will  rise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will      18 
siy  to  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  Heaven  and  before 
you  :   I   no  longer  deserve  to  be  called  a  son  of  yours  :  treat     19 
me  as  one  of  your  hired  men.'     So  he  rose  and  came  to  his     20 
father.     But  while  he  was  still  a  long  way  off,  his  father  saw 
him  and  pitied  him,  and  ran  and  threw  his  arms  round  his  neck 
and  kissed  him  tenderly.       'Father,'  cried  the  son,  'I    have     21 
sinned  against  Heaven  and  before  you  :  no  longer  do  I  deserve 
to  be  called  a  son  of  yours.'    But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,     22 
'  Fetch  a  good  coat  quickly— the  best  one — and  put  it  on  him  ; 
and  bring  a  ring  for  his  finger  and  shoes  for  his  feet.    Fetch  the     23 
fat  calf  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  feast  and  enjoy  ourselves  ;  for  my     24 
son  here  was  dead  and  has  come  to  life  again  :  he  was  lost  and 
has  been  found.'     And  they  began  to  be  merry. 

"  Now  his  eider  son  was  out  on  the  farm  ;    and  when  he     25 
returned  and  came  near  home,  he  heard  music  and  dancing. 
Then  he  called  one  of  the  lads  to  him  and  asked  what  all  this     26 
meant.     'Your  brother  is  come,' he  replied  ;  'and  your  father     27 

9.  Friends^  Lit.  'woman  friends.' 
10.  Among]  Lit.  'before.' 

14.  He  began]  The  pronoun  is  perhaps  emphatic.      To/ccl  .   .  wa/ti]  The  passive 
voice  of  the  Greek  verb  used  here  marks  not  "the  want  merely,  but  the  sense  of  want. 

15.  Hired  .   .  to]  Lit.  'connected  .  .  with.' 

22.  The  father  will  not  permit  his  son  to  brand  himself  permanently  as  one  who  has 
been  an  outcast. 

25.    Dancing]  Lit.  '  bands  of  darcers,' probably  singing  while  dancing. 


i8o  LUKE   XV.-XVI. 

has  had  the  fat  calf  killed,  because  he  has  got  him   home  safe 
and  sound.'     Then  he  was  angry  and  would  not  go  in.     But  his     28 
father  came  out  and  entreated  him.    'AH  these  years,'  replied  the     29 
son,  '  I  have  been  slaving  for  you,  and  I  have  never  at  any  time 
disobeyed  any  of  yom-  orders,  and  yet  you  have  never  given  me 
so  much  as  a  kid,  for  me  to  enjoy  myself  with  my  friends  ;  but     30 
now  that  this  son  of  yours  is   come   who  has  eaten  up  your 
property  among  his  bad  women,  you  have  killed  the  fat  calf  for 
him.'     '  As  for  you,  dear  boy,' said  the  father,  'you  are  always     31 
with  me,  and  all  that  is  mine  is  yours.    We  were  bound  to  make     32 
merry  and  rejoice,  for  this  brother  of  yours  was  dead  and  has 
come  to  life,  he  was  lost  and  has  been  found.' " 

He  said  also  to  His  disciples  :  "There  was  a     i 
'"'^'^Baifi'ff/"^^*  rich  man  who  had  a  steward,  about  whom  a  report 
was    brought   to   him    that    he    was    wasting    his 
property.     He  called  him  and  said,  '  What  is  this  I  hear  about     2 
you?     Render  an  account  of  your  stewardship,  for  I  cannot  let 
you  hold  it  any  longer.'     Then  the  steward  said  within  himself,     3 
'  What   am    I    to   do  ?      For    my   master   is   taking   away  the 
stewardship  from  me.     I  am  not  strong  enough  for  field  labour: 
to  beg,  I  should  be  ashamed.    I  see  what  to  do,  in  order  that  when     4 
I  am  discharged  from  the  stewardship  they  may  give  me  a 
home   in   their   own    houses.'     So    he    called    all   his    master's     5 
debtors,  one  by  one,  and  asked  the  first,  '  How  much  are  you  in 
debt  to  my  master  ? '     'A  hundred  firkins  of  oil,'  he  replied.     6 
'Here  is  your  account,'   said  the  steward:  'sit  down  quickly 
and  change  it  into  fifty  firkins.'     To  a  second  he  said,   '  And     7 
how  much  do  you  owe.?'     'A  hundred  quarters  of  wheat,'  was 
the  answer.     '  Here  is  your  account,'  said  he  :  '  change  it  into 
eighty  quarters.'    And  the  master  praised  the  dishonest  steward     8 
for  the  shrewdness  of  the  fraud  ;  for  in  relation  to  their  own 
contemporaries  the  men  of   this  age  are  shrewder  than  the  sons 
_.      ...       .  of  Light. 

The  right  and  ° 

faithful  Use  of      "  But  I  charge  you,  so  to  use  the  wealth  which     9 
®^     ■        is  ever  tempting  to  dishonesty  as  to  win  friends 

29.  Disobeyed\  Lit.  'overstepped.'  In  this  speech  the  elder  brother  shows  that 
he  also  has,  all  along,  been  an  unworthy  son,  serving  his  father  not  ont  of  love  but 
in  the  spirit  of  a  hireling.  The  fact  that  he  would  have  liked  to  enjo)'  himself  '  with 
his  friends,'  and  away  from  his  father,  proves  that  he  too  was  at  heart  a  prodigal! 
And  at  heart  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  (verse  2)  were  also  wanderers  from  God. 

31.  Dear  boy\  Lit.  'child.' 

6,  7.  Firkins  .  .  quarters]  These  are  not  intended  as  exact  translations. 

6,  8.  Chanq^e  it  itito]  Lit.  'write.' 

9.  The  wealth  which  is  ever  tempting  to  dishonesty]  Lit.  '  the  Mamon  of  dis- 
honesty.' 


LUKE   XVI.  i8i 

who,  when  it  fails,   shall  welcome  you  to  the  tents  that  never 
perish.      The    man    who    is    honest   in    a    very    small    matter     lo 
is    honest    in   a   great    one    also  ;    and    he    who    is    dishonest 
in  a  very  small  matter  is  dishonest  in  a  great  one  also.     If     ii 
therefore  you  have  not  proved  yourselves  faithful   in  dealing 
with  the  wealth  that  is  tainted  with  fraud,  who  will  entrust  to 
you   the  true  good?     And   if   you   have    not  been  faithful  in     12 
dealing  with  that  which  is  not  your  own,  who  will  give  you  that 
which  is  your  own  ? 

"No  servant  can  serve  two    masters.      Either     13 
agaiirv^t'^Greed.  ^^^  will  hate  one  and  love  the  other,  or  he  will 
cling  fast  to  one  and  scorn  the  other.     You  cannot 
be  bondservants  both  of  God  and  of  gold." 
The  Pharisees      ^°  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  Pharisees  listened,  bitterly  jeer-     14 

rotten  at      ing  at  Him  ;  for  they  were  lovers  of  money.    "You     15 
Heart.        ^^^  they,"  He  said  to  them,  "  who  boast  of  their 
own  goodness  before  men,  but  God   sees  your  hearts  ;  for  that 
which  holds  a  proud  position  among  men  is  detestable  in  God's 
sight.     The  Law  and  the  Prophets  continued  until  John  came  :     16 
from  that  time  the  Good  News  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  been 
spreading,  and  all  classes  have  been  forcing  their  way  into  it. 
But  it  is  easier  for  earth  and  sky  to  pass  away  than  for  one     17 
smallest  detail  of  the  Law  to  fall  to  the  ground.     Every  man     18 
who  divorces  his  wife  and  marries  another  commits  adultery  ; 
and  he  who  marries  her  when  so  divorced  from  her  husband 
commits  adultery. 
'The  rich  Man      "There  was  once  a  rich   man  who    habitually     19 

and  the^       arrayed  himself   in    purple   and    fine   linen,   and 
eggar.        enjoyed  a  splendid  banquet  every  day,  while  at     20 
his  outer  door  there  lay  a  beggar,  Lazarus  by  name,  covered 
with  sores  and  longing  to  make  a  full  meal  off  the  scraps  flung     21 

II,  13.   Wealth,  gold]  Lit.  *  Mamon.'     Tainted  with /rated]  Lit.  'dishonest.' 
13.  Servant]  Or  '  house-slave.'     Cp.  Acts  x.  7,  n.     (i'he  noun  is  not  expressed  ift' 
the  parallel  passage.  Malt.  vi.  24).     Serve]  Or  '  be  the  slave  of.'     Bondservants]  Or 
'  slaves.'     Cp.  Matt.  vi.  24. 

T^.  Bitterly  jeering]  Perhaps  more  exactly  '  turning  up  their  noses,'  'disdainfully- 
sneering.'  The  same  compound  verb  occurs  in  xxiii.  35,  and  the  simple  verb  in 
Gal.  vi.  7. 

16.  //«.?  been  spreading  .  .  have  been/orcing]  On  the  tense  see  Aorist  iii.  2,  3. 

17.  Cp.  Matt.  v.  18. 

18.  Her  when  so  divorced]  Or  perhaps  'a  woman  divorced.'     Cp.  Matt.  v.  32. 
ig.  Fine  linen]  Or   'byssus,'  a  linen  made   from  soft,   fine  Egyptian  flax.     The 

word  is  not  the  same  as  the  'sindon  '  of  Mark  xiv.  51. 

20.  Lay]  Lit.  '  had  been  laid  '  (and  still  rejnained  there).  See  Aorist  vii.  3.  The 
verb  does  not  signify  a  heedless  flinging  down,  as  some  have  supposed. 

21.  Scraps]  Among  the  wealthy  Romans,  whose  customs  the  well-to  do  Jews  in 
some  respects  imitated,  these  were  so  numerous  th^t  there  was  a  slave,  the  '  scoparius,' 
to  whom  the  duty  of  sweepuig  them  up  was  specially  assigned. 


1 82  LUKE   XVI.-XVII. 

on  the  floor  from  the  rich  man's  table  ;  nay,  the  dogs  too  used 
to  come  and  lick  his  sores. 

"  But  in  course  of  time  the  beggar  died  ;  and  he  was  carried     22 
off  by  the  angels  to  Abraham's  bosom.    The  rich  man  also  died, 
and  had  a  funeral.     And  in  Hades,  being  in  torment,  he  looked     23 
and  saw  Abraham  in  the  far  distance,  and  Lazarus  resting  in 
his  arms.      So  he  called  aloud  :    '  Father  Abraham,  take  pity     24 
on  me  and  send  Lazarus  to  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water  and 
cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am  in  agony  in  this  flame.'     'Remember,     25 
my  child,'  said  Abraham,  'that  you  had  all  your  good  things 
during  your  lifetime,  and  that  Lazarus  in  like  manner  had  his 
bad  things  ;  but  now  and  here  he  is  receiving  consolation  and 
you  are  in  agony.    And  besides  all  this,  a  vast  chasm  is  immov-     26 
ably  fixed  between  us  and  you,  put  there  in  order  that  those  who 
desire  to  cross  from  this  side  to  you  may  not  be  able,  nor  any 
cross  over  from  your  side  to  us.'     'I  entreat  you  then,  father,'     27 
said  he,  'to  send  him  to  my  father's  house.     For  I  have  five     28 
brothers.     Let  him  earnestly  warn  them,  lest  they  also  come  to 
this  place  of  torment.'     '  They  have  Moses  and  the  Prophets,'     29 
replied  Abraham  ;  '  let  them  hear  them.'     '  No,  father  Abra-     30 
ham,'  he  pleaded;  'but  if  some  one  goes  to  them  from  the  dead, 
they  will  repent.'     Abraham's  answer  was,  '  If  they  are  deaf  to     31 
Moses  and  the  Prophets,  they  would  not  be  led  to  believe  even 
if  some  one  should  rise  from  the  dead.' " 

'Beware  of        Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  " It  is  inevitable  that     i 
leading  others  causes  of  Stumbling  should  come  ;    but   alas   for 

him  through  whom  they  come  !      It  would  be  well     2 
for  him  if,  with  a  millstone  round  his  neck,  he  were  lying  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  rather  than  that  he  should  cause  even  one  of 
these  little  ones  to  fall.     Be  on  your  guard.  3 

''  If  your  brother   acts  wrongly,  reprove  him  ; 

tober"^^°^'^d   ^^^^  ^^  ^^  is  sorry,  forgive  him  ;  and  if  seven  times     4 

and  upon  Re-'  in  a  day  he  acts  wrongly  towards  you,  and  seven 

pentance  for-   ^-  ,  •       ^  j  4  i  « 

given.         times  turns    agam  to  you  and  says,  '  I  am  sorry,' 

you  must  forgive  him." 
The  immense       ^^^  ^^^  apostles  said  to  the  Lord,    "  Give  us     5 
Power  of      more  faith.''     "If  your  faith,"  replied  the  Lord,  "is     6 
like  a  mustard  seed,  you    might   command   this 

23.   Anns]  Lit.  'bosoms.' 

30.  Goes  .  .  will]  Or  '  were  to  go  .  .  would.' 

1-2.   Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  6-9  ;   Mark  ix.  42-50. 

2.  Mills/one]  Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  6  ;  Mark  ix.  42,  n. 

3-4.   Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  21-35. 


LUKE  XVII.  183 

black- mulberry-tree,  '  Tear  up  your  roots  and  plant  yourself  in 
the  sea,'  and  instantly  it  would  obey   you.     But  which  of  you     7 

who  has  a  servant  ploughing,  or  tending  sheep, 
^ity  tcTouty.''  "^^''^  ^^V  ^°  ^''^  when  he  comes  in  from  the  farm, 

'  Come  at  once  and  take  your  place  at  table,'  and     8 
will  not  rather  say  to  him,  '  Get  my  dinner  ready,  make  yourself 
tidy,  and  wait  upon  me  till  I  have  finished  my  dinner,  and  then 
you  shall  have  yours  '  ?     Does  he  thank  the  servant  for  obeying     9 
his  orders?     So  you  also,  when  you  have  obeyed  all  the  orders     10 
given  you,  must  say,  '  There  is  no  merit  in  our  service  :  what  we 
have  done  is  only  what  we  were  in  duty  bound  to  do.'" 

As  they  pursued  their  journey  to  Jerusalem,  He     11 
^Lep°rs!^"    passed  through  Samaria  and  Galilee.     And  as  He     12 

entered  a  certain  village,  ten  men  met  Him  who 
were  lepers  and  stood  at  a  distance.     In  a  loud  voice  they  cried     13 
out,  "Jesus,  Rabbi,  take  pity  on  us,"     Perceiving  this.  He  said     14 
to  them,  "Go  and  show  yourselves  to  the  Priests ;"  and  while  on 
their  way  to  do  this  their  leprosy  left  them. 

One  of  them,  seeing  that  he  was  cured,  came     15 
^rrfgratftud^e"'^  back,  adoring  and  praising  God  in  a  loud  voice, 

and  he  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  thank-  16 
ing  Him.  He  was  a  Samaritan.  "Were  not  all  ten  made  17 
clean?"  Jesus  asked;  "where  are  the  nine  ?  Have  none  been  18 
found  to  come  back  and  give  glory  to  God  except  this  foreigner?" 
And  He  said  to  him,  "  Rise  and  go :  your  faith  has  cured  you."  19 
Being  asked  by  the  Pharisees  when  the  King-  20 
The  KwJ^do^m.^  dom   of  God  was  coming.   He   answered,    "The 

Kingdom  of  God  does  not  so  come  that  you  can 
stealthily  watch  for  it.     Nor  will  they  say,  '  See  here  !'  or  '  See     2r 
there  !'  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  within  you." 

As  widely  Then,  turning  to  His  disciples.  He  said,  'Times     22 

spread  as      will  come   when  you   will  wish  you  could   see  a 
'^    "'"^'      single  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  Man,  but  will 
not  see  one.     And  they  will  say  to  you,  *  See  there  ! '      '  See     23 
here  ! '     Do  not  start  off  and  go  in  pursuit.     For  just  as  the     24 

7,  g.   Ser7/an^]  Or  '  slave.'     Servants\  Or  '  slaves.' 

10.  OnlyX  Cp.  Mate.  xix.  ii.     The  English  idiom  requires  this  insertion. 

11.  They  pursued  thei>]  Or  '  lie  pursued  His.'      Cp.  Matt.  xix.  1-2  ;  Mark  x.  i. 
20-37.  ^P-  Matt.  xxiv.  23-28,  and  37-41  ;  Mark  xiii.  21-23. 

20.  Stealthily^  Cp  vi.  7  ;  xiv.  i  ;  xx.  20  ;  Mark  iii.  2  ;  Acts  ix.  24  :  in  all  of  which 
passages  (and  in  Gal.  iv.  10)  the  verb  used  is  akin  to  the  noun  found  iiere.  The  idea 
is  that  of  '  keeping  close  to 'and  '  watching,'  as  outsiders. 

21.  /F?V////«j('«i  I.E.  requires  subjective,  spii  itiial  qualifications  for  its  apprehen- 
sion. Or 'among  you,' i.e.  has  already  come  into  your  midst  although  as  yet  you 
do  not  recognize  its  existence. 

23>  24,  37.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.   26-28. 


i84  LUKE   XVIL-XVIIL 

lightning,  when  it  flashes,  shines  from  one  part  of  the  horizon  to 

the  opposite  part,  so  will  the  Son  of  iMaii  be  on  His  day.      But     25 

first  must  He  endure  much  suffering,  and  be  rejected  by  the 

present  generation. 

«  .  .         And  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Noah  (Gen.  vii.),     26 

Compared  to  ^  '^ 

the  Days  of    SO  will  it  also  be  in  the  time  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
Noah  and  Lot.  ^^_^  ^^^^^  eating  and  drinking,  taking  wives  and     27 
giving  wives,  up  to  the  very  day  on  which   Noah  entered  the 
Ark,  and  the  Deluge  came  and  destroyed  them  all.     The  same     28 
was  true  in  the  time  of  Lot  (Gen.  xix.)  :  they  were  eating  and 
drinking,  buying  and  selling,  planting  and  building  ;  but  on  the     29 
day  that  Lot  left  Sodom,  God  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from  the 
sky  and  destroyed  them  all.     Exactly  so  will  it  be  on  the  day     30 
that  the  veil  is  lifted  from  the  Son  of  Man. 

"On  that  day,  if  a  man  is  on  the  roof  and  his  property  in-     31 
doors,  let  him  not  go  down  to  fetch  it  ;  and,  in  the  same  way,  he 
who  is  in  the  field,  let  him  not  turn  back.     Remember  Lot's     32 
wife.    Any  man  who  makes  it  his  object  to  keep  his  own  life  safe,     "^-^ 
will  lose  it ;  but  whoever  loses  his  life  will  preserve  it.     On  that     34 
night,  I  tell  you,  there  v/ill  be  two  men  in  one  bed :  one  will  be 
taken  away  and  the  other  left  behind.    There  will  be  two  women     35 
turning  the  mill  toge.her:  one  will  be  taken  away  and  the  other 
left  behind."     "  Where,  Master  .?"  they  inquired.     "Where  the     37 
dead  body  is,"  He  replied,  "there  also   will  the  vultures  flock 
together." 

The  Widow         ^^   ^^^°  taught  them    by  a  parable  that   they     i   ]_g 
and  the  unjust  must  always  pray  and   never  lose  heart.     "  In  a     2 

"  ^^"        certain  town,"   He  said,  "  there  was  a  judge  who 
had  no  fear  of  God  nor  respect  for  man.     And  in  the  same  town     3 
was  a  widow  who  repeatedly  came  and  entreated  him,  saying, 
'Give  me  justice   and   stop   my   oppressor.'      For  a   time   he     4 
would  not,  but  afterwards  he  said  to  himself,  '  Though  I   have 

25.   First]  The  word  seems  to  imply  no  very  long  interval. 

31.  f'7o/>erty]  Or  '  things.'  The  same  word  in  the  singular  occurs  in  Mark  xi.  i6, 
where  see  note. 

33.  Li/e]  Or  '  soul.'  Preserve  it]  Or  'save  it  alive,'  as  in  the  LXX.,  in  Exod.  i.  17, 
18,  22,  and  elsewhere.  Or  perhaps  '  secure  for  it  birth  into  the  true  life  '  {zoe\  Cp. 
Matt.  X.  39. 

34.  On  that  night]  Cp.  xiii.  2,  n.  ;  i  Cor.  ix.  12  ;  John  ix.  16  ;  xi.  47  ;  xiv.  13  ; 
Acts  xvii.  II,  n.  ;  Jas.  iii.  15. 

34  35i  B^.  Taken  away]  Or  'taken  home,'  as  in  Matt.  i.  20,  24.  Cp.  John  xiv.  3  ; 
I  Thess.  iv.  17. 

36.  v.L.  inserts  the  verse,  '  There  will  be  two  men  in  the  field  :  one  will  be  taken 
away  and  the  other  left  behind.' 

I.  The  division  of  chapters  at  this  point  is  somewliat  unfortunate.  The  reference 
in  verse  8  to  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  shows  that  there  is  a  close  connexion 
between  xvii.  20-37  ^'id  xviii.  1-8. 


LUKE   XVIII.  185 

neither  reverence  for  God  nor  respect  for  man,  yet  because  she     5 
annoys  me  I  will  give  her  justice,  to  prevent  her  from  constantly 
coming  to  pester  me.'" 

Relief  prom.      ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  s^'^'  ''Hear  those  words  of  the     6 
isedtothe    unjust  judge.    And  will  not  God  avenge  the  wrongs     7 

persecuted.       r   tt-  t->         1         i  11         xx-         ,  , 

of  His  own  People  who  cry  aloud  to  Hun  day  and 

night,  although  He  seems  slow  in  taking  action  on  their  behalf? 

Yes,  He  will  soon  avenge  their  wrongs.     Yet,  when  the  Son  of    8 

Man  comes,  will  He  find  faith  on  earth  .^ " 

'The Pharisee      ^^^  '^  ^°'^^^  ^^°  relied  on  themselves  as  being    9 
and  the  Tax-  righteous  men,  and  looked  down  upon  all  others, 
atherer.       ^^  addressed  this  parable.     "  Two  men  went  up     10 
to  the  Temple  to  pray,  one  being  a  Pharisee  and  the  other  a 
tax-gatherer.     The  Pharisee,  standing  erect,  prayed  as  follows     11 
by  himself:  'O  God,   I  thank  Thee  that  I  am  not  like  other 
people — I  am  not  a  thief  nor  a  cheat  nor  an  adulterer,  nor  do  I 
even  resemble  that  tax-gatherer.     I   fast  twice  a  week.     I  pay     12 
the  tithe  on  all  my  gains.'     But  the  tax-gatherer,  standing  far     13 
back,  would  not  so  much  as  lift  his  eyes  to  heaven,  but  kept 
beating  his  breast  and  saying,  '  O  God,  be  reconciled  to  me, 
sinner  that  I  am.'     I  tell  you  that  this  man  went  home  more     14 
thoroughly  absolved  from  guilt  than  the  other ;  for  every  one 
who  uplifts  himself  will  be  humbled,  but  he  who  humbles  him- 
self will  be  uplifted." 

LlttieChiidren      ^^  °'^^  occasion  people  also  brought  with  them     15 
welcomed  and  their  infants,  for  Him  to  touch  them  ;  but  the  dis- 
ciples, noticing  this,  proceeded  to  find  fault  with 
them.    Jesus  however  called  the  infants  to  Him.    "  Let  the  little     16 
children  come  to  me,"  He  said  ;  "do  not  hinder  them  ;  for  it  is 
to  those  who  are  childlike  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  belongs. 
I  tell  you  in  solemn  truth  that,  whoever  does  not  receive  the     17 
Kingdom  of  God  like  a  little  child  will  certainly  not  enter  it." 

5.  CoJtstantly}  Lit.  '  to  the  end.'  So  in  colloquial  English  we  say  '  to  the  end  of 
the  chapter." 

7.  Cp.  Rev.  vi.  10.  Perhaps  our  Lord  had  specially  in  view  the  sufferings  of  the 
early  Christians,  cruelly  harassed  as  they  often  were  both  by  the  Roman  Government 
and  hy  the  Jews.  Nero  the  arrh-persecutor  perished  in  68,  A.D.,  and  Jerusalem 
fell  two  years  later.     Altkough\  See  Aorist,  p.  55. 

8.  Comes\  As  Vindicator  and  Judge.  Faith]  Or  '  this  belief.'  The  sense  may  be 
'  Will  their  trials  be  so  severe  and  protracted  that  the  faith  of  one  and  all  will  suc- 
cumb?'    Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  12,  22. 

II.   By  himse'f]  v.l.  places  these  words  before  '  prayed.' 

13.  Be  reconciled]  Or  "  be  propitiated' — the  human  view  of  God's  infinite  mercy. 
Cp.  John  iii.  16  :  i  Tim.  ii.  4. 

15-17.  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  13-15  ;  Mark  x.  13-16. 

15.  People]  Not  the  mothers  only,  for  the  '  them'  at  the  end  of  the  verse  is  mascu- 
line—although it  no  doubt  includes  the  mothers. 


i86  LUKE    XVIII. 

The  question   being  put  to    Him  by  a  Ruler  ;     i8 
The  wealthy    u  q^^^  Rabbi,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  the  Life 

of  the  ages?"  Jesus  replied,  "  Why  do  you  call  me     19 
good  ?  there  is  no  one  good  but  one,  namely  God.     You  know     20 
the    Commandments:    'Do    not    commit   adultery;'    'do   not 
murder;'    'do   not  steal;'    'do  not   lie    in   giving   evidence;' 
'honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother.'"    "  All  of  those,"  he  replied,     21 
"  I  have  kept  from  my  youth."     On  receiving  this  answer  Jesus     22 
said   to  him,  "  There   is  still  one  thing  wanting  in  you.     Sell 
everything  you  possess  and  give  the  money  to  the  poor,  and  you 
shall  have  wealth  in  heaven  ;  and  then  come,  follow  me,"     But     23 
on  hearing  these  words  he  was    deeply  sorrowful,  for  he  was 
exceedingly  rich. 

.  .  Tesus  saw  his  sorrow,  and  said,  "With  how  hard     24 

Wealth  has  J  '  r     •   . 

serious  Disad-  a  Struggle  do  the  possessors    of  riches  ever  enter 

vantages.      ^^^  Kingdom  of  God  !    Why,   it   is    easier   for   a     25 
camel  to  go  through  a  needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
the  Kingdom  of  God."     "Who  then  can  be  saved  ?"  exclaimed     26 
the  hearers.     "  Things  impossible  with  man,"  He  replied,  "are     27 
possible  with  God." 

s  If  s    rifi  e      Then  Peter  said,  "  See,  we  have  given  up  our    28 
for  Christ     homes  and  have  followed  you."      Jesus  replied,  "  I     29 
makes  us  rich,  g^j^j^^j^iy  ^^^  yQ^  that  there  is  no  one  who  has  left 
house  or  wife,  or  brothers  or  parents  or  children,  for  the  sake  of 
God's  Kingdom  who  shall  not  certainly  receive  many  times  as     30 
much  in  this  life,  and  in  the  age  that  is  coming  the  Life  of  the 
ages." 
,  ...        Then  He  drew  the  Twelve  to  Him  and  said,  "See,     31 

Jesus  predicts  '  '      -^ 

His  Death  and  we  are  going   up    to   Jerusalem,    and    everything 
Resurrection,  ^^.j^^^^^  jj^  ^^^  Prophets  which  refers  to  the  Son  of 
Man  will  be  fulhlled.     For  He  will  be  given  up  to  the  Gentiles,     32 
and  be  mocked,  outraged  and  spit  upon.     They  will  scourge     33 
Him  and  put  Him  to  death,  and  on    the  third  day  He  will  rise 
to   life   again."     Nothing    of  this    did    they   understand.     The     34 
words  were  a  mystery  to  them,   nor  could  they  see  what  He 
meant. 

18-30.  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  16-30 ;  Mark  x.  17-31. 
18.  HaMi]  Lit.  '  Teacher.' 

18,  30.  OJ  the  ages\  Greek  'aeonian.'     Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8  and  note. 
25.  Neeiile\  It  is  a  different  word  in  Matt.  xix.  24  ;  Mark  x.  25. 
28.  Homes]   Or   '  property.'     But  in  our  Lord's  answer  the  house  is  mentioned 
first. 
29-44.  Cp.  Matt,  i-ii  ;  Mark  xi.  i-ii  ;  John  xii.  12-19. 
30.  In  this  li/e]  Lit.  '  on  this  occasion.' 
31-34.     Cp.  Matt.  XX.  17-19  ;  Markx.  32-34. 


LUKE   XVIII.-XIX.  187 

As  Jesus   came  near  to  Jericho,  there   was  a     35 
ri^ceivSs  Sight,  ^lii^d  ^^^^n  sitting  by  the  way-side  begging.     He     36 

heard  a  crowd  of  people  going  past,  and  inquired 
what  it  all  meant.     "Jesus  the  Nazarene  is  passing  by,"  they     37 
told  him.     Then,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  he  cried  out,  "  Jesus,     38 
son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me."     Those  in  front  reproved  him     39 
and  tried  to  silence  him ;  but  he   continued   shouting,  louder 
than  ever,  "  Son  of  David,  take  pity  on  me."     At  length  Jesus     40 
stopped  and  desired  them  to  bring  the  man  to  Him  ;  and  when 
he  had  come  close  to   Him   He    asked   him,    "What   shall    I 
do  for  you.?"     "Sir,"  he  replied,  "let   me  recover  my  sight."     41 
"Recover    your   sight,"   said   Jesus:     "your    faith   has    cured     42 
you."    No  sooner  were  the  words  spoken  than  the  man  regained     43 
his  sight  and  followed  Jesus,  giving  glory  to  God  ;  and  all  the 
people,  seeing  it,  gave  praise  to  God. 

of      ^^  ^^  entered  Jericho  and  was  passing  through     i   ] 
Zacchaeus  at  the    town.       There    was    a     man     there     called     2 

Jericho.       Zacchaeus,  who  was  the  local   surveyor  of  taxes, 
and  was  wealthy.     He  was  anxious  to  see  what  sort  of  a  man     3 
Jesus   was  ;    but   he   could  not  because  of  the   crowd,    for  he 
was  short  in  stature.     So  he  ran  on  in  front  and  climbed  up  a    4 
mulberry-tree  to  see  Him  ;  for  He  was  about  to  pass  that  way. 

As  soon  as  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  He  looked  up  and  said  to     5 
him,  "  Zacchaeus,  come  down  quickly,  for  I  must  stay  at  your 
house  to-day."     So  he  came  down  in  haste,  and  welcomed  Him     6 
joyfully.     When  they  all  saw  this,  they  began  to  complain  with     7 
indignation,  "  He  is  gone  in  to  be  the  guest  of  a   notorious 
sinner!"    Zacchaeus    however  stood  up,  and   addressing    the     8 
Lord  said,  "  Here  and  now.  Master,  I  give  half  my  property  to 
the  poor,  and  if  I  have  unjustly  exacted  money  from  any  man,  I 
pledge  myself  to  repay  to  him  four  times  the  amount."     Turn-     9 
ing  towards  him,  Jesus  replied,  "  To-day  salvation  has  come  to 
this  house,  seeing  that  he  too  is  a  son  of  Abraham.     For  the     10 
Son  of  Man  has  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 
Privileges  ^s  they  were  listening  to  His  words,  He  went  on     11 

carry  with      to  teach  them  by  a  parable,  because  He  was  near 

them  Duties  _  ,  ,       ,  ^      ,  ^  rr-  ^ 

and  Responsi-  to  Jerusalem  and  they  supposed  that  the  Kmgdom 
biiities.         Q^  Qq^  ^^g  going  to  appear  immediately.     So  He     12 

35-43.  Cp.  Matt.  XX.  29-34  ;  Mark  x.  46-52. 
3.    IVhat  sort  <5^C.]  Or  'which  was  Jesus.,' 

7,  8.  Began  &=€.]  Or  'were  complaining  .  .  wiien  Zacchaeus  stood  up.' 

8.  Here  and  fiozu]  Lit.  '  see  !'     Cp.  Matt.  viii.  24,  n.     Property]  '  Yearly  income  ' 
(Godet)  is  quite  inadmissible.     I  pledge  utyself  to  repay]  Lit.  '  I  i-epay.' 

11-28.  Cp.  ALatt.  XXV.  14-30. 


i88  LUKE   XIX. 

said,  "  A  man  of  noble  family  travelled  to  a  distant  country 
to  obtain  the  rank  of  king  and  to  return.     And  he  called  ten     13 
of  his   servants  and  gave  each  of  them  a  pound,  instructing 
them  to  trade  with  the  money  during  his  absence, 

"  Now  his  countrymen  hated  him,  and  sent  a  deputation  after     14 
him  to  say,  '  We  are  not  willing   that  he   should  become  our 
king.'     And    upon  his  return,   after  he  had  obtained  the  sove-     15 
reignty,  he  ordered  those  servants  to  whom  he  had  given  the 
money  to  be  summoned  before  him,  that  he  niight  learn  their 
success  in  trading. 

"  So  the  first  came  and  said,  '  Sir,  your  pound  has  produced     16 
ten  pounds  more.'      '  Well    done,   good    servant,'  he   replied  ;     17 
'  because  you  have  been  faithful  in  a  very  small  matter,  be  in 
authority  over  ten  towns.'     The  second  came,  and  said,  'Your     18 
pound.   Sir,  has  produced  five  pounds.'     So  he  said  to  this  one     19 
also,  '  And  you,  be  the  governor  of  five  towns.'     The  next  came.     20 
'Sir,'  he  said,  '  here  is  your  pound,  which  I  have  kept  wrapt  up 
in  a  cloth.     For  I  was  afraid  of  you,  because  you  are  a  severe     21 
man  :  you  take  up  what  you  did  not  lay  down,  and  you   reap 
what  you  did  not  sow.'     He  replied,  '  By  your  own  words  I   will     22 
judge  you,  you  bad  servant.     You  knew  me  to  be  a  severe  man, 
taking  up  what  I  did  not  lay  down,  and  reaping  what  I  did  not 
sovv^  :  why  then    did  you  not  put  my  money  into  a  bank,  that     23 
when   I   came     I  might  have  received  it  back  with  interest  ? ' 
And  he  said  to  those  who  stood  by,  '  Take  the  pound  from  him     24 
and  give  it  to  him  who  has    the  ten  pounds.'     (They  said  to     25 
him.  '  Sir,   he  already  has   ten  pounds.')      '  I  tell  you  that  to     26 
every  one  who  has  anything,  more  shall  be  given  ;  and  from  him 
who  has  not  anything,  even  what  he  has  shall  be  taken  away. 
But  as  for  those  enemies  of  mine  who  were  unwilling  that  I     27 
should  become  their  king,  bring  them  here,   and  cut  them  to 
pieces  in  my  presence.'  " 

After    thus    speaking.    He    journeyed    onward,     28 
is"borrowed.    p5*oceeding  up  to   Jerusalem.     And  when  He  was     29 
come  near  Bethphage  and  Bethany,  at  the  Mount 
called  the  Oliveyard,  He  sent  two  of  the  disciples  on  in  front, 

13.  Servants]  Or  'slaves.'  So  in  verses  15,  17,  22.  A  />ound]  Lit.  'a  mina  ;'  a 
small  sum  of  money  equal  as  a  coin  to  about  ^4,  but  in  purchasing  value  to  a  great 
deal  more.     During  my  al'scnce]  Lit.  '  while  I  am  coming.' 

29-44.   Co.  Matt.  xxi.  i-ii  ;  Mark  xi.  i-ii  ;  John  xii.  12-19. 

29.  The  Oliveyard]  So  in  xxi.  37  ;  Acts  i.  12  ;  but  v.L.  has  '  of  Olives,'  as  in  verse 
37  and  elsewhere.  (If  'Oliveyard'  is  the  correct  rendering,  the  Evan^eli'^t  has 
followed  the  common  rule  of  giving  to  the  proper  noun  the  gender  of  the  common 
noun.) 


LUKE   XIX.  189 

saying  to  them,  '  Go  into  the  village  facing  you.     On  entering  it     30 

you  will  find  an  ass's  foal  tied  up  which  no  one  has  ever  yet 

ridden  :  untie  it,  and  bring  it  here.     And  if  any  one  asks  you,     31 

'Why  are  you  untying  the  colt.'"   simply   say  :    'The  Master 

needs  it.'    So  those  who  were  sent  went  and  found  things  as  He     32 

had  told  tliem.       And    while   they  were   untying  the  colt  the     ^3 

owners  called  out,   'Why  are  you  untying  the  colt?'  and  they     34 

replied,  'The  Master  needs  it.' 

. .  Then  they  brought  it  to  Jesus,  and  after  throw-     35 

Jesus  rides  /  &  j  j  jj 

into  Jsrusa-    ing  their  outer  garments  on  the  colt  they  placed 

®'""  Jesus  on  it.     So  He  rode  on,  while  they  carpeted  the     36 

road  with  their  garments.     And  when  He  was  now  getting  near     ^7 
Jernsnlem,    and   descending  the   Mount   of  Olives,  the    whole 
multitude  of  the  disciples  began  in  their  joy  to  praise  God  in 
a  loud  voice    for  all    the  mighty    deeds    they  had    witnessed. 
"Blessed  is  the  King,"  they  cried,   "WHO  comes  in  the    38 
NAJNIE  OF  THE  LoRD  (Ps.  cxviii.    26)  :    in  heaven   peace,   and 
glory  in  the  highest  realms."    Thereupon  soine  of  the  Pharisees     39 
in  the  crowd  appealed  to  Him,  saying,   "  Rabbi,  reprove  your 
disciples."     "I  tell  you,"  He  replied,  "that  \{  ^kej/  became  silent,     40 
the  very  stones  would  cry  out." 

When  He  came  into  full  view  of  the  city.  He     41 
"^the^'cityr**  wept  aloud  over  it,  and  exclaimed,  'O  that  at  this    42 

time  thou  hadst  known — yes  even  thou — what 
makes  peace  possible  !  But  now  it  is  hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  43 
the  time  is  coming  upon  thee  when  thy  foes  will  throw  up  around 
thee  earthworks  and  a  wall,  investing  thee  and  hemming  thee 
in  on  every  side  ;  and  they  will  dash  thee  to  the  ground  and  44 
thy  children  within  thee,  and  will  not  leave  one  stone  upon 
another  within  thee  ;  because  thou  hast  not  recognized  the 
time  of  thy  visitation." 

Then  Jesus  entered  the  Temple  and  proceeded     45 

He  drives  the  .   .        "'  ,         ,      ,  ^t     •  •  jixT  1  J- 

Traders  from  to  drive  out  the  dealers.     "  It  is  written,"  He  said,     46 

*^^CouTts.'^    'And    My   house    shall  be  The  House   of 

Prayer'   (Isa.  Ivi.    7),   but  you  have  made  it  a 

robbers'  cave"  (Jer.  vii.  11).    And  day  after  day  He  taught  in     47 

the  Temple,  while  the  High  Priests  and  the  Scribes  were  devising 

some  means  of  destroying  Him,  as  were  also  the   leading  men 


31,  34.   T/ie  Master]  v.L.  '  Because  the  Master.' 

39.  J? al'di]  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

43.  Enrihworks  and  a  ivall\  Lit.  simply  '  a  rampart,'  or  '  a  palisade. 

45-48.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  12-17  ;  Mark  xi.  15-19 


I90  LUKE   XIX.-XX. 

of  the  people.     But  they  could  not  find  any  way  of  doing  it,  for 
the  people  all  hung  upon  His  lips. 
^^    ,       .  On  one  of  those  days  while  He  was  teaching  the 

The  Leaders  ^  ^ 

of  the  People  people  in  the  Temple  and  proclanning  the  Good 
silence  .       Ng^s,  the  High  Priests  came  upon  Him,  and  the 
Scribes  together  with  the  Elders,  and  they  asked  Him,  "Tell  us,     2 
By  what  authority  are  you  doing  these  things  ?  and  who  is  it 
that  gave  you  this  authority  ?"     "I  also  will  put  a  question  to     3 
you,"  He  said  ;  "  was  John's  baptism  of  Heavenly  or  of  human     4 
origin?'"'     So  they  debated  the  matter  with  one  another,     "If    5 
we  say  '  Heavenly,'  "  they  argued,  "  he  will  say,  '  Why  did  you 
not  believe  him  ?'     And  if  we  say,  'human,' the  people  will  all     6 
pelt  us  with  stones  ;   for  they  are  thoroughly    convinced  that 
John  was  a  Prophet."    And  they  answered  that  they  did  not     7 
know  the  origin  of  it.     "Nor  will  I  tell  you,"  said  Jesus,  "by     8 
what  authority  I  do  these  things." 

Then  He  proceeded  to  speak  a  parable  to  the     9 
vine-dreisers.'  people  :    "  There   was    a    man,"    He   said,   "  who 
planted  a  vineyard,  let  it  out  to  vine-dressers,  and 
went  abroad  for  a  considerable  time.     At  vintage-time  he  sent     10 
a  servant  to  the  vine-dressers,  for  them  to  give  him  part  of  the 
grapes  ;   but  the  vine-dressers  beat  him  cruelly  and  sent  him 
away  empty-handed.    Then  he  sent  a  second  servant ;  and  him     1 1 
too  they  beat   and  ill  treated   and   sent   away  empty-handed. 
Then  again  he  sent  a  third  ;  and  this  one  also  they  wounded  and     12 
drove  away.     Then  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  said,  '  What  am     13 
I  to  do?     I  will  send  my  son — my  dearly-loved  son  :  they  will 
probably  respect  him.'     But  when  the  vine-dressers  saw  him,     14 
they  discussed  the  matter  with  one  another,  and  said,  'This  is 
the  heir  :    let   us   kill  him,  that  the  inheritance  may  be  ours.' 
So  they  turned  him  out  of  the  vineyard  and  murdered  him.     15 
What  then  will  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  do  to  them  ?     He  will     16 
come  and  put  these  vine-dressers  to  death,  and  give  the  vine- 
yard to  others."     "God  forbid  !"  exclaimed  the  hearers.     He     17 
looked  at  them  and  said,  "  What  then  does  that  mean  which  is 
written, 
'The  Stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
Has  been  made  the  Cornerstone'  (Ps.  cxviii.  22)? 

1-8.   Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  23-27  ;  Mark  xi.  27-33. 

9-19.   Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  33-46  ;  Mark  xii.  1-12. 

10.  Servant^  Or  '  slave.' 

16.  God  forbid]  Lit.  '  may  it  not  happen.'  Manifestly  a  prayer  to  God,  and  in 
some  cases  best  rendered  as  such.  The  expression  occurs  here  and  in  a  few  places 
in  the  Letters  of  St.  Paul.     Cp.  Rom,  iii.  4,  n. 


LUKE   XX.  191 

Every  one  who  falls  on  that  stone  will  be  severely  hurt,  but  on     18 
whomsoever  it  falls,  he  will  be  utterly  crushed." 

At  this   the    Scribes  and  the  High   Priests   wanted   to   lay     19 
hands  on  Him,  then  and  there  ;  only  they  were  afraid  of  the 
people.    For  they  saw  that  in  this  parable  He  had  referred  to 
them. 

A  Question         So,  after  impatiently  watching  their  Opportunity,     20 
about  paying  they  sent  spies  who  were  to  act  the   part  of  good 
and  honest  men,  that  they  might  fasten  on  some 
expression  of  His,  so  as  to  hand  Him  over  to  the  ruling    power 
and  the  Governor's  authority.     So  they  put  a  question  to  Him.     2i 
"  Rabbi,"  they  said,  "  we  know  that  you  say  and  teach  what   is 
right  and  that  you  make  no  distinctions  between  one  man  and 
another,  but  teach  God's  way   truly.     Is  it  allowable  to  pay  a     22 
tax  to  Caesar,  or  not?"     But  He  saw  through  their  knavery  and     23 
replied,  "  Show  me  a  shilling  ;  whose  likeness   and  inscription     24 
does  it  bear?"      "Caesar's,"  they  said.    "  Pay  therefore,"   He     25 
replied,  "  what  is  Caesar's  to  Caesar— and   what  is   God,'s  to 
God."     There  was  nothing  here   that   they    could  lay  hold  of    26 
before  the  people,  and  marvelling  at  His   answer  they  said  no 
more. 

Next  some  of  the  Sadducees  came  forward  (who     27 

who  had  had    deny   that    there    is    a     Resurrection),    and    they 

^®yf "  ^"f-     asked  Him,  "  Rabbi,  Moses  made  it   a  law  for  us     28 
bands.  '  ' 

that  if  a  man's  brother  should  die,  leaving  a  wife 
but  no  children,  the  man  shall  marry  the  widow  and  raise  up  a 
family  for  his  brother  (Deut.  xxv.  5).     Now  there  were  seven     29 
brothers.      The  first  of  them  took  a  wife  and  died  childless. 
The  second  and  the  third  also  took  her;  and  all  seven,  having     30,  31 
done  the  same,  left  no  children  when  they  died.     Finally  the     32 
woman  also  died.     The  woman,  then — at  the  Resurrection —     33 
whose  wife  shall  she  be  ?  for  they  all  seven  married  her." 

iQ.    Then  a7id  there\  Lit.  '  that  same  hour.' 

20-26.   Cp.  Matt,  .x.xii.  15-22  ;   Mark  xii.  13-17. 

21,  28,  39.  Rabbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.'  Vojt  make  no  distinctions  <5p»c.]  Nor  does 
God  (Acts  X.  34  ;  Rom.  ii.  11  ;  Eph.  vi.  9  ;  Col.  iii.  25  ;  i  Peter  i.  17  ;  2  Chron.  xix. 
7).  There  is,  of  course,  an  infinite  diversity  in  both  the  mental  and  physical  char- 
acteristics of  the  various  members  of  the  human  race  and  in  their  worldly  positions 
and  possessions.  These  outward  distinctions  often  serve  as  a  mask  (Latin, 
persona)  more  or  less  completely  hiding  from  the  individual,  and  from  others,  the 
soul  or  spirit  within  which  constitutes  the  real  and  enduring  man  and  is  common  to 
the  whole  race.  The  glance,  however,  of  our  one  Father  penetrates  through  the 
mask.  In  His  dealings  with  us  He  ignores  mere  outward  distinctions  and  does  not 
accept  any  one's  'person.'  There  is  a  closfe  analogy  between  'person  '  in  this  sense 
and  the  word  'flesh'  (see  Rom.  vii.  18,  n.)  which  Paul  continually  uses  to  contrast 
the  external,  earthly  pirt  of  man's  nature  with  our  higher,  unseen  'spirit.' 
27-39.  Cp.  Matt,  xxii.  23-33  >  Mark  xii.  18-27. 


192  LUKE   XX. -XXL 

"  The  men  of  this  age,"  replied  Jesus,  "marry  and  the  women     34 
are  given  in  marriage  ;  but  as  for  those  who  shall  have  been     35 
deemed    worthy  to  find  a  place  in  that   other  age  and  in  the 
Resurrection  from  among  the  dead,  the  men  do  not  marry  and 
the  women  are  not  given  in  marriage.     For  indeed  they  cannot     36 
die  again  ;  they  are  like  angels,  and  are  sons  of  God  through 
being  sons  of  the  Resurrection.     But  that  the  dead  rise  to  life     37 
again    even    Moses  clearly    implies  in  the  passage  about  the 
Bush,  where  he  calls  the  Lord  '  The  God  of  Abraham,  the  God 
of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob'  (Exod.  iii.  2-6).     He  is  not  a     38 
God  of  dead,  but  of  living  men,  for  to  Him  all  are  living." 

Then  some  of  the  Scribes  replied,  "  Rabbi,  you  have  spoken  39 
well."  From  that  time,  however,  no  one  ventured  to  challenge  40 
Him  with  a  single  question. 

But  He  asked  them,  "How  is  it  they  say  that  the  Christ  is  a  41 
son  of  David.?  Why,  David  himself  says  in  the  Book  of  42 
Psalms 

'The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord, 
Sit  at  My  right  hand 
Until  I  have   made  thy   foes  a  footstool  under    43 

THY    FEET'  (Ps.  CX.   l). 

David  himself  therefore  calls  Him  Lord,  and  how  can   He  be    44 
his  son  ? " 

Then,    in    the    hearing    of    all   the    people,    He     45 
and  Phari-    said  to  the  disciples,  "Beware  of  the  Scribes  who     46 
nounced"     ^^^^^  ^°  ^^'^^'"^  about  in  long  robes  and  love  to  be 
bowed  to  in  places  of  public  resort,  and  to  occupy 
the  best  seats  in  the   synagogues  or  at  a  dinner  party  ;  who     47 
swallow  up  the  property  of  widows  and  mask  their  wicked- 
ness by  making  long  prayers  :   they  will  be  far  more  severely 
punished." 

Looking  up  He  saw  the  people  throwing  their     i   ( 
senlTousGih.  g'^^s  into  the  Treasury— the  rich  people.     Also  He     2  ^ 

saw  a  poor  widow  dropping  in  two  farthings,  and     3 
He  said,  "  In  trutli   I  tell  you  that  this  widow,    so  poor,   has 
thrown  in  more  than  any  of  them  ;  for  from  what  they  could     4 


34.  Men]  Lit.  *  sons.' 

35.  S/ia//  have  been]  So  T.  S.  Green,  correctly.     See  Aorht  vi.  5. 
37.   I\  ise  to  life  again\  Or  '  awake  '     Implies]  See  Aorist  iv.  3. 

40.   HoiveTer]  See  Ao7-ist,  Appendix  B,  12,  pp.  44-46.     Cp.  Mark  xii.  34. 
41-44.  Cp.  Matt.  xxii.  41-46  ;  Mark  xii.  35-37. 
45-47.     Cp    Mark  xii.  38-40. 
1-4.  Cp.  Mark  xii.  41-44. 


LUKE    XXL 


193 


well  spare  they  have  all  of  them  contributed  to  the  offerings,  but 

she  in  her  need  has  thrown  in  all  she  had  to  live  on." 

When  some  were  remarking-  about  the  Temple,     5 
Jesus  predicts  ,  ,,,-,,•,?  •/-   ,  , 

the  Destruc-    how  it  was  embellished  with  beautiful  stones  and 

*Tempi*e^^     dedicated  gifts,    He    said,    "As   to   these   things     6 
which  you  now  admire,  the  time  is  coming  when 
there  will  not  be  one  stone  left  here  upon  another  which  will  not 
be  pulled  down." 

Thin-s which       "Rabbi,  when  will  this  be?"  they  asked  Him,     7 
v/ouid  happen  "and  what  will  be  the   token  given  when  these 

things  are  about  to  take  place  ? "    "  See  to  it,"  He     8 
replied,  "  that  you  are  not  mis-led  ;  for  many  will  come  assum- 
ing my  name  and  professing,  '  I  am  He,'  or  saying,  'The  time 
is  close  at  hand.'     Do  not  go  and  follow  them.     But  when  you     9 
hear  of  wars  and  turmoils,  be  not  afraid  ;  for  these  things  must 
happen  first,  but  the  end  does  not  come  immediately." 

Then  He  said  to  them,  "  Nation  will  rise  in     10 

EaH:ti?uakes.     ^RMS  AGAINST  NATION,  AND    KINGDOM  AGAINST 

Kingdom  (Isa.  xix.  2).     And  there  will  be  great     11 

earthquakes,  and  in  places  famines  and  pestilence  ;  and  there 

will  be  terrible  sights  and  wonderful  tokens  from  heaven. 

"  But  before  all  these  things  happen  they  will     12 
Persecution.     ,        ,         ,  ,  rr^,  -n 

lay  hands  on  you  and  persecute  you.     They  will 

deliver  you  up  to  synagogues  and  to  prison,  and  you  will  be 
brought  before  kings  and  governors  for  my  sake.     In  the  end     13 
all  this  will  be  evidence  of  your  fidelity. 
Promises  of        *'  ^^^^^  "P  y^"-'^  minds,  however,  not  to  prepare     14 
Help  and       a  defence  beforehand,  for  I  will  give  you  utterance     15 

Deliverance.  1        •    j  i  •    u  r  ^  n 

and  wisdom  which  none  of  your  opponents  will 
be  able  to  withstand  or  reply  to.  You  will  be  betrayed  even  by  16 
parents,  brothers,  relatives,  friends  ;  and  some  of  you  they  will 
put  to  death.  You  will  be  the  objects  of  universal  hatred  17 
because  you  are  called  by  my  name  ;  and  yet  not  a  hair  of  your  18 
heads  shall  perish.  By  your  patient  endurance  you  will  pur-  19 
chase  your  lives. 

"But    when   you    see   Jerusalem    with    armies    encamping     20 

5-19.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  1-14  ;  Mark  xiii.  1-13. 

7.  Rabbi\  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

8.  Assuming]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  5,  n.  ;  Mark  xiii.  6,  n. 
18.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  31  ;  Rev.  vii.  1-3. 

ig.  Liz'es]  Or  '  souls.' 

20-36.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  15-42  ;  Mark  xiii.  14-37. 

20.  Overthrow]  In  Matt.  xxiv.    15,  Mark  xiii.   14,  the  word   is  rendered   '  desola- 
tion.' 


194 


LUKE    XXL 


round  her  on  every  side,  then  be  certain  that  her 

Jerusalem  ^  ' 

surrounded  by  overthrow  is  close  at  hand.     Then  let  those  who     2r 
Soldiers.       ^j^^jj  ^^  -^^  Judaea  escape  to  the  hills  ;  let  those 

who  are  in  the  city  leave  it,  and  those  who  are  in  the  country 

not  enter  in.     For  those  are  THE  DAYS  OF  vengeance  (Hos.     22 

ix.  7)  and  of  fulfilling  all  that  is  written. 

_.    ^..  "Alas    for   the    women    who   at   that    time    are     23 

The  City  -^ 

trampled  with  child  or  who  have  infants  ;  for  there  will  be 
under  Foot.  gj.g^|- (jj^tress  in  the  land,  and  anger  towards  this 
people.  They  wilt  fall  by  the  sword,  or  be  carried  off  into  24 
slavery  among  all  the  Gentiles.  And  Jerusalem  will  be  trampled 
under  foot  by  the  Gentiles,  till  the  appointed  times  of  the  Gen- 
tiles have  expired. 

^.     _        -         "There  will  be  signs  in  sun,  moon,  and  stars  ;     25 
The  Son  of  "  .  . 

Man  amid  the  and  on  earth  anguish  among  the  nations  in  their 

°"  ^'        bewilderment  at  the  roaring  of  the  sea  and  its 

billows  ;    while   men's     hearts   are    fainting   for    fear,    and   for     26 

anxious  expectation  of  what  is  coming  on  the  world  ;  for  the 

FORCES  WHICH  CONTROL  THE  HEAVENS  WILL    BE  DISORDERED 

AND  DISTURBED  (Isa.  xxxiv.  4).     And  then  will  they  see  the     27 

Son  of  Man  coming  in  a  cloud  (Dan.  vii.  13)  with  great 

power  and  glory.     But  when  all  this  is  beginning  to  take  place,     28 

grieve  no  longer  ;  lift  up  your  heads,  because  your  Deliverance 

is  drawing  near," 

And  He  spoke  a  parable  to  them.     "  See,"  He     29 

I  i^H^ff  T^^^  said,  "  the  fig-tree  and  all  the  trees.     As  soon  as     30 
Limit  of  Time,  . 

they  have  shot   out  their  leaves,  you  know  at  a 
glance  that  summer  is  now  near.     So  also,  when  you  see  these     31 
things  happening,  you  may  be  sure  that  the  Kingdom  of  God 

22.  O/fulJilliHgX  Or  '  in  order  that  .   .   may  be  fulfilled.' 

23.  In  the  iand\  Or  '  on  the  earth.'     Cp.  verse  25. 

24.  By  the  sruord]  Lit.  'by  the  mouth  of  the  sword.'  Gentiles]  Or  'nations.' 
And  Jerusalem  <St=c.]  Throughout  the  whole  duration  of  the  Jewish  war — 3^  years — 
the  holy  city  was  tyrannized  over  by  an  armed  mob  of  Zealots  and  Edomites 
(Josephus,  Wars,  iv.  5).  But  this  appears  to  be  a  wholly  inadequate  explanation  of 
the  prediction.  Some  regard  the  sentence  as  a  parenthesis,  necessarily  excluded 
from  the  limit  of  time  laid  down  in  verse  32. 

25.  E.G.  a  star  resembling  a  sword  which  stood  over  the  city,  and  a  comet  which 
was  visible  for  twelve  months  (Josephus,  Wars,  vi.  5,  2). 

26.  Forces  o^c]  Cp.  Rom.  viii.  38,  n. 

27.  ,5"^^]  Cp.  2  Kings  ii.  9,  12  ;  vi.  17  ;  Matt.  iii.  16  ;  John  i.  32  ;  Acts  vii,  55  ; 
ix.  7  ;  I  Cor.  ix.  i  ;  Heb.  ix.  28  ;  Rev.  i.  7.  For  a  highly  interesting,  but  very 
imusual  explanation  of  this  verse  see  Dr.  J.  Stuart  Russell,  The  Parousia  (London, 
1878).  With  great  foiuer  and  glory]  Here  and  in  Matt.  xxiv.  30  (but  not  in  Mark 
xiii.  26)  the  adjective  which  is  literally  '  much  '  and  agrees  with  both  nouns,  is  made 
emphatic  by  being  put  last,  as  though  the  phrase  were  'with  power  and  glory 
infinite.' 

28.  Deliverance]  Or  '  Redemption.'     Cp.  Eph.  i.  7,  14. 


LUKE   XXL -XXII. 


195 


is  near.     I    tell  you  in  solemn  truth  that   the  present  gener-     32 

ation    will   certainly   not   pass  away   without  all    these    things 

having  first  taken  place.     Earth  and  sky  will  pass  away,  but     33 

it  is  certain  that  my  words  will  not  pass  away. 

Warnings  "But  take  heed  to  yourselves,  lest  your  souls  be     34 

against  Self-    weighed  down  with  self-indulgence  and  drunken- 
indulgence  ,  .     .         ^    ,  .     ,.. 
and  Careless,  ness  or  the  anxieties  of  this  life,  and  that  day 

"®^^"  come  upon  you,  suddenly,  like  a  falling  trap  ;  for     35 

it  will  come  on  all  the  dwellers  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth 

(Isa.  xxiv.  17).     But  beware  of  slumbering  ;  and  every  moment     36 

pray  that  you  may  be  fully  strengthened  to  escape  from  all  these 

coming  evils,  and  to  take  your  stand  in  the  presence  of  the  Son 

of  Man." 

His  habit  at  this  time  was  to  teach  in  the  Temple  by  day,     ■}i^ 

but  to  go  out  and  spend  the  night  on  the  Mount  called  the 

Oliveyard.     And  all  the  people  came  to  Him  in  the  Temple,     38 

early  in  the  morning,  to  listen  to  Him. 

Meanwhile    the   Festival    of  the    Unleavened     r    < 

^^ofTTudas.**^^  Bread,  called  the  Passover,  was  approaching,  and     2 

the  High  Priests  and  the  Scribes  were  contriving 
how  to  destroy  Him  ;  but  they  feared  the  people.     Satan,  how-     3 
ever,  entered  into  Judas  (the  man  called  Iscariot)  who   was  one 
of  the  Twelve.     He  went  and  conferred  with  the  High  Priests     4 
and  Commanders  as  to  how  he  should  deliver  Him  up  to  them. 
This  gave  them  great  pleasure,   and  they  agreed  to  pay  him.     5 
He  accepted  their  offer,  and  then  looked  out  for  an  opportunity     6 
to  betray  Him  when  the  people  were  not  there, 

Peter  and  When  the  day  of  the  Unleavened  Bread  came —     7 

John  prepare  the  day  for  the  Passover  lamb  to  be  sacrificed — 

Jesus  sent  Peter  and  John  with  instructions  :  "  Go     8 
and  prepare  the  Passover  for  us,  that  .we  may  eat  it."     "  Where     9 
shall  we  prepare  it?"    they  asked.     "You  will  no  sooner  have     10 
entered  the  City,"  He  replied,  "than  you  will  meet  a  man  carry- 
ing a  jug  of  water  :  follow  him  into  the  house  to   which   he 
goes,  and  say  to  the  master  of  the  house,  '  The  Rabbi  asks  you,     11 

34.  Souls\  Lit.  '  hearts.'    Sel/-iniiulgence\  Lit. 'crapulous  headache.'    The  word 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T. 

35.  Eartk]  Or 'land.' 

37-38.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  12-17  ;  Mark  xi.  15-19. 
37.    77ie  Oiiveyard]  Cp.  xix.  29  and  n. 
1-2.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  1-5  ;  Mark  xlv.  i,  2. 
2.  But]  See  Aorist,  Appendix  B,  12,  pp.  "44-46. 
3-6.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  14-16  ;  Mark  xiv.  10,  11. 
4.  Commanders]  Cp.  Acts  iv.  i  ;  v.  24. 
7-13.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  17-19  ;  Mark  xiv.  12-16. 
II.  Radbi]  Lit.  'teacher.' 


196  LUKE   XXII. 

where  is  the  room  where  I   can  eat  the  Passover  with  my  dis- 
ciples ? '    And  he  will  show  you  a  large  furnished  room  upstairs  :     12 
there  make  your  preparations."     So  they  went  and  found  all  as     13 
He  had  told  them  ;  and  they  got  the  Passover  ready. 

When  the  time  was  come,  and  He  had  taken     14 
SipV^r^*      His  place  at  table,  and  the   apostles  with  Him, 

He  said  to  them,  "  Earnestly  have  I  longed  to  eat     15 
the  Passover  with  you   before  I   suffer  ;  for   I   tell  you  that  I     16 
certainly  shall  not  eat  it  again  till  its  full  meaning  has  been 
brought  out  in  the  Kingdom  of  God."     Then,  having  received     17 
the  cup  and  given  thanks,  He  said,  "Take  this  and  share  it     18 
among  yourselves  ;  for  I  tell  you  that  from  this  time  I  will  never 
drink  the  produce  of  the  vine  till  the   Kingdom  of  God  has 
come." 

Then  taking  a  Passover  biscuit,  He  gave  thanks     19 
The  memorial         j   i       1       •,  i  •.   ^      .1  u  -m  • 

Meal  institu-    ^^^  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  them,  saying,     This 

ted.     The      jg  my  body  which  is  being  given  on  your  behalf  : 

Traitor  indi.       ,.,      .  ,  r  »      tt  1 

cated.         this  do  in  remembrance  of  me."     He  gave  them     20 
the  cup  in  like  manner,  when  the  meal  was  over, 
saying,  "  This  cup  is  the  New  Covenant  ratified  by  my  blood, 
which  is  to  be  poured  out  on  your  behalf.     Yet  the  hand  of  him     21 
who  is  betraying  me  is  at  the  table  with  me.     For   indeed  the     22 
Son  of  Man  goes  on  His  way — His  predestined  way  ;  yet  alas 
for  that  man  who  is  betraying  Him  !  "    Thereupon  they  began     23 
to  discuss  with  one  another  which  of  them  it  could  possibly  be 
who  was  about  to  do  this. 

There  arose  also  a  dispute  among  them  which     24 
?on  rebilked'  °^  ^^^^^^  should  be  regarded  as  greatest.     But  He     25 

said  to  them,  "  The  kings  of  the  nations  are  their 
masters,  and  those  who  exercise  authority  over  them  are  called 

14-18.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  20  ;   Mark  xiv.  17. 

16.  For  ,  .  fio^  eat  it  again\  v.L.  '  But  (cp.  verse  2)  .  .  not  eat  it ; '  or  *  Now 
however  I  tell  you  tliat  I  will  not  eat  it.'  Some  suppose  that  in  spite  of  the  intense 
eagerness  with  which  our  Lord  had  anticipated  the  meal,  wlien  the  time  came  He 
was  so  overcome  by  emotion  that  He  could  not  partake  of  it.      So  in  verse  18. 

17.  Received  the  cup]  Lit.  'received  cup.'  See  Matt.  xxvi.  27,  n.  The  '  receiv- 
ing' was  probably — but  not  certainly,  cp.  Eph.  vi.  17 — from  an  attendant. 

18.  See  verse  16,  n.     Produce]   Lit.  'offspring.' 

19.  20.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  26-29  '<  Mark  xiv.  22-25. 

19.  Is  being  given]  Or  '  is  to  be  given.' 

20.  The  meal]  Lit.  'dinner.'  Ratified  by]  Lit.  'in.'  Which]  Grammatically 
'  which  cup '  (cp.  Rev.  xvi.  i,  2).  But  there  can  be  little  doubt  this  is  an  hypallage, 
and  that  '  which  blood  '  is  meant,  as  in  INLitt.  xxvi.  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24.  Is  to  be 
poured  out]  Or  '  I  am  pouring  out  '     Cp.  verse  19. 

21-23.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  21-15  ;  Mark  xiv,  18-21  :  John  xiil.  21-35. 
24-30.  Cp.  John  xiii.  1-20. 

24.  Regarded  as]  A  somewhat  more  modest  rivalry  than  the  former  one.  Cp. 
ix.  46. 

25,  Nations]  Or  '  Gentiles.' 


LUKE   XXII.  197 

Benefactors.     With  you  it  is  not  so  ;  but  let  the  greatest  among     26 
you  be  as  the  younger,  and  the  leader  like  the  one  who  serves.     27 
For  which  is  the  greater  ? — he  who  sits  at  table,  or  he  who  waits 
on  him  ?    Is  it  not  he  who  sits  at  table  ?    But  my  position  among 
you  is  that  of  one  who  waits  on   others.     You  however  have     28 
remained  with  me  amid  my  trials  ;  and  I  covenant  to  give  you,     29 
as  my  Father  has  covenanted  to  give  me,  a  Kingdom — so  that     30 
you  shall  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  in  my  Kingdom,  and  sit  on 
thrones  as  judges  over  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 

"Simon,    Simon,    I   tell    you    that     Satan    has     31 
^^foretoid"'^'  Obtained  permission  to  have  all  of  you  to  sift  as 

wheat  is  sifted;  but  /  have  prayed  for  you  that     32 
your  faith  may  not  fail,  and  you,  when  at  last  you  have  come 
back  to  your  true  self,  must  strengthen  your  brethren."    "  Master,"     33 
replied  Peter,  "  with  you  I  am  ready  to  go  both  to  prison  and  to 
death."     "  I  tell  you,  Peter,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  the  cock   will  not     34 
crow  to-day  till  you  have  three  times  denied  that  you  know  me." 

Then   He  asked  them,  "When  I  sent  you  out     ^q 

The  coming         -.i        ^  i  ,  1  ,  • 

Danger.    A     Without  purse  or  bag  or  shoes,  was  there  anything 

veiled^ Warn,    you    needed?"     "No,     nothing,"     they     replied. 

"  But   now,"   said    He,   "  let  the    one  who  has  a     36 
purse  take  it,  and  he  who  has  a  bag  must  do  the  same  ;  and  let 
him   who  has  no  sword  sell  his  outer  garment  and  buy  one. 
For  I  tell  you  that  those  words  of  Scripture  must  yet  find  their     37 
fulfilment  in  me  :  'And  He  was  reckoned  among  the  law- 
less' (Isa.  liii.  12)  ;  for  indeed  that  saying  about  me  has  its 
accomplishment."      "  Master,     here     are     two    swords,"    they     38 
exclaimed.     He  replied,  "That  is  enough." 

Christ's  Agony      ^'^   going  out.  He   proceeded  as  usual  to  the     39 
in  Gethse.      Mount  of  Olives,  and  His  disciples  followed  Him. 
mane.         g^^  when   He   arrived  at  the   place.    He  said  to     40 
them,  "Pray  that  you  may  not  come  into  temptation;"   but     41 
He   Himself  withdrew  from  them  about   a  stone's  throw,  and 
knelt  down  and  prayed  repeatedly  :  "  Fatlier,  if  it  be  Thy  will,     42 

31-38.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  31-35  ;  Mark  xiv.  27-31  ;  John  xiii.  36-38. 

31.  Obtained perinission\  Or  '  earnestly  begged.'  - 

32.  For  you   .   .  you]    The    '  you  '    is  singular — a     fact    often    overlooked    by 
readers  of  the  A.V.  and  the  R.V. 

36.  Buy  one]  Not  really  for  use.     The  order  was  seemingly  an  acted  parable   to 
prepare  the  minds  of  the  apostles  for  the  coming  peril. 

39.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  30  ;  Mark  xiv.  26  ;  John  xviii.  i. 
40-46.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  36-46  ;  Mark  xiv.  32-42. 

40.  Prav]  Not  merely  '  Offer  the  prayer  once  for  all,'  but  rather  'Keep  on  pray- 
ing,' thonoh  this  would  be  a  little  too  emphatic. 

42.    Take  .  ,  away]  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  36  and  note. 


198  LUKE   XXII. 

take  this  cup  away  from  me  ;  yet  not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done  ! " 

And  there  appeared  to  Him  an  angel  from  heaven,  strength-     43 
ening   Him  ;    while    He — an    agony  of   distress   having   come     44 
upon    Him  —  prayed   all  the   more    with   intense    earnestness, 
and  His  sweat  became  like  clots  of  blood   dropping  on   the 
ground. 

When  He  rose  from   His  prayer  and  came  to  His  disciples,     45 
He  found  them  sleeping  for  sorrow.     "  Why  are  you  sleeping  ?"     46 
He  said  ;  "  stand  up  ;  and  pray  that  you  may  not  come  into 
temptation." 

While    He    was    still   speaking   there    came   a    47 
^airnecTMen^  crowd  with  Judas,  already  mentioned  as  one  of  the 
Twelve,  at  their  head.     He   went  up  to  Jesus  to 
kiss  Him.     "Judas,"  said  Jesus,  "are  you  betraying  the  Son  of    48 
Man  virith  a  kiss  ?  "     Those  who  were  about  Him,  seeing  what     49 
was  likely  to  happen,  asked  Him,  "  Master,  shall  we  strike  with 
the   sword?"    And   one   of  them  struck  a  blow   at   the   High     50 
Priest's  servant  and  cut  off  his  right  ear.     "  Permit  me  so  far,"     51 
said  Jesus,  and  He  touched  the  ear  and  healed  it. 

Then  Jesus  said  to  the  High  Priests  and  Com-  52 
'^^^"lalei!^^*"'  manders  of  the  Temple  and  Elders,  who  had 
come  to  arrest  Him,  "  Have  you  come  out  as  if 
to  fight  with  a  robber,  with  swords  and  bludgeons  ?  While  day  53 
after  day  I  was  with  you  in  the  Temple,  you  did  not  lay  hands 
upon  me  ;  but  to  you  belongs  this  hour — and  the  power  of  dark- 
ness." 

They  arrest        ^^'^  ^^^^'  arrested  Him  and  led  Him  away,  and     54 
Him.    Peter    brought   Him   to  the    High  Priest's  house,  while 
disowns  Him.    p^^^^.  followed  a  good  way  behind.     And  when     55 
they  had  lighted  a  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  court  and  had  seated 
themselves  in  a  group  round  it,  Peter  was  sitting  among  them, 
when    a  maidservant  saw  him  sitting  by  the  fire,  and  looking     56 
fixedly  at  him  she  said,  "  This  man  also  was  with  him."     But     57 
he  denied  it,  and   declared,   "  I   do  not  know  him,  woman." 
Shortly  afterwards  a  man  saw  him  and  said,  "  You  too  are  one     58 

46.  Stand  uf\  So  literally.     Cp.  xviii.  ii,  13.     Pray\  Cp.  verse  40. 

47-53.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  47-56  ;  Mark  xiv.  43-52  ;  John  xviii.  2-11. 

50.  Servanf^  Or  '  slave.' 

54-62.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  57,  58,  and  69-75  ;  Mark  xiv.  53,  54,  and  66-72  ;  John  xviii. 
12-18,  and  25-27. 

56.  Bythefire\  Lit.  '  towards  the  light.'  The  same  expression  occurs  in  Mark 
xiv.  54.  No  doubt  the  light  falling  on  his  face  led  to  his  being  recognized,  although 
it  was  only  the  dull  light  given  by  a  charcoal  fire.     Cp.  John  xviii.  18. 


LUKE   XXIL-XXIII.  199 

of  them."     "  Man,  I  am  not,"  said  Peter.     After  an  interval  of     59 
about  an  hour  some  one  else  stoutly  maintained:   ''Certainly 
this  fellow  also  was   with  him,  for  in  fact  he  is  a  Galilaean." 
"  Man,  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  Peter  replied  ;  and  no     60 
sooner  had  he  spoken  than  a  cock  crowed.     The  Master  turned     61 
and  looked  on  Peter  ;  and  Peter  recollected  the  Master's  words, 
how  He  had  said  to  him,  "This  very  day,  before  the  cock  crows, 
you  will  disown  me  three  times."     And  he  went  out   and  wept     62 
aloud  bitterly. 

Meanwhile  the  men  who  held  Jesus  in  custody     63 
"^^^ns^uftTd.^'^   repeatedly  beat  Him  in  cruel  sport,  or  bhndfolded     64 

Him  and  then  challenged  Him  :  "  Prove  to  us 
that  you  are  a  prophet,  by  telling  us  who  it  was  that  struck  you.?" 
And  they  said  many  other  insulting  things  to  Him.  65 

Jesus  ques-         ^^  ^°°^  ^^  ^^  ^'^^  ^^^J  ^^^  whole  body  of  Elders,     66 
tioned  by  the    both  High  Priests  and  Scribes,  assembled.     Then 

He  was  brought  into  their  Sanhedrin,  and  they     67 
asked  Him,  "Are  you  the  Christ  ?    tell  us."     "  If  I  tell  you,"  He 
replied,  "  you  will  certainly  not  believe  ;  and  if  I  ask  you  ques-     68 
tions,  you  will  certainly  not  answer.     But  from  this  time  forward     69 
the  Son  of  Man  will  be  seated  at    the    right  hand  of  God's 
omnipotence"  (Dan.  vii.  13  ;  Ps.  ex.  i).     Thereupon  they  cried     70 
out  with  one  voice,  "You,  then,  are  the  Son  of  God?"    He 
answered,  "  It  is  as  you  say — I  am  He."     "  What  need  have  we     71 
of  further    evidence.'*"    they    said;    "for    we     ourselves    have 
heard  it  from  his  own  lips." 

Then  the  whole  assembly  rose  and  brought  Him     i    C 
befo'rVpiiate.  ^o  Pilate,  and  began  to  accuse  Him.     "  We  have     2 

found  this  man,"  they  said,  "an  agitator  among 
our  nation,  forbidding  the  payment  of  tribute   to  Caesar,  and 
claiming  to  be  himself  an  anointed  king."     Then  Pilate  asked     3 
Him,  "  You,  then,  are  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  "     "  It  is  as  you 
say,"  He  replied.     Pilate  said  to  the  High  Priests  and  to  the     4 
crowd,  "  I  can  find  no  crime  in  this  man."     But  they  violently     5 
insisted  :  "  He  stirs  up  the  people  throughout  all  Judaea  with 
His  teaching — even  from  Galilee  (where  He  first  started)  to  this 
City."     On  hearing  this,    Pilate  inquired,  "  Is  the  man  a  Gali-     6 

63-71.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  59-68  ;  Mark  xiv.  55-65  ;  John  xviii.  19-24. 

66.  Boi/i]  Cp.  I  Cor.  i.  30,  n. 

68.  Answer]  v.L.  '  nor  release  me.' 

70.  /  am  He]  Or  '  because  I  am  He.' 

1.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  i,  2  ;  Mark  xv.  i  ;  John  xviii.  28. 

2.  An  anointed  kins;]  Or  '  Chri.st  a  King.'     Cp.  John  xviii.  29-32. 
3-5.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  11-14;  Mark  xv.  2-5  ;  John  xviii.  33-38. 


200  LUKE    XXIII, 

laean?"     And  learning  that  He  belonged  to  Herod's  jurisdic-     7 
tion,  he  sent  Him  to  Herod,  for  he  too  was  in  Jerusalem  at  that 
time. 

To  Herod  the  sight  of  Jesus  was  a  great  gratifi-     8 
ti^onsand^'    cation,  for,  for  a  long  time,  he  had  been  wanting 
grossly  insults  jq  g^g  Him,  because  he  had  heard  so  much  about 

Him.  ' 

Him.     He   hoped    also  to  see  some  miracle  per- 
formed by  Him.     So  he  put  a  number  of  questions  to  Him,  but     9 
Jesu5  gave  him  no  reply.     Meanwhile  the  High  Priests  and  the     10 
Scribes  were  standing  there   and   vehemently  accusing   Him. 
Then  laughing  to  scorn  the  claims  of  Jesus,   Herod  (and  his     11 
soldiers  with  him)  made  sport  of  Him,  dressed  Him  in  a  gor- 
geous costume,  and  sent  Him  back  to  Pilate.     And  on  that     12 
very  day  Herod  and  Pilate  became  friends  again,  for  they  had 
been  for  some  time  at  enmity. 

„..  ^  Then  calling  together  the  High  Priests  and  the     13 

Pilate  pro-  &       o  o  ^ 

nounces  Jesus  Rulers  and  the  people,   Pilate  said,    "You   have     14 
to  be  innocent.  i^j-Q^gj^i-  ^\{^^  Yi\-^xi  to  me  on  a  charge  of  corrupting 
the  loyalty  of  the  people  ;  but  you  see,  I  have  examined  him  in 
your  presence  and  have  discovered  in  the  man  no  ground  for 
the  accusations  which  you  bring  against  him.     No,   nor  does     15 
Herod  ;  for  he  has  sent  him  back  to  us  ;  and  you  see,  there  is 
nothing  he  has  done  that  deserves  death.     I  will  therefore  give     16 
him  a  light  punishment  and  release  him."      Then  the  whole     18 
multitude  burst  out  into  a  shout.     "  Away  with  this  man,"  they 
said,  "and  release  Barabbas  to  us"— Barabbas  !  who  had  been     19 
lodged  in  jail  for  some  time  in  connexion  with  a  riot  which  had 
occurred  in  the  City,  and  for  murder. 

But  Pilate  once  more  addressed  them,  wishing     20 
tlnCeof  Death?  to   set   Jesus    free.       They,  however,  persistently     21 
shouted   "Crucify,   crucify  him!"      A  third  time     22 
he  appealed  to  them  :  "  Why,  what  crime  has  the  man  com- 
mitted }     I  have  discovered  in  him  nothing  that  deserves  death. 
I  will  therefore  give  him  a  light  punishment  and  release  him." 
But  they  urgently  insisted,  demanding  with  frantic  outcries  that     23 
He  should  be  crucified ;  and  their  clamour  prevailed.    So  Pilate     24 

7.  Sent  Him]  Or  'remitted  the  case.' 

8.  Mi7-acle\  Lit.  '  token  '  or  '  sign.' 

15.  He  has  sent  hint  back  to  us]  v.  i,.  '  I  remitted  your  case  to  him.' 
17.   V.  L.  inserts  the  verse,  '  But  he  was  obliged  to  release  one  prisoner  to  them  at 
every  Festival.' 

18-23.   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  15-23  ;  Mark  xv.  6-14  ;  John  xviii.  39,  40. 

22.    ii'kv,  what]  .See  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  p.  42. 

24-25.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  24-30  ;   i\lark  xv.  15-19  ;  John  xix.  1-16. 


LUKE    XXIII.  20I 

gave  judgement,  yielding  to  their  demand.     The  man  who  was     25 
lying  in  prison  charged  with  riot  and  murder  and  for  whom  they 
clamoured    he    set  free,    but  Jesus    he    gave    up    to  be  dealt 
with  as  they  desired. 
-.   .  ^,   _  As  soon  as  they  led  Him  away,  they  laid  hold     26 

Christ's  Sym.  ^  1.  •  • 

pathy  with  the  on  One  Simon,  a  Cyrenaean,  who  was  coming  m 

Jerusalem!     ^^^^'^  ^^^^  Country,  and  on  his  shoulders  they  put 

the  cross  for  him  to  carry  it  behind  Jesus.     A  vast     27 
crowd  of  the  people  also  followed  Him,  and  of  women  who  were 
beating  their  breasts  and  wailing  for  Him.     But  Jesus  turned     28 
towards  them  and  said,  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for 
me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your  children.     For  a  time     29 
is  coming  when  they  will  say,   '  Blessed  are  the  women  who 
never  bore  children,  and  the  breasts  which  have  never  nour- 
ished.'     Then  will  they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  'Fall     30 
on   us;'    and   to   the   hills,    'Cover   us'    (Hos.  x.  8).      For  if    31 
they  are  doing  these  things  in  the  case  of  the  green  tree,  what 
will  be  done  in  that  of  the  dry  ?  " 

They  brought  also  two  others,  criminals,  to  put  them  to  death     32 
with  Him. 

He  is  taken  to       When  they  reached  the  place  called  '  The  Skull,'     ^^ 
Golgotha  and  there  they  nailed  Him  to  the  cross,  and  the  crimi- 
nals also,  one  on  the  right  hand  and  one  on  the 
left.     Jesus  prayed,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not     34 
what  they  are  doing."     And  they  divided  His  garments  among 
them,  drawing  lots  for  them  (Ps.  xxii.  18) ;  and  the  people  stood     35 
looking  on. 

The  Rulers,  too,  repeatedly  uttered  their  bitter 
taunts:  "This  fellow,"  they  said,  "  saved  others: 
let  him  save  himself,  if  he  is  God's  Anointed,  the  Chosen  One." 
And  the  soldiers  also  made  sport   of  Him,  coming  and  offering     36 
Him  sour  wine  and  saying,  '^  Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?     37 
Save  yourself,  then  ! "     There  was  moreover  a  writing  over  His     38 
head  :  THIS  IS  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS. 

Heaven  ^^^  vvhen  one  of  the  criminals  who  had  been     39 

promised  to  a  crucified  insulted  Him,  saying,  "  Are  not  you  the 

Christ:  save  yourself  and  us  ;"  the  other  answer-    40 

26-33.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  31-34  ;  Mark  xv.  20-23  <  John  xix.  16,  17. 
30.   Cp.  Rev.  vi.  16,  and  Josephiis,  IVtirs,  vi.  7  and  9  ;  vii.  2.  2. 
33>  34)  38-   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  35-38  ;  Mark  xV.  24-27  ;  John  xix.  18-24. 
35-37,  and  39-43.   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  39-44  :   Mark  xv.  29-32  ;  John  xix.  25-27. 
40.  /)<7  not  yon  .  .  pwiislnnent]  Or  'as  for  you,  is  not  even  the  fact  tliat  yon  are 
undergoing  actual  punisliment  (or,  the  doom  itself)  enough  to  make  you  fear  God  ?' 


202  LUKE   XXIII. 

ing  reproved  him.    "  Do  you  also  not  fear  God,"  he  said,  "when 
you  are  actually  suffering  punishment  ?     And  we  indeed   are     41 
suffering  justly,  for  we  are  receiving  due  requital  for  what  we 
have  done  ;  but  He  has  done  nothing  amiss."     And  he  said,     42  ^ 
"  Jesus,    remember    me  when    you    come    in  your   Kingdom." 
Jesus  repHed,  "  I  tell  you  in  solemn  truth  that  this  very  day  you     43 
shall  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 
Jesus  dies        ^^  ^^^  ^^""^  about  noon,  and  a  darkness  came    44 
amid  dense  over  the  whole  country  till  the  ninth  hour.     The    45 
ar  ness.     ^^^  ^^^  darkened,  and  the  curtain  of  the  Sanctuary 
was  torn  down  the  middle,  and  Jesus,  crying  with  a  loud  voice,     46 
said,  "  Father,  to  Thy  hands  I  entrust  my  spirit "  (Ps.  xxxi.  5). 
And  after  uttering  these  words  He  died. 
The  People        '^^^  Captain,  seeing  what  had  happened,  gave     47 
greatly im-   glory  to  God,  saying,  "Beyond  question  this  man 
presse  .      ^^^   innocent."       And   all   the    crowds    that    had     48 
come  together  to  this  sight,  after    seeing  all  that  had  occurred, 
returned   to   the    City    beating    their    breasts.      But    all    His     49 
acquaintances,   and    the  women  who   had  been   His  followers 
after  leaving   Galilee,    continued   standing   at  a  distance   and 
looking  on. 

There    was   a    member   of  the   Council  of  the     50 
'chri'st's'bodyf  n^^tiie  of  Joseph,  a  kind-hearted  and  upright  man, 

who  came   from  the  Jewish  town  of  Arimathaea     51 
and  lived  in  expectation  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.     He  had  not 
concurred  in  the  design  or  action  of  the  Council,  and  now  he     52 
went  to  Pilate  and  asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus.     Then  taking     53 
it  down  he  wrapped  it  in  a  linen  sheet  and  laid  it  in  a  tomb 
in  the  rock,  where  no  one  else  had  yet  been  put.     It  was  the     54 
Preparation    Day,    and   the    Sabbath    was    drawing   on.      The     55 
women — those  who  had  come  with  Jesus  from  Galilee — followed 
close  behind,  and  saw  the  tomb  and  how  His  body  v/as  placed. 
Then  they  returned,  and  prepared  spices  and  perfumes.  56 

The  pronominal  adjective  usually  meaning  '  same'  does  not  seem  to  be  used  here  in 
accordance  with  the  rules  of  classical  Greek. 

42.  In]  V.  L.  '  into.' 

43.  This  very  day]  Since  it  was  towards  afternoon  and  the  Jewish  day  ended  at 
sunset  the  interval  may  have  been  one  of  only  about  four  hours.  Nay  more,  just  as  a 
heavenly  ecstasy  has  come  to  many  a  martyr  at  the  stake,  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
flames,  so  doubtless— even  while  the  Saviour  was  uttering  the  promise — a  foretaste 
of  Paradise  came  to  the  heart  of  the  penitent  Robber. 

44-46.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  45-50  ;  Mark  xv.  33-37  ;  John  xix.  28-30. 
45,  and  47-49.   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  51-56  ;  Mark  xv.  38-41. 

44.  45.  Hour.  The  sun  was  darkened]  v.l.  'hour,  the  sun  failing  (or,  having 
failed).' 

50-56.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  57-61  ;  Mark  xv.  42-47  ;  John  xix.  38-42. 
53.  Linen]  Cp.  Mark  xiv.  51. 


LUKE   XXIV.  203 

^,    ..,  On  the  Sabbath  they  rested  in  obedience  to  the         C 

The  Women      ^  ,  ,  ,       ^  -,  ^    ,  ,  ^ 

find  the       Commandment  ;  but,  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,     i 
omb  emp  y.   ^^  early  dawn,  they  came  to  the  tomb  bringing  the 
spices  they  had  prepared.    But  they  found  the  stone  rolled  back     2 
from  the  tomb,  and  on  entering  they  found  that  the  body  of  the     3 
Lord  Jesus  was  not  there. 
An  els  an  ^^  ^^'^  ^^^^  were  in  great  perplexity,  when  sud-    4 

nouncethat    denly  there  stood  by  them  two  men  whose  raiment 
Jesus  is  alive,  ^^gj^^^j  ^^y.^  lightning.     The  women  were  terrified ;     5 
but  as  they  stood  with  their  faces  bowed  to  the  ground,  the 
men  said  to  them,  "  Why  do  you  search  among  the  dead  for 
Him  who  is  living?    He  is  not  here.     He  has  come  back  to  life.     6 
Remember  how  He  spoke  to  you  while  He  was  still  in  Galilee, 
when  He  told  you  that  the  Son  of  Man  must  be  betrayed  into     7 
the  hands  of  sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  on  the  third  day 
rise  again."     Then  they  remembered  His  words,  and  returning  8,  9 
from  the  tomb  they  reported  all  this  to  the  Eleven  and  to  all 
the  rest. 

The  women  were  the  Magdalene  Mary,  Joanna,     10 
bring  the      and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  ;    and  they   and 
'^Apos*t°e*s^*    the  rest  of  the  women  related  all  this  to  the  apos- 
tles.    But  the  whole  story  seemed  to  them  an  idle     11 
tale  ;  they  could  not  believe  the  women.     Peter,  however,  rose     12 
and  ran  to  the  tomb.     Stooping  and  looking  in,  he  saw  nothing 
but  the  linen  cloths  :  so  he  went  away  to  his  own  home,  wonder- 
ing at  what  had  happened. 

On  that   same  day  two  of  the  disciples  were     13 

Jesus  IS  seen  •'  ^ 

on  the  Way  to  walkmg  to  Emmaus,  a  village  seven  or  eight  miles 

Emmaus.      ^^^^  Jerusalem,  and  were  conversing  about   all  14 

these  recent  events  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  their  conversation  and  15 

discussion  Jesus  Himself  came  and  joined  them,  though  they  16 

were  prevented  from  recognizing  Him.     "  What  is  the  subject,"  17 
He  asked  them,  "about  which  you  are  talking  so  earnestly  as 


1-3.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  1-4  ;  Mark  xvi.  1-4  ;  John  xx.  i. 

3.  0/  the  Lord  Jesus]  v.l.  omits. 

4-8.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  5-7  ;  Mark  xvi.  5-7. 

4.  Suddenly]  Cp.  Matt.  viii.  24.  Flashed  like  lic^htnin?]  One  word  in  the  Greek, 
found  also  in  xvii.  24,  and  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T.     Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  3. 

9-11.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  8  ;  Mark  xvi.  8  ;  John  xx.  2. 

10.  Magdalene]  I.E.  '  of  Magdala,'  a  town  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Lake  of 
Galilee.    This  Marj^  is  mentioned  in  the  third  Gospel  only  twice— here  and  in  viii.  2. 

12.  V.L.  omits  this  verse.  Linen  c/tJMi].  Probably  small  strips  of  cloth  used  in 
addition  to  the  slieet  of  muslin,  xxiii.  53.     Cp.  John  xx.  3-10. 

13-35.   Cp.  Mark  xvi.  12.  13. 

17.   Walk  ?    And  they  &=c.]  v.l.  has  '  walk  and  are  looking  so  full  of  sorrow  ?' 


204  LUKE   XXIV. 

you  walk?"    And  they  stood  still,  looking  full  of  sorrow.    Then     i8 
one  of  them,  named  Cleopas,  answered,  "  Are  you  a  stranger 
lodging  alone  at  Jerusalem,  that  you  have  known  nothing  of  the 
things  that  have  lately  happened  in  the  City,?"    "What  things?"     19 
He  asked.     "The  things  about  Jesus  the  Nazarene,"  they  said, 
"  who  was  a  Prophet  powerful  in  work  and  word  before  God 
and  all  the  people  ;    and  how  our  High    Priests  and    Rulers     20 
delivered  Him  up  to  be  sentenced  to  death,  and  crucified  Him. 
But  we  were  hoping  that  it  was  He  who  was  about  to  ransom     21 
Israel.     Yes,  and  moreover  it  was  the  day  before  yesterday  that 
these  things  happened.    And  besides,  some  of  the  women  of  our     22 
company  have  amazed  us  :  they  went  to  the  tomb  at  daybreak, 
and  finding  that  His  body  was  not  there,  they  came  and  declared     23 
to  us  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels  \\ho  said  that 
He  was  alive.     Thereupon  some  of  our  party  went  to  the  tomb     24 
and  found  things  just  as  the  women    had  said  ;  but  Jesus  Him- 
self they  did  not  see." 

"  O  dull-witted  men,"  He   replied,  "with  minds     25 
He  explains  ,  ...  ,,      ,  ,         t^        ,  1 

ancient  Pre-    SO   slow   to   believe   all    that    the    Prophets    have 

*^''' H°mseif.°"*  spoken  !     Was  there  not  a  necessity  for  the  Christ     26 

thus  to  suffer  and   then    enter  into   His  glory?" 

And  beginning  with  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets  He  explained     27 

to  them  the  passages  in  Scripture  which  refer  to  Himself. 

,,        ,    .  When  they  had  come  near  the  village  to  which     28 

Upon  being  ^  ". 

recognized  He  they  were  going,  He  appeared  to  be  going  further. 

goes  away.      -^^^^   ^^^^   pressed    Him     to    remain    with    them,     29 
"  Because,"  said  they,  "  it  is  getting  towards  evening,  and  the 
day  is  nearly  over."     So  He  went  in  to  stay  with  them.     But  as     30 
soon  as  He  had  sat  down  with  them,  and   had  taken  the  bread 
and  had  blessed  and  broken  it,  and  was    handing  it  to  them, 
their   eyes    were    opened    and   they   recognized  Him  ;   but  He     31 
vanished  from  them.       "Were  not  our    hearts,"  they  said  to     32 
one  another,  "burning  within  us  while    He  talked  to  us  on  the 
way  and  explained  the  Scriptures  to  us  ? " 

So  they  rose  and  without  an  hour's  delay  returned  to  Jerusalem,     33 


18.  Are  you  .  .  knoiim]  Or  '  Surely  you  must  be  the  only  person  of  all  living  (or, 
lodging)  in  Jerusalem  who  has  known.' 

2r.  Tk^  day  be/ore  yesterday]  Ivit.,  in  accordance  with  the  Hebrew  reckoning,  '  it 
is  the  third  day  since.'     Cp.  ii.  46,  n. 

25.   Minds\  Or  'hearts.'     Cp.  Mark  vi.  52. 

27.  Beginnings  with]  Lit.  'beginning  from,'  as  always  in  Greek.  Ex/>iained] 
Namely  '  from  Moses  and  all  the  Prophets,'  this  phrase  belonging  both  to  the  pre- 
ceding and  to  the  succeeding  verb. 

30,  35.  Bread]  Or  '  loaf.' 


LUKE    XXIV.  205 

and  found  the  Eleven  and  the  rest  met  tos^ether, 
The  two  Dis-        ,  .  ,  ,  ,,  w         •     •  ,        f^ 

cipies  carry    vvho  said  to  them:      Yes,  It  IS  true:  the   Master     34 

JeriTslVen^     ^^s  come  back  to  Hfe  ;  He  has  been  seen  by  Simon." 

Then  they  related  what  had  happened  on  the  way,     35 

and  how  He  had  been  recognized  by  them  in  the  breaking  of 

the  bread. 

While  they  were  thus  talking,  He  Himself  stood     36 
Jesus  makes    ...  .  /  ,  ■  ^      ,,  ^  ,  .  „ 

Himself  visible  m  their  midst    and    said,    "Peace    be   to    you!" 

*°  *'t?et.'^°^'  Startled  and  in  the  utmost  alarm,  they  thought  37 
they  were  looking  at  a  spirit  ;  but  He  said  to  them,  38 
"Why  such  alarm?  and  why  are  there  such  questionings  in 
your  minds  ?  See  my  hands  and  my  feet — that  it  is  my  very  39 
self.  Feel  me  and  see,  for  a  spirit  has  not  flesh  and  bones  as 
you  see  I  have."  And  then  He  showed  them  His  hands  and  40 
His  feet. 

But  while  they  still  could  not  believe  it  for  joy,    41 
'^^thern^'^'^     and  were  full  of  astonishment.    He   asked   them, 

"  Have  you  any  food  heie.^"  And  they  gave  Him  42 
a  piece  of  roasted  fish,  and  He  took  it  and  ate  it  in  their  43 
presence. 

He  again  ex-       ^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^^  them,  "  This  is  what  I  told  you     44 
plains  the      while  I  was  still  with  you— that  everything  must  be 
crip  ures.     £^^|^^lg^;J  jj^g^l-  jg  written  in  the  Law  of  Moses  and  in 
the   Prophets   and   the    Psalms   concerning   me."       Then    He     45 
opened  their  minds  to    understand  the    Scriptures,   and    said, 
"  Thus  it  is  written  that  the  Christ  would  suffer  and  on  the  third     46 
day  rise  again  from  among  the  dead  ;  and  that  proclamation     47 
would  be  made,  in  His  name,  of  repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins 
to  all  the  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.     You  are  witnesses     48 
of  these  things.     And  remember  that  I  am  about  to  send  out     49 
my  Father's  promised  gift  to  rest  upon   you  ;  but  as  for  you, 
wait   patiently  in  the    City   until  you  are  clothed  with  power 
from  on  high." 

And  He  brought  them  out   to  within   view   of     t;o 
Into  Helven.''  Bethany,  and  then  lifted  up  His  hands  and  blessed 

them.      And   while    He    was   blessing  them,  He     51 

34.    To  thein\  i.e.  to  the  two  on  their  entry. 

36-43.   Cp.  I\Iark  xvi.  14  ;  John  xx.  19-25. 

36.  And  said,   ^''  Peace  be  to  you  .'"]v.\^.  oniit.s  these  words. 

40.  V.  L.  omits  this  verse. 

42.  Fis/t]  v.L.  adds  '  and  some  honeycomb.' 

44~53-   Cp.  Mark  xvi.  19,  20  ;  Acts  i.  3-12. 

49.  IVait  />at!cn*h']lyt.  'sit.' 

50.  2^0  witkin  view  oj]  Lit.  '  as  far  as  facing.* 


2o6  LUKE    XXIV. 

parted  from  them  and  was  carried  up  into  heaven  (2  Kings 
ii.    11),      They    worshipped    Him,    and   returned  to  Jerusalem     52 
with  great  joy.     Afterwards  they  were  continually  in  attendance     53 
at  the  Temple,  blessing  God. 

53.  In  attendance  at]  i.e.  at  the  stated  hours  of  prayer.  The  literal  '  in  ' 
might  convey  the  erroneous  notion  that  they  spent  all  their  time  there.  Cp. 
Acts  i.  13.  Blessing]  Some  authorities  read  '  praising,'  others  '  praising  and 
blessing.' 


THE   GOOD   NEWS   AS   RECORDED 
SY  JOHN 


The  question  of  the  authorship  and  date  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
is  a  vexed  problem  of  Biblical  research.  The  book  was  cer- 
tainly accepted  by  most  Christians  at  the  end  of  the  second 
century  as  having  been  written  by  the  apostle  John.  Its  rejec- 
tion by  Marcion  and  the  Alogi  does  not  invalidate  this  state- 
ment. The  endless  discussions  of  the  whole  subject  in  recent 
years  have  not  resulted  in  critical  unanimity.  Not  only  have 
many  of  the  ablest  scholars  steadily  maintained,  with  ample 
reasoning,  the  traditional  authorship,  but  it  may  be  truly  said 
that  the  preponderating  tendency  to-day  is  in  that  direction.  On 
the  other  hand  the  finding  of  the  most  recent  scrutiny  has  been 
thus  expressed  :  "  It  is  Johannine,  many  critics  would  admit, 
upon  any  theory  of  its  origin.  Even  although  they  see  no 
adec^uate  reason  for  accepting  the  tradition  which  assigns  the 
book  to  the  apostle  John,  and  several  cogent  reasons  to  the  con- 
trary, they  would  hardly  deny  that  nevertheless  the  volume  is 
Johannine — in  the  sense  that  any  historical  element  throughout 
its  pages  may  be  traced  back  directly  or  indirectly  to  that 
apostle  and  his  school."  As  regards  its  date,  no  more  definite 
period  can  be  fairly  indicated  than  that  of  Harnack — between 
80,  A.D.,  and  no,  a.d.  But  that  it  was  written  at  Ephesus  may 
be  regarded  as  practically  certain,  and  there  is  evidence  that  it 
was  composed  at  the  request  of  elders  and  believers  belonging 
to  the  Churches  of  Roman  Asia.  The  special  characteristics 
which  render  it  unique  in  literature  are  unmistakable,  but 
scarcely  admit  of  brief  expression.  It  is  manifestly  supple- 
mentary to  the  other  Gospels  and  assumes  that  they  are  known 
and  are  true.  The  differences  between  the  fourth  Gospel  and 
the  other  three  may  be  easily  exaggerated,  but  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  they  exist.  They  relate,  (i)  to  the  ministry 
of  Christ,  and  (2)  to  His  person.  As  to  the  former  it  is  impos- 
sible to  correlate  all  the  references  to  distinct  events,  for  whilst 
the  Synoptics  appear  to  contemplate  little  more  than  the  life 
and  work  of  a  single  year,  from  John's  standpoint  there  can 
scarcely  have  been  less  than  three  years  concerned.  As  to  the 
person  of  Christ,  it  must  be  owned  that  although  the  fourth 
Gospel  makes  no  assertion  which  contradicts  the  character  of 
Teacher  and  Reformer  attributed  to  Christ  by  the  Synoptics,  it 
presents  to  us  a  personage  so  enwrapped  in  mystery  and  dig- 
nity as  altogether  to  transcend  ordinary  human  nature.  This 
transcendent  Personality  is  indeed  the  avowed  centre  of  the 
whole  record,  and  His  portrayal  is  its  avowed  purpose.  Yet 
whilst  the  writer  never  clearly  reveals  to  us  who  he  himself  is, 
it  is  equally  manifest  that  his  own  convictions  constitute  the 
matrix  in  which  the  discourses  and  events  are  imbedded,  and 
that  there  is  nothing  in  this  matrix  to  render  that  which  it  con- 
tains unreal  or  untrustworthy. 


THE    GOOD   NEWS   AS   RECORDED    BY  JOHN 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  i   ' 

"^UDgirs'"^     was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.     He  was  2  ' 

in  the  beginning  with  God.     All  things  came  into  3 
being  through  Him,  and  apart  from  Him  nothing  that  exists 

came   into  being.      In  Him   was  Life,  and  that  Life  was  the  4 

Light   of  men.      The  Light   shines    in  the  darkness,    and  the  5 
darkness  has  not  overpowered  it. 

There  was  a  man  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  6 

He  came  as  a  witness,  in  order  that  he  might  give  testimony  7 
concerning  the  Light — so  that  all  might  believe  through  him. 

He  was  not  the  Light,  but  he  existed  that  he  might  give  testi-  8 

mony  concerning  the  Light.     The  true  Light  was  that  which  9 

illumines  every  man  by  its  coming  into  the  world.     He  was  in  10 
the  world,  and  the  world  came  into  existence  through  Him,  and 

the  world  did  not  recognize  Him.     He  came  to  the  things  that  11 
were  His  own,  and  His  own  people  gave  Him  no  welcome. 

But  all  who  have  received  Him,  to  them — that  is,  to  those  who  12 
trust  in  His  name — He  has  given  the  privilege  of  becoming 

children  of  God  ;  who  were  begotten  as  such  not  by  human  13 

T.  In  the  begiHni7ig\  Or  '  Before  all  time.'  Similar  expressions  are  found  in 
2  Thess.  ii.  13  ;  2  Tim.  i.  9  ;  Heb.  i.  10. 

3.  Through  Him]  That  is  '  through  His  agency,'  as  Matt.  i.  22  ;  or  '  by,'  with  no 
intermediate  agency,  as  in  Gal.  iv.  7.  That  exists]  Lit  '  that  has  come  into  being.' 
Some  punctuate  otherwise,  connecting  these  words  with  the  next  verse.  See  the 
R.V.  margin. 

5.  Ovirpowered\  Cp.  viii.  3,  4 ;  xii.  35  ;  i  Thess.  v.  4.  See  also  Herodotus  i.  87. 
A  hostile  'coming  upon'  and  '  seizing '  is  the  idea  conveyed  by  this  verb  in  the 
active  and  passive  voices,  as  in  Mark  ix.  18  ;  or  the  grasping  of  a  prize  as  in  Rom. 
ix.  30;  I  Cor.  ix.  24;  Phil.  iii.  12,  13.  In  Ephes.  iii.  18  the  verb  is  in  the  middle 
voice. 

8.  Existed]  Or  '  was.'  In  the  Greek  this  verb  comes  at  the  end  of  the  clause,  and 
is  commonly  taken  as  the  first  word  of  verse  9. 

9.  Every  man  by  its  coming]  Or  'every  man  by  His  coming;'  or  possibly 
'every  man  coming.' 

10.  Him  .  .  Him]  In  the  Greek  the  gender  of  the  first  of  these  pronouns  is  either 
masculine  or  neuter  ;  of  the  second,  masculine. 

12.  In  His  name]  See  the  Commentators. 

13.  By  .  .  through  .  .  through  .  .from]  Lit.  'out  of '  or  'from  '  (four  times). 
Human  descent]  Lit.  'bloods.'  Impulse]  Lit.  'will.'  O/ their  own  nature]  Lit. 
'of  fleslf.'  A  htmtan  father]  Lit.  'a  man.'  Not  the  same  word  for  '  man'  as  in 
verse  9  ;  2  Pet.  i.  21  ;  but  the  one  that  is  used  in  i  Cor.  xvi.  13  ;  Eph.  v.  24,  25 ; 
J  Tim.  ii.  8, 

209  p 


2IO  JOHN   I. 

descent,  nor  through    an    impulse   of    their   own   nature,    nor 
through  the  will  of  a  human  father,  but  from  God. 

And  the  Word  came  in  the  flesh,  and  lived  for  a  time  in  our     14 
midst,  so  that  we  saw  His  glory — the  glory  as  of  the  Father's 
only  Son,  sent  from  His  presence.     He   was  full  of  grace  and 
truth. 

The  Testi-         John  gave  testimony  concerning  Him  and  cried     15 
monyof  John  aloud,  "This  is  He  of  whom  I   said,  'He  who  is 
^^  '^  •     coming  after  me   has  been  put  before  me,'  for  He 
was  before  me."     For  He  it  is  from  whose  fulness  we  have  all     16 
received,   and    grace    upon    grace.       For   the    Law   was   given     17 
through   Moses  ;  grace  and  truth   came   through  Jesus  Christ. 
No  human  eye  has  ever   seen    God:  the   only  Son,  who  is  in     18 
the  Father's  bosom— He  has  made  Him  known. 

He  predicts         This    also  is  John's  testimony,    when  the  Jews     19 
*ancA&ork'^of^  ^^"^  ^°  ^^''"^  ^  deputation  of  Priests   and  Levites 

Jesus.         from    Jerusalem     to    ask   him   who    he   was  ;    he     20 
avowed— he    did  not    conceal   the   truth,  but  avowed — "  I   am 
not  the    Christ."     "What    then?"     they  inquired;    "are  you     21 
Elijah  ?"    "  I  am  not,"  he  said.     "  Are  you   the  Prophet  ?  "    He 
answered,   "No."     So  they  pressed  the    question,  "Who   are     22 
you?   that  we  may  take  an  answer  to  those  who  sent  us.  What 
account  do  you  give   of  yourself?"    "I  am    the   voice,"   he     23 
replied,  "OF  ONE  crying    aloud,   'Make   straight   the 
Lord's  way  in    the   desert,'  fulfilling  the   words   of  the 
Prophet  Isaiah"  (Isa.  xl.   3).     They  were  Pharisees  who  had     24 
been  sent.     Again  they  questioned   him:  "Why  then  do  you     25 
baptize,   if  you   are   neither    the    Christ   nor   Elijah    nor  the 
Prophet?"   John  answered,  "  I  baptize  in  water  :   in  your  midst     26 
stands  One  whom  you  do  not  know — He  who  is  to  come  after     27 
me,  and  whose  shoe-lace  I  am  not  worthy  to  untie."     This  took     28 
place  at  Bethany  beyond  the  Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing. 

The  next  day  John  saw   Jesus  coming  towards     29 
identifies'the   him,  and  exclaimed,  "  Look,  that  is  the  Lamb  of 

Lamb  of  God.    ^^^   ^^^j^^    j^    ^^    ^^^^^    ,^^^,^y   ^^^   ^-^^   ^^  ^^^   ^^^^.j^  , 

This  is  He  about  whom  I  said,  '  After  me  is  to  come  One  who     30 

14.  Lived  for  a  ti7ne\  Lit.  'had  His  tent.'  Only^  Lit.  '  onlj'-born.'  Cp.  Luke 
vii.  12  ;  viii.  42  ;  ix.  38.  The  word  is  also  found  in  Heb.  xi.  17,  and  in  five  passages 
i    John's  writings. 

18.  The  only  Son]  Or  'the  only-bora  Son,' as  in  verse  14.  v.  l.  '  the  only-born 
God  '  /«]  Lit.  '  into'  or  '  to,'  so  that  the  sense  may  possibly  be  '  who  is  (gone  up) 
into  the  Father's  bosom.'     See  the  Commentators. 

23.   In  the  dcsert\  Cp.  Matt.  iii.  3  and  note. 

29.  Look\  See  Matt.  xii.  18,  n. 


JOHN   I.  211 

has  been  put  before  me,  because  He  was  before  me.'     I  did  not     31 
yet  know  Him  ;  but  that    He  may  be  openly  shown  to  Israel  is 
the  reason  why  I  have  come  baptizing  in  water. 

John  also  gave  testimony  by  stating  :  "  I  have  seen  the  Spirit     32 
coming  down  like  a  dove  out  of  heaven  ;  and  it  remained  upon 
Him.     I  did  not  yet  know  Him,  but  He  who  sent  me  to  baptize     33 
in  water  said  to   me,   '  The  One  on  whom  you  see  the  Spirit 
coming  down  and  remaining,  He  it  is  who  baptizes  in  the  Holy 
Spirit'    This   I  have  seen,  and  I  have  become  a  witness  that     34 
He  is  the  Son  of  God." 

Again  the  next  day  John  was  standing  with  two     35 

Two  of  John's      r   u-      j-      •    i  t-  r.  t  •  i  ^ 

Disciples  be-    of  his  disciples,  when  he  saw  Jesus  passmg  by,     36 
co-^emscipies  ^^nd  said,  "  Look,  that  is  the  Lamb  of  God  !  "    The     ^l 

two  disciples  heard  his  exclamation,  and  they  fol- 
lowed Jesus.  Then  Jesus  turned  round,  and  seeing  them  follow-  38 
ing  He  asked  them,  "What  is  your  wisli.?"  "Rabbi,"  they 
replied — Rabbi  meaning  Teacher — "  where  are  you  staying  ?  " 
"  Come  and  you  shall  see,"  He  said.  So  they  went  and  saw  39 
where  He  was  staying,  and  they  remained  and  spent  that  day 
with  Him.     It  was  then  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Andrew,  Simon    Peter's   brother,   was  one  of  the  two  who     40 
heard  John's  exclamation  and  followed  Jesus.     He  first  found     41 
his  own  brother  Simon,  and  said  to  him,  "We  have  found  the 
Messiah  !  "—that  is  to  say,  the  Anointed    One.     He  brought     42 
him  to  Jesus.     Jesus  looked  at  him  and  said,  "'  You  are  Simon, 
son  of  John  :  you  shall  be  called  Cephas  " — that  is  to  say  Peter 
(or  *  Rock '). 

Philip  and         '^^^  ^^^^  ^^"^^  ^^^ing  decided  to  leave  Bethany     43 
Nathanaei  also  and   go    into    Galilee,    Jesus    found    Philip,   and 

ow      ris  .   jj^yj^g^  j^jjj^   ^Q  follow   Him.     (Now  Philip  came     44 
from  Bethsaida,  the  same  town  as  Andrew  and  Peter.)     Then     45 
Philip  found  Nathanaei,  and  said  to  him,  "  We  have  found  him 
about  whom  Moses  in  the  Law  wrote,  as  well  as  the  Prophets — 
Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  a  man  of  Nazareth."     "  Can  anything     46 
good  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  "    replied  Nathanaei.     "  Come  and 
see,"  said  Philip. 

32,  34.  /  har'e  seeu]  See  Aorist  vii.  6,  p.  25. 

38.  Rabbi]  In  many  editions  of  the  N.T.  tlie  latter  half  of  this  verse  is  counted 
separately  as  verse  39,  and  thence  to  the  end  of  the  chapter  the  verses  are  numbered 
40  to  52. 

41.  The  A tiointed  One]  Or  '  the  Christ.'     > 

42.  Cephas]  The  word  occurs  in  the  plural  twice  in  the  O.T.  (Job.  xxx.  6 ;  Jer. 
iv.  29).     '  Rock  '  is  the  meaning  in  each  case.     Cp.  Matt.  xvi.  18,  n. 

44.  The  saine  town  as]  Lit.  '  out  of  the  town  of  itc, '  a  second  preposition  being 
inserted  which  the  English  idiom  does  not  require.     Cp.  xi.  i, 


212  JOHN   I.-II. 

Jesus  saw  Nathanael  approaching,  and  said  of  him,  "  Look,    47 
here  is  a  true  Israelite,  in  whom  there  is  no  deceitfulness  ! " 
"  How  do  you  know  me?"    Nathanael  asked.     Jesus  answered,     48 
"  Before  Philip  called  you,  when  you  were  under  the  fig-tree  I 
saw  you."     "  Rabbi,"  cried    Nathanael,  "  you   are  the    Son  of    49 
God,  you  are  Israel's  King  !"     Jesus   replied,  "  Because  I  said     50 
to  you,  '  I  saw  you  under  the  fig-tree,'  do  you  believe .''    You 
shall  see  greater  things  than  that." 

"  I  tell  you  all  in  most  solemn  truth,"  He  added,  "that  you     51 

shall  see  Heaven  opened  wide,  and  God's  angels  going  up,  and 

coming  down  to  the  Son  of  Man." 

Two  days  later  there  was  a  wedding  at  Cana  in     i   < 

Galilee.^  "our  Galilee,  and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there,  and     2 

'-°':f^^"'^*     Jesus  also   was  invited  and  His  disciples.     Now     3 
Miracle.         •'  f  ^ 

the    wme   ran   short;  whereupon   the    mother   of 

Jesus  said  to  Him,  "They  have  no  wine."     "It  is  better  to    4 

leave  the  matter  in  my  hands,"  He   replied  ;  "  I   am  not  yet 

ready  to  act."     His  mother  said  to  the  attendants,  "  Whatever     5 

he  tells  you  to  do,  do  it."      Now  there  were    six  stone  jars     6 

standing  there  (in  accordance  with  the  Jewish  regulations  for 

purification),  each  large  enough  to  hold  twenty  gallons  or  more. 

Jesus  said  to  the  attendants,  "  Fill  the  jars  with  water  ;  "  and     7 

they  filled  them  to  the  brim.     Then  He  said,  "  Now,  take  some     8 

out,  and  carry  it  to  the  president  of  the  feast."     So  they  carried 

some.     And  no  sooner  had  the  president  tasted  the  water  now     9 

turned  into  wine,  than — not  knowing  where  it  came  from,  though 

the  attendants  who  had  drawn  the  water  knew — he  called  to  the 

bridegroom  and  said  to  him,  "  It  is  usual  to  put  on  the  good     10 

wine  first,  and  when  people  have  drunk  freely,  then  the  inferior; 

but  you  have  kept  the  good  wine  till  now." 

This,  the  first  of  His  miracles,  Jesus  performed  at  Cana  in     11 

47.  Deceitfulness\  The  Jacob-nature  !  An  apparent  reference  to  Jacob's  change 
of  name  and  character  (Gen.  xxxii.  28). 

51.  /«  most  solemn  t7-uth\  Lit.  '  Amen,  amen.'  This  expression  occurs  25  times 
in  this  Gospel,  but  is  not  found  elsewhere.  In  most  solemn  truth,  tkat'\  v.l.  adds 
'henceforth,'  'hereafter,'  or  'before  long.'  Few,  perhaps,  will  be  disposed  to 
accept  E.  Hampden-Cook's  explanation  of  this  verse  {The  Christ  Has  Come,  p.  56). 

I.  Two  days  later\  Or  '  The  next  day  but  one.'  Lit.  '  On  the  third  day,'  such 
being  the  Hebrew  (as  well  as  the  Roman)  mode  of  reckoning  intervals  of  time.  In 
this  case  the  journey,  i.  44,  seems  to  have  occupied  the  remainder  of  the  day  men- 
tioned in  that  verse,  the  whole  of  the  next  day,  and  the  early  part  of  the  third.  Cp. 
Matt.  xii.  40  ;  xxvi.  2  ;  and  notes. 

4.  To  render  this  verse  literally  ('Woman,  what  have  you  to  do  with  me?')  is 
really  to  mis-translate  it.  The  language  is  by  no  means  that  of  faultfinding  or 
rebuke.     Cp.  xx.  13.     I  am  not  yet  ready  to  act]  Lit.  '  my  hour  is  not  yet  come.' 

5.  Do  zt]  Or  '  do  it  at  once,'  though  this  is  a  little  too  emphatic. 

II.  Miracles]  Lit.  'tokens,'  or  'signs,'  or  'indications'  (of  who  and  what  He 
was).     Our  Lord's  miracles  are  called  by  this  name  throughout  the  fourth  Gospel. 


JOHN   II.  213 

Galilee,  and  thus  displayed  His  glorious  power ;  and  His  dis- 
ciples believed  in  Him. 
^     ^        .  Afterwards  He  went  down  to  Capharnahum —     12 

Capharnahum  .  ^      ,    ^-..       ,. 

and  Jerusa-     Himself,  His  mother,  His  brothers,  and  His  dis- 
'®'""  ciples  ;  and  they  made  a  short  stay  there.     But     13 

the  Jewish  Passover  was  approaching,  and  for  this  Jesus   went 
up  to  Jerusalem.     And  He  found  in  the  Temple  the  dealers  in     14 
Jesus  drives    cattle  and  sheep  and  in  pigeons,  and  the  money- 
tlje  Tra^ders    changers  sitting  there.      So  He  plaited  a  whip  of     15 
Temple       rushes,  and  drove  all — both  sheep  and  bullocks — 
Courts.        Q^j  q£  ^i^g  Temple.     The  small  coin  of  the  brokers 
He  upset  on  the  ground  and  overturned  their  tables  ;  and  to  the     16 
pigeon-dealers  He  said,  "  Take  these  things  away  :  do  not  turn 
my  Father's  house  into  a  market."     This  recalled  to  His  dis-     17 
ciples  the  words  of  Scripture,  "  My  zeal  for  Thy  House 

WILL  CONSUME  ME  "  (Ps.  Ixix.  9). 

Lj-  n,-  u**  ^        So  the  Jews  asked  Him,  "What  proof  of  your     18 

HisRignttodo  -'  .         '  .    ^ 

this  is  chai-    authority  do  you  exhibit  to  us,  seeing  that  you  do 

lenged.        t^gse  things.?"    Jesus  answered,  "  Demolish  this     19 

Sanctuary,  and  in  three  days  I  will  rebuild  it."     "  It  has  taken     20 

forty-six  years,"  replied  the  Jews,  "  to  build  this  Sanctuary,  and 

will  you  rebuild  it  in  three  days?"    But  He  was  speaking  of    21 

the  Sanctuary  of  His  body."    When  however  He  had  risen  from     22 

among  the  dead.  His  disciples  recollected  that   He  had  said 

this  ;  and  they  believed  the  Scripture  and  the  teaching  which 

Jesus  had  given  them. 

Now  when  He  was  at  Jerusalem,  at  the  Festival     23 
He  gains  many  ■'  '  .  •      tt- 

newAdher-     of  the  Passover,  many  became  believers  in  Him 

®"*^'  through    watching    the   miracles    He   performed. 

But  for  His  part,  Jesus  did  not  trust  Himself  to  them,  because     24 

He  knew  them  all,  and  did  not  need  any  one's  testimony  con-     25 

cerning  a  man,  for  He  of  Himself  knew  what  was  in  the  man. 

15.  jRusAes]  Or 'cords  made  of  rushes.' 

18.  AsJ^ed  Htm]  Lit.  '  spoke  and  said  to  Him.'  If  the  language  of  the  Evangelist 
were  classical  instead  of  Hellenistic  Greek  we  should  have  to  render,  '  answered  and 
said  to  Him.'  See  Matt.  xi.  25,  n.  Proof  of  your  authority\  Or  'miracle.'  Cp. 
verse  11.  ,  ^       .      . .  . 

22.  Had  said]  The  tense  of  the  Greek  verb  seems  to  imply  that  our  Lord  said  it 
more  than  once.  Teaching]  Lit.  'word.'  So  the  Hebrew  dabar,  '  word,'  has  a 
great  number  of  secondary  meanings.  ^ 

23.  At  the  Festival  of  the  Passover]  Lit.  'at  the  Passover,  at  the  Festival.  For 
the  repeated  preposition  with  nouns  virtually  in  apposition  cp.  Judges  viii.  27,  'in 
his  city,  in  Ophrah.'  Similarly  there  are  two  prepositions  in  John  i.  44,  where  'out 
of  (the  same  town)' is  quite  superfluous.  Becajue  believers]  See  Aorist  vi.  6.  In 
Him]  Lit,  '  in  His  name.'     See  the  Commentators.     Miracles]  Cp.  verse  11. 

24.  25.  Knew]  Cp.  I  John  ii.  3,  n._        ^  ^     .      ,.      .         ,-,••,,    r     u 

25.  A  man]  Lit.  '  the  man    (mentioned  by  implication,  the  individual  of  whom  at 


2  14  JOHN   III. 

Now  there  was  one  of  the  Pharisees  whose  name     i   * 
The  Conversa-  t.t-      j  i  i        t  tt 

tion  with      was  Nicodemus — a  ruler  among  the  Jews.      He     2 

'^'*' Nljht  ^  ^*  came  to  Jesus  by    night   and   said,   "Rabbi,    we 

know  that  you  are  a  teacher  come  from  God  ;  for 

no  one  can  do  these  miracles  which  you  are  doing,  unless  God  is 

with  him."    Jesus  answered,  "  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you     3 

that  unless  a  man  is  born  anew  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of 

God."     "  How  is  it  possible,"  Nicodemus  asked,  "for  a  man  to    4 

be  born  when  he  is  old  ?     Can  he   a  second  time  enter  his 

mother's  womb  and  be  born  ? "     "In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell     5 

you,"  replied  Jesus,  "that  unless  a  mantis  born  of  water  and 

the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God.    Whatever  has     6 

been  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh,  and  whatever  has  been  born  of  the 

Spirit  is  spirit.   Do  not  be  astonished  at  my  telling  you, 'You  must     7 

all  be  born  anew.'     The  wind  blows  where  it  chooses,  and  you     8 

hear  its  sound,  but  you  do  not  know  where  it  comes  from  or  where 

it  is  going  ;  so  is  it  with  every  one  who  has  been  born  of  the 

Spirit."     Nicodemus   answered,  "How  is  all   this   possible?"     9 

"  Are  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  'the  Teacher  of  Israel,'  and  yet  do     10 

you  not  understand  these  things  ?     Inmost  solemn  truth  I  tell     11 

you  that  we  speak  what  we  know,  and  give  testimony  of  that  of 

which  we  were  eye-witnesses,  and  our  testimony  you  all  reject. 

If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things  and  none  of  you  believe  me,     12 

how  will  you  believe  me  if  I  tell  you  of  things  in  Heaven  ? 

There  is  no  one  who  has  gone  up  to  Heaven,  but  there  is  One     13 

who  has  come  down  from  Heaven,  namely  the  Son  of  Man 

whose  home  is  in  Heaven.     And  just  as  Moses  lifted  high  the     14 

serpent  in  the  desert,  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up,  in     15 

the  moment  He  was  speaking).  Cp.  Matt,  iv,  4  ;  xii.  43  ;  xv.  11,  18,  20  ;  Mark  ii. 
27  ;  Luke  xi.  24  ;  Rom.  vii.  i.  Or  possibly  'man,'  generically  ;  but  in  N.T.  Greek 
it  is  usually  the  plural  that  is  used  in  this  sense.  See  i.  4  (cp.  verse  9)  ;  i  Cor.  xv. 
39  ;  Phil.  ii.  7  ;  Rev.  xxi.  3. 

2.  Miracles]  Lit.  'signs.'     Cp.  ii.  11. 

3,  7.  Anew]  So  in  Gal.  iv.  9.     Or  '  from  above,'  as  in  verse  31. 

5.  Born  0/ water]  Some  suppose  that  these  words  refer  to  natural,  physical 
descent  and  are  exactly  parallel  to  the  'born  of  the  flesh'  of  verse  6.  And  the 
Spirit]  Or — there  being  no  article  in  the  Greek — 'and spirit.'  Cp.  iv.  24,  n.  But  in 
the  Greek  of  i  Cor.  ii.  4,  13  ;  Gal.  v.  5,  25  ;  Phil.  ii.  i,  and  2  Thess.  ii.  13,  the  word 
'  Spirit,'  though  neither  preceded  by  article  or  preposition,  nor  accompanied  by  any 
attribute,  means  the  Holy  Spirit. 

6.  Whatever  has  been  born  oj]  Or  'that  which,  now  existing,  was  born  from.' 
Born]  Or  'begotten.' 

8.  The  wind  blo2vs]Ox  'The  Spirit  breathes."  Sound]  Or  'voice.'  Has  been 
born  oJ]  See  verse  6,  where  the  words  are  the  same. 

10.  Teacher]  Or  '  Raljbi.' 

11.  IVe]  Cp.  ix.  4.     Were  eye  witnesses]  See  Aorist  vii.  6. 

13.  There  is  no  one  who  has  gone  up  to  Heanen]  i.e.  at  the  time  our  Lord  said  this, 
in  33,  AD.     Cp.  Heb.  ix.  8,  and  see  Acts  ii    34,  n. 

15,  16,  36.  Life  of  the  ages]  Greek  '  aeonian  Life.'  Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8.  There  is 
no  '  the  '  in  the  original.     See  Matt.  xix.  16,  n. 


JOHN    III.  215 

order  that  every  one  who  trusts  in  Him  may  possess  the  Life  of 
the  ages." 

For  so  greatly  did  God  love  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only     16 
Son,  that  every  one  who  trusts  in  Him  may  not  perish  but  may 
possess  the  Life  of  the  ages.     For  God  did  not  send  His  Son     17 
into  the  world  to  judge  the  world,  but  that  the  world  might  be 
saved  through  Him.     He  who  trusts  in  Him  does  not  come  up     18 
for  judgement  :    he  who  does  not  trust  has  already  received 
sentence,  because  he  has  not  his  trust  resting  on  the  name  of 
God's  only  Son.     And  tiiis  is  the  test  by  which  men  are  judged     19 
— the  Light  has  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  the  dark- 
ness more  than  they  loved  the  Light,  because  their  deeds  were 
wicked.     For  every  wrongdoer  hates  the  light,   and  does    not     20 
come  to  the  light,  for  fear  his  actions  should  be  exposed  and 
condemned;  but  he  who  does  what  is  honest  and  right  comes     21 
to  the  light,  in  order  that  his  actions  may  be  plainly  shown  to 
have  been  done  in  God. 

After   this   Jesus   and  His  disciples   went   into     22 

John  again       ,     ,  ,      ,  .,  ,  ,         . 

bears  testi-    Judaea  ;  and  there  He  made  a  stay  m  company 
""ch^ri^t.*^^    with   them   and   bapiized.       And   John    too    was     23 
baptizing   at   Aenon,  near   Salim,    because    there 
were    many    pools   of  water  there  ;    and    people    came    and 
received  baptism.     (For  John  was  not  yet  in  prison.)     As  the  24,  25 
result,  a  discussion  having  arisen  on  the  part  of  John's  disciples 
with  a  Jew  about  purification,  they  came  to  John  and  reported     26 
to  him,  "  Rabbi,  he  who  was  with  you  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Jordan  and  to  whom  you  bore  testimony  is  now  baptizing,  and 
great  numbers  of  people  are  resorting  to  him."     John  replied,     27 
"  A  man  cannot  obtain  anything  unless  it  has  been  granted  to 
him  from  Heaven.     You  yourselves  can  bear  witness  to  my     28 
having  said,  '  I  am  not  the  Christ,'  but  '  I  am  His  appointed 
forerunner.'     He  who  has  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom  ;  and  the     29 

16-21.  That  this  section  is  a  commentary  on  the  nature  of  the  mission  of  the  Son, 
and  that  it  contains  the  reflections  of  the  Evangehst,  and  is  not  a  conuni'.ation  of 
the  words  of  the  Lord,  seems  to  be  conchisively  proved  by  Westcott. 

J 6.  Greatly]  In  the  Greek  the  position  of  the  '  so  '  makes  it  emphatic. 

16,18.  (9«/>'J  Or 'only- born.'  Cp.  i.  14.  The  word  is  also  used  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  I  John  iv.  9. 

17.  Did  not  send]  Or  '  has  not  (yet)  sent.'     Cp.  v.  22  ;  vn.  8. 

18.  Has  .  .  resting]  Cp.  vi.  69,  where  the  same  form  of  the  verb  '  believe  '  occurs. 

19.  Test  by  which  inen  are  judged]  Or  'criterion.'  Lit.  'judgement.'  Are 
y'Mf/^^ifJ  Or  'are  to  be  judged.'  r     ^     t. 

21.  What  is  honest  and  right]\J\X..  'the  truth.'  Cp.  i  John  1.  6.  In  Goii\\.-E.. 
'  in  the  felt  presence  of  God,'  or  '  in  obedience  to  God.'     But  see  the  Commentator?. 

23.   Pools  of  watcr]\X\..  'waters.' 

■it.  Great  nujiibers  0/ people]  \.').X.' 7\\\:     Cp.  Mark  i.  5.  _      ^ 

28.  I  am  His  appointed  Jorernnnet]  Lit.  'I  have  been  sent  before  Him.  Cp. 
iv.  38. 


2i6  JOHN    III.-IV. 

bridegroom's  friend  who  stands  by  his  side  and  Hstens   to  him, 
rejoices   heartily    on   account    of  the   bridegroom's    happiness. 
Therefore  this  joy  of  mine  is  now  complete.      He  must  grow     30 
greater,  but  I  must  grow  less.     He  who  comes  from  above  is     31 
above  all.     He  whose  origin  is  from  the  earth  is  not  only  him- 
self from  the  earth,  his  teaching   also   is  from  the  earth.     He 
who  comes  from  Heaven  is  above  all.     What  He  has  seen  and     32 
heard,   to  that  He  bears  witness  ;    but  His  testimony   no  one 
receives.       Any   man   who   has   received    His   testimony    has     33 
solemnly  declared  that  God  is  true.     For  He  whom  God  has     34 
sent  speaks  God's  words  ;  for  He  does  not  give  the  Spirit  with 
limitations." 

The  Father  loves  the  Son  and  has  entrusted  everything  to     35 
His  hands.    He  who  believes  in  the  Son  has  the  Life  of  the  ages  ;     36 
he  who  disobeys  the  Son  will  not  enter  into  Life,  but  God's 
anger  remains  upon  him. 

Now  as  soon  as   the  Lord  was  aware  of  the     i  i 
intoGaM?ee.    Pharisees'  having  heard  it  said,  "Jesus  is  gaining 

and  baptizing  more  disciples  than  John" — though  2 
Jesus  Himself  did  not  baptize  them,  but  His  disciples  did — He  3 
left  Judaea  and  returned  to  Galilee.  His  road  lay  through  4 
Saniaria,  and  so  He  came  to  Sychar,  a  town  in  Samaria  near  5 
the  piece  of  land  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  Jacob's  6 
Well  was  there  ;  and  accordingly  Jesus,  tired  out  with  His 
journey,  sat  down  by  the  well  to  rest. 
...   ^  Presently  there  came  a  woman  of  Samaria  to     7 

His  Conversa.    ,  ^       ^  ,      ,    ,  .         ,^. 

tionwitha     draw  water.     Jesus  asked  her  to  give  Him  some 
^Womarf."      water  ;  for  His  disciples  were  gone  to  the  town     8 
to   buy   provisions.       "  How   is    it,"    replied    the     9 

31.  Comes]  The  present  tense,  including  both  past  and  future. 

31,  32.  v.L.  omits  the  second  '  is  above  all.'  Has  seen  and  heard]  The  first  verb  is 
in  the  perfect,  the  second  is  in  the  aorist,  precisely  as  in  Acts  xxii.  15.  There  is 
reason  however  to  doubt  whether  the  distinction  of  tenses  ought  to  be  pressed  here. 
Apparently  in  John  it  is  largely  a  matter  of  style.  To  express  '  have  '  (or  '  had  '  ) 
'  seen,'  which  according  to  the  English  idiom  occurs  18  times  in  Luke's  Gospel  and 
the  Acts,  and  28  times  in  the  Gospel  and  Epistles  of  John,  Luke  uses  the  form  we 
have  here  5  times  out  of  the  18,  while  John  uses  it  each  time. 

33.  Solemnly  declared]  Lit.  'put  his  seal  to  it.' 

34.  For  He]  Or  perhaps  '  for  he,'  i.e.,  every  messenger  from  God.  This  interpre- 
tation is  favoured  by  the  fact  that  others  besides  the  Messiah  were  '  sent '  from  God 
(cp.  Luke  xiv.  49  ;  John  i.  6  ;  iii.  28  ;  Heb.  i.  14),  and  by  the  generality  of  the  state- 
ment in  the  second  clause  of  the  verse.  If  the  whole  verse  were  simply  spoken  con- 
cerning the  Christ — "the  one  heavenly  messenger  as  contrasted  with  all  the  others  " 
(Westcott)— it  is  inconceivable  that  the  second  clause  would  not  contain,  for  the  sake 
of  that  contrast,  tiie  dative  pronoun  '  to  Him  ; '  but  it  does  not.  With  limitations] 
Lit.  'by  measure.' 

36.  Believes]  Or   'trusts.'    Disobeys]  Or  '  disbelieves.'     Cp.   Acts  xiv.  2.     Enter 
into]  Lit.  'see.' 
6.    Well]  Or  'spring.'     The  same  word  is  used  in  verse  14. 
9.  For  Jews  ^c.]  v.L.  omits  this  clause. 


JOHN    IV.  217 

woman,  '•  that  a  Jew  like  you  asks  me,  who  am  a  woman  and  a 
Samaritan,  for  water  ?"     (Jews  have  no  deahngs  with  Samari- 
tans.)    Jesus  answered,  "  If  you  had  known  God's  free  gift,  and     10 
who  it  is  that  said  to  you  '  Give  me  some  water,'  you    would 
have  asked  Him,  and  He  would  have  given  you  living  water." 
"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  you  have  nothing  to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is     11 
deep  ;  so  where  do  you  get  the  living  water   from  ?     Are  you     12 
greater  than  our  forefather  Jacob,  who  gave  us  the  well,  and 
himself  drank  from  it,  as  did  also  his  sons  and  his  cattle  ? " 
"Every  one,"  replied  Jesus,  "  who  drinks  any  of  this  water  will     13 
be  thirsty  again  ;  but  whoever  drinks  any  of  the  water  that  I     14 
shall  give  him  will  never,  never  thirst,  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  will  become  a  fountain  within  him  of  water  springing 
up  for  the  Life  of  the  ages."     "  Sir,"  said  the  woman,  "give     15 
me    that  water,   that  I    may  never  be  thirsty,  nor  continually 
come  all  the  way  here  to  draw  from  the  well."     "Go  and  call     16 
your  husband,"  said  Jesus;    "and  come  back."     "I  have  no     17 
husband,"  she  replied.      "  You  rightly  say  that  you  have  no 
husband,"  said  Jesus;  "for  you  have  had  five,  and  the  man     18 
you  have  at  present  is  not  your  husband  :  you  have  spoken  the 
truth    in    saying  that."      "Sir,"   replied  the  woman,   "I    see     19 
that  you  are  a  prophet.      Our  forefathers  worshipped  on  this     20 
mountain,  but  you  Jews  say  that  the  place  where  people  must 
worship  is  at  Jerusalem."    "Believe  me,"  said  Jesus,  "the  time  is     21 
coming  when   you   will   worship   the   Father  neither  on   this 
mountain  nor  at  Jerusalem.     You  worship  One  of  whom  you     22 
know  nothing  :  we  worship  One  whom  we  know  ;  for  salvation 
comes  from  the  Jews.     But  a  time  is  coming — nay,  has  already     23 
come— when  the  true  worshippers  will  worship  the  Father  with 
true  spiritual   worship ;   for  indeed   the    Father   desires   such 
worshippers.    God  is  Spirit  ;  and  those  who  worship  Him  must     24 

10.  Cp.  Luke  X.  41,  n.  Their  relative  positions  were  the  reverse  of  what  they 
seemed.  So,  unknown  to  the  Roman  Governor,  the  trial  and  condemnation  of  Jesus 
by  Pilate  was,  in  a  deeper  sense,  the  trial  and  condemnation  of  Pilate  by  Jesus  ! 

11,  12.    JVe//]  Or  'pit.' 

14.  Springing  up\  Or  'that  will  spring  up;'  see  Gesenius,  Hebrew  Grammar, 
§  131.  I.  For  the  Li/e]  The  preposition  may  signify  either  '  duiing  '  or  '  issuing  (or, 
culminating)  in.'  Possibly  our  Lord  intended  both.  The  Life  of  the  ages]  Or 
'aeonian  Life.'     Cp.  Matt  xviii.  8. 

17.  Say]  On  the  tense  see  Aorist,  p.  21,  at  the  top. 

21.  Believe  me]  Lit.  '  Believe  me,  woman.'     Cp.  ii.  4. 

22.  One]  Neuter  in  the  Greek.  For  this  use  of  the  neuter  when  speaking  of  a 
person  cp.  Matt.  xii.  41,  42,  n  ;  i  John  i.  i.  ■ 

23.  Such  worshippers]  Or  '  such  for  His  worshippers.'  IFitk  true  spiritual  wor- 
ship] Lit.  '  in  spirit  and  truth,'  without  the  preposition  repeated — an  instance  of 
what  the  grammarians  call  '  hendiadys.' 

24.  Spirit]  Or  'a  Si)irit.' 


2i8  JOHN    IV. 

bring   Him    true   spiritual    worship."      "  I   know,"    replied   the     25 
woman,  *'  that  Messiah  is  coming — '  the  Christ,'  as  He  is  called  : 
when  He  has  come,  He  will  tell  us  everything."     "I  am  He,"     26 
said  Jesus — "I  who  am  now  talking  to  you." 

TheConversa-      J"^^  ^^^^   ^'^  disciples  came,   and   were   sur-     27 
tion  inter,     prised  to   find  Him  talking  with  a  woman.     Yet 
rupted.        ^^j.  ^^^^  ^^  ^j^^^^  asked  Him,  "What  is  your  wish?" 
or  "  Why  are  you  talking  with  her  ? "     The  woman  however,     28 
leaving  her  pitcher,  went  away    to  the  town,  and  called  the 
people.     "  Come,"  she  said,  "  and  see  a  man  who  has  told  me     29 
everything  I  have  ever  done.     Can  this  be  the  Christ,  do  you 
think  ?  "     They  left  the  town  and  set  out  to  go  to  Him.  30 

Meanwhile    the    disciples   were   urging  Jesus ;     31 

"^^Hafvest"^'    "  Rabbi,"  they  said,  "  eat  something."     He  replied,     32 

"  I  have  food  to  eat,  of  which  you  do  not  know." 
So  the  disciples  began  questioning  one  anothei*.     "  Can  it  be,"     33 
they  said,  "  that  some  one  has  brought  Him  something  to  eat .''" 
"  My  food,"  said  Jesus,  "is  to  be  obedient  to  Him  who  sent  me,     34 
and  fully  to  accomplish  His  work.     Do  you  not  say,  '  It  wants     35 
four  months  yet  to  the  harvest'?     But  look  round,  I  tell  you, 
and  observe  these  plains — they  are  already  ripe  for  the  sickle. 
The   reaper  gets    pay   and   gathers  in  a  crop   in   preparation     36 
for  the  Life  of  the  ages,  that  so   the   sower  and  the  reapers 
may  rejoice  together.     For  it  is  in  this  that  you  see  the  real     37 
meaning  of  the  saying,  'The  sower  is  one  person,  and  the  reaper 
is  another.'      I  send   you  to  reap  a  harvest  which  is  not  the     2^ 
result  of  your  own  labours  :  others  have  laboured,  and  you  are 
getting  benefit  from  their  labours." 

Manv  Samari-      ^^  ^^^  Samaritan  population  of  that  town  a  good     39 
tans  accept     many  believed  in  Him  because  of  the  woman's 
ing.    gi-g^j-gj^-^gj^i-  ^vhen  she  declared,  "He  has  told  me  all 
that  I  have  ever  done."    When  however  the  Samaritans  came  to     40 

25.  Christ]  In  verse  29  she  uses  this  Greek  name. 

28.  Pitcher]  Or  '  two-eared  jar.'  The  word  occurs  in  the  N.T.  only  here  and  ii. 
6,  7.     Such  a  vessel  would  perhaps  hold  a  gallon. 

30.  Set  out  to  go]  The  tense  (imperfect)  suggests  that  they  came  in  a  long  stream 
to  Him. 

35.  They  are  already  ^'c]  Some  punctuate  otherwise — '  they  are  wliite  for  har- 
vest. Already  the  reaper  is  getting  pay  and  gathering  &c.'  The  words,  as  they 
stand  in  the  text,  seem  to  indicate  the  nearness  of  the  spiritual  harvest  of  good  and 
bad  among  the  Jews,  which  was  to  be  gathered  in  towards  the  close  of  the  Jewish 
dispensation.     Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  39,  49. 

36.  For  the  Li/e  &'c.]  Cp.  verse  14. 

37.  In  this]  Or  '  with  this  necessary  qualification,'  that  though  the  work  differs, 
the  reward  is  the  same.     But  see  the  Commentat  >is. 

40.  Ashed  on  ail  sides]  Or  'kept  on  asking,  one  after  another,'  the  imperfect 
tense. 


JOHN    IV.  219 

Him,  they  asked  Him  on  all  sides  to  stay  with  them  ;  and    He 
stayed  there  two  days.     Then  a  far  larger  number  of  people     41 
believed  because  of  His  own  words,  and  they  said  to  the  woman,     42 
"We  no  longer  believe  in  Him  simply  because   of  your  state- 
ment ;  for  we  have  now  heard  for  ourselves,  and  we  know  that 
this  man  really  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 

He  is  welcomed      ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^°  ^^^^  ^^  departed,  and  went  into     43 
back  into  Gaii- Galilee  ;    though  Jesus   Himself  declared  that  a    44 
prophet  has  no  honour  in  his  own  country.     When     45 
however   He   reached    Galilee,  the  Galilaeans  welcomed  Him 
eagerly,  having  been  eye-witnesses  of  all  that    He   had  done 
at  Jerusalem  at   the  Festival ;  for  they  also  had   been  to  the 
Festival. 

So  He  came  once  more  to  Cana  in  Galilee,    where  He  had    46 
made  the  water  into  wine. 

He  cures  the        ^°^^  there  was  a  certain  officer  of  the  King's 
Officer's  dying  court  whose  SOU  was  ill  at  Capharnahum.     Hav-     47 

ing  heard  that  Jesus  had  come  from  Judaea  to 
Galilee,  he  came  to  Him  and  begged  Him  to  go  down  and  cure 
his  son ;  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.     "  Unless  you  see     48 
miracles  and  marvels,"  said  Jesus,  "  nothing  will  induce  you  to 
believe."    The  officer  pleaded,  "Sir,  come  down  before  my  child     49 
dies."     "  You  may  start  back  home,"  replied  Jesus  ;  "  your  son     50 
has  recovered."     He  believed  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  started 
back  home  ;  and  he  was  already  on  his  way  down   when  his     51 
servants  met  him  and  told  him  that  his  son  was  alive  and  well. 
So  he  inquired  of  them  at  what  hour  he  had  shown  improve-     52 
ment.     "  Yesterday,  about  seven  o'clock,"  they  replied,    "  the 
fever  left  him."     Then  the  father  recollected  that  that  was  the     53 
time  at  which  Jesus  had  said  to  him,  "  Your  son  has  recovered," 
and  he  and  his  whole  household  became  believers. 

This  is  the  second  miracle  that  Jesus  performed,  after  coming     54 
from  Judaea  into  Galilee. 

44,  T/witgh]  The  Greek  word  commonly  signifies  '  for.'  Apparently  however  we 
have  here  a  Hebraistic  use,  the  Hebrew  conjunction  that  most  commonly  represents 
our  'for,'  being  also  used  in  the  sense  of  '  though  '  (as  in  Exod.  xiii.  17  ;  Deut.  xxix. 
19  ;  Josh.  xvii.  18).     See  also  Aorisi,  p.  47. 

45.  However]  See  A  oris t,  pp.  45-47. 
48.   Miracles]  Lit.  'signs.'     Cp.  ii.  11. 

50.  Vote  may  start  back  hoiiiel  Lit.  'Go;'  but  the  English  monosyllable  has  an 
abrupt  and  brusque  tone  which  does  not  bejong  to  the  Greek  word. 

52.  About  seven  o'clock]  See  Acts  x.  30,  n.  The  same  construction  is  found  in 
Rev.  iii.  3,  and  indicates  "  the  approximate  point  of  time  "  (Winer). 

54.  The  second]  Lit.  '  again  the  second.'  Cp.  xxi.  16;  Matt.  xxvi.  42;  Acts  x.  15. 
Miracle]  Lit.  'sign.'     Cp.  ii.  11. 


220  JOHN   V. 

After  this  there  was  a  Festival  of  the  Jews,  and     i   | 
"^^^CHppiie*  ^  Jesus  went  up  to   Jerusalem.     Now   there   is   at     2 

Jerusalem  near  the  Sheep-Gate  a  pool,  called  in 
Hebrew  'Bethesda,' which  has  five  arcades.    In  these  there  used     3 
to  lie  a  great  number  of  sick  persons,  and  of  people  who  were 
blind  or  lame  or  paralysed.     There  was  one  man  there  who  had     5 
been  an  invalid  for  thirty-eight  years,     Jesus  saw  him  lying     6 
there,  and  knowing  that  he  had  been  a  long  time  in  that  con- 
dition,   He   asked   him,    "  Do   you    wish   to    have   health    and 
strength  ?  "    "  Sir,"  replied  the  sufferer,  "  I  have  no  one  to  put     7 
me  into  the  pool  when  the  water  is  moved  ;  but  while  I  am 
coming  some  one  else  steps  down  before  me."     "  Rise,"  said     8 
Jesus,  "take  up  your  mat  and  walk."     Instantly  the  man  was     9 
restored  to  perfect  health  :  he  took  up  his  mat  and  began  to 
walk. 

His  Right  to  do      That  day  was  a  Sabbath.     So  the  Jews  said  to     10 
this  is  chai.    the  man  who  had  been  cured,  "  It  is  the  Sabbath  : 

you  must  not  carry  your  mat."     "He  who  cured     11 
me,"  he  replied,  "  said  to  me,  '  Take  up  your  mat  and  walk.' " 
They  asked  him,  "Who  is  it  that  said  to  you,  'Take  up  your     12 
mat  and  walk'?"    But  the  man  who  had  been  cured  did  not     13 
know  who  it  was  ;  for  Jesus  had  passed  out  unnoticed,  there 
being  a  crowd  in  the  place. 

Afterwards  Jesus  found  him  in  the  Temple  and  said  to  him,     14 
"  You  are  now  restored  to  health  :  do  not  sin  any  more,  or  a 
worse  thing  may  befall  you."    The  man  went  and  told  the  Jews     15 
that  it  was  Jesus  who  had  restored  him  to  health  :  and  on  this     16 
account  the  Jews  began  to  persecute  Jesus — because  He  did 
these  things  on  the    Sabbath.     His  reply  to   their  accusation     17 
was,  "  My  Father  is  still  working,  and  so  am  I."     On  this  account     18 
then  the  Jews  were  all  the  more  eager  to  put  Him  to  death — 
because   He  not   only  broke   the  Sabbath,  but  also  spoke  of 
God  as  being  in  a  special  sense  His  Father,  thus  putting  Him- 
self on  a  level  with  God. 

He  impressive.       ^^^  ^^P^^  °^  J^^"^  ^'^^»  "  ^"  ^^^^  solemn  truth      19 
ly  justifies      I  tell  you  that  the  Son  can  do  nothing  of  Himself 
imse  .       — j^^  ^^^  ^^jy  ^^  ^j^^^  jj^  ^^^^  ^^^  Father  doing  ; 

3,  4.  Paralysed]  v.L.  adds  'on  the  look  out  for  the  moving  of  the  water.  (4)  For 
at  times  an  angel  went  down  into  the  pool  and  agitated  the  water  ;  whoever  then 
stepped  in  first  after  the  agitating  of  the  water,  was  cured,  whatever  the  ailment 
might  be  from  which  he  was  suffering.' 

12.   Who  is  it]  Lit.  '  who  is  the  man.' 

17.  Is  still  working]  Lit.  '  works  until  now.' 


JOHN   V.  221 

for  whatever  He  does,  that  the  Son  does  in  Hke  manner.     For     20 
the  Father  loves  the  Son  and  reveals  to  Him  all  that  He  Him- 
self is  doing  ;  and  greater  deeds  than  these  will  He  reveal  to 
Him,  in  order  that  you  may  wonder.     For  just  as  the  Father     21 
awakens  the  dead  and  gives  them  life,  so  the  Son  also  gives 
life  to  whom  He  wills.     The  Father  indeed  does  not  judge  any     22 
one,   but   He   has   entrusted   all  judgement   to   the    Son,  that     23 
all  may  honour  the  Son  even  as  they  honour  the  Father,     The 
man  who  withholds  honour  from  the  Son  withholds  honour  from 
the  Father  who  sent  Him. 

"  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  he  who  listens  to  my     24 
teaching  and  believes  Him  who  sent  me,  has  the  Life  of  the 
ages,  and  does  not  come  under  judgement,  but  has  passed  over 
out  of  death  into  Life. 

"  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  a  time  is  coming — nay,     25 
has  already  come — when  the  dead  will  hear  the  voice   of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  they  who  hear  it  will  live.     For  just  as  the     26 
Father  has  life  in  Himself,  so  He  has  also  given  to  the  Son  to 
have  life  in  Himself     And  He  has  conferred  on  Him  authority     27 
to  act  as  judge,   because  He    is  the    Son    of  Man.      Wonder     28 
not  at  this  ;  for  a  time  is  coming  when  all  who  are  in  the  graves 
will  hear  His  voice  and  will  come  forth — they  who  have    done     29 
what  is  right  to  the  resurrection  of  Life,  and  they  whose  actions 
have  been  evil  to  the  resurrection  of  judgement. 

"  I  can  of  my  own  self  do  nothing.     As  I   am  bidden,  so  I     30 
judge  ;  and  mine  is  a  just  judgement,  because  it  is  not  my  own 
will  that  guides  me,  but  the  will  of  Him  who  sent  me. 

"  If  I  give  testimony  concerning  myself,  my  testimony  cannot     31 
be  accepted.    There  is  Another  who  gives  testimony  concerning     32 
me,  and  I  know  that  the  testimony  is  true  which  He  offers 
concerning  me.     You  sent  to  John,  and  he  both  was  and  still     33 

20.  Loves]  There  is  a  v.l.  in  which  the  verb  of  fuller  and  richer  meaning  (cp.  xi. 
4,  5)  is  employed  here,  as  we  find  it  used  in  x.  17  ;  xvii.  23,  24,  26.  Doubtless  our 
Lord  had  reasons  for  adopting— as  there  is  overwhelming  evidence  that  He  did 
adopt — the  word  of  more  limited  sense  on  this  occasion  ;  though  it  is  not  surprising 
to  find  the  stronger  word  substituted  in  one  MS.  and  in  two  places  where  the  verse 
occurs  in  patristic  citations  (Origen  and  Chrysostom).     See  also  xi.  5,  n. 

24.  The  Life  0/ the  ages]  Lit.  '  aeonian  Life.'     Under]  Lit.  'into.' 

25.  Some  have  supposed  that  so  far  as  this  statement  was  a  prediction  of  a  future 
event  the  reference  was  to  a  passing  of  the  saints  of  earlier  ages  from  Paradise  (the 
outer  court  or  garden  of  Heaven)  to  Heaven  itself  at  the  close  of  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation. See  John  iii.  13 ;  Acts  ii.  34  ;  Heb.  ix.  8  ;  xi.  40.  Who  hear]  More 
exactly,  '  who  shall  have  heard.'     See  Aori^st  vi.  5. 

30.  I  am  bidden]  i.e.,  by  the  Father.     Lit.  '  I  hear.* 

31.  Cannot  be  accepted]  I-it.  '  is  not  true.' 

32.  Another]  Cp.  verse  37,  but  some  understand  this  'other  '  to  mean  John. 

33.  You  sent]  The  Greek  perxect,  implying  that  the  knowledge  derived  from  John 


222  JOHN     V. 

is  a  witness  to  the  truth.     But  the  testimony  on  my  behalf    34 
which  I   accept  is  not   from   man  ;    though   I    say  all  this  in 
Older  that  you  may  be  saved.     He  was  the  lamp  that  burnt  and     35 
shone,  and  for  a  time  you  were  willing  to  be  gladdened  by  his 
light. 

"  But  the  testimony  which  I  have  is  weightier  than  that  of    36 
John  ;   for  the  work  the  Father  has  assigned  me  for  me  to  bring 
it  to  completion — the  very  work   which    I   am   doing — affords 
testimony  concerning  me  that  the  Father  has  sent  me.    And  the     37 
Father  who  sent  me,  He  has  given  testimony  concerning  me. 
None  of  you  have  ever  either  heard  His  voice  or  seen  what  He 
is  like.     Nor  have  you   His  word  dwelling  within   you,  for  you     38 
refuse  to  believe  Him  whom  He  has  sent. 

"You  search  the    Scriptures,  because  you  suppose    that  in     39 
them  you  will  find  the  Life  of  the  ages  ;  and  it  is  those  Scrip- 
tures that  yield  testimony   concerning  me  ;  and  yet   you    are     40 
unwilling  to  come  to  me  that  you  may  have  Life. 

"  I  do  not  accept  glory  from  man,  but  I  know  you  well,  and  I  41,  4; 
know  that  in  your  hearts  you  do  not  really  love  God.     I  have     43 
come  as  my  Father's  representative,  and  you  do  not  receive  me  ; 
if  some  one  else   comes   representing   only  himself,  him  you 
will  receive.     How  is  it  possible  for  you  to  believe,  while  you     44 
receive  glory  from  one  another  and  have  no  desire  for  the  glory 
that  comes  from  the  only  God.** 

"  Do   not  suppose   that    I    will  accuse   you    to    the    Father.     45 
There  is  one  who  accuses  you,  namely  Moses,  on  whom  your 
hope  rests.     For  if  you  believed  Moses,  you  would  believe  me  ;     46 
for  he  wrote  about  me.     But  if  you  disbelieve  his  writings,  how     47 
are  you  to  believe  my  words  ?  " 

and  the  responsibility  were  permanent  with  them.  Both  was  and  still  is  a  witness'] 
Lit.  'bore  witness.'  but  this  a^iin  is  a  perfect  in  the  Greek,  indicating  permanence 
of  result,  thougli  John  had  now  ceased  to  bear  witness  (verse  35).  See  Aorist  vii. 
3-7.  9-  . 

36.  The  ivork]  Lit.  '  the  works,'  tlie  whole  series  of  operations  which  in  the  aggre- 
gate we  speak  of  as  '  the  work  of  Christ.'  '  The  works '  would  suggest  to  the 
English  reader  the  miracles  only,  which  can  hardly  be  the  true  sense. 

36,  37.  Has  appointed  .  .  has  sent  .  .  has  given  testimony  .  .  have  heard  .  . 
hat>e  seen]  The  verb  in  each  of  the  five  instances  is  the  Greek  perfect,  of  which  also 
in  each  the  English  perfect  seems  to  be  the  best,  though  always  inadequate  repre- 
sentative. Cp.  verse  33,  n.  His  z'oice  .  .  wJiat  He  is  like]  Or  perhaps  more 
exactly,  'a  voice  of  His  .   .  an  appearance  of  His.' 

39.  You  search]  Or  'Search.'  Vou  -Mill  find]  Lit.  'you  have.'  Of  the  ages] 
Greek 'aeonian.'  Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8  and  note.  Are  umvilling]  A  different  verbis 
used  in  Acts  xviii.  15. 

43.  As  my  Father's  representative  .  .  representing  only  himself]  Lit,  'in  my 
Father's  name  .   .  in  his  own  name.' 

45.  Do  not  suppose]  The  Greek  implies,  'as  some  of  you  are  supposing.'  Cp. 
Luke  vii.  13,  n. 


JOHN   VI.  223 

After  this  Jesus  went  away  across   the  Lake  of     i    Q 
S.ooo^Peopie    Galilee  (that   is,   the   Lake   of  Tiberias).     A  vast     2 

multitude  followed  Him,   because  they  witnessed 
the  miracles  on  the  sick  which  He  was  constantly  performing. 

Then  Jesus  went  up  the   Hill,  and   sat  there   with  His  dis-     3 
ciples  :  the  Jewish  Festival,  the  Passover,  was  at  hand.      And  4,5 
when   He  looked  round  and    saw  an  immense  crowd  coming 
towards  Him,  He  said  to  Philip,  "  Where  shall  we  buy  bread  for 
all  these  people  to  eat  ?"     He  said  this  to  put  Philip  to  the  test,     6 
for  He  Himself  knew  what  He  was  going  to  do.    "  Seven  pounds'     7 
worth  of  bread,"  replied  Philip,   '^  is  not  enough  for  them  all  to 
get  even  a  scanty  meal."     One  of  His  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon     8 
Peter's  brother,  said  to  Him,  "  There  is  a  boy  here  with  five     9 
barley  loaves  and  a  couple  of  fish  :  but  what  is  that  among  so 
many.?"     "Make    the    people    sit    down,"    said    Jesus.      The     10 
ground  was  covered  with  thick  grass  ;  so  they  sat  down,  the 
adult    men   numbering    about    5,000.      Then    Jesus    took   the     11 
loaves,  and  after  giving  thanks  He   distributed  them  to  those 
who  were  resting  on  the  ground  ;  and   also  the    fish    in   like 
manner — as  much  as  they  desired. 

When   all   were   fully   satisfied,    He    said   to    His    disciples,     12 
"  Gather  up  the  broken  portions  that  remain  over,  so  that  nothing 
be  lost."     Accordingly  they  gathered  them  up  ;  and   with   the     13 
fragments  of  the  five  barley  loaves — the  broken  portions  that 
remained  over  after  they  had  done  eating — they  filled  twelve 
baskets.     Thereupon  the  people,  having  seen  the  miracle  He     14 
had  performed,  said,  "  This  is  indeed  the  Prophet  who  was  to 
come  into  the  woild." 
Jesus  with.         Perceiving,  however,    that    they   were  about  to     15 
draws  into      comc  and  Carry   Him  off  by  force  to  make  Him  a 
king,  Jesus  withdrew  again  up  the  hill  alone  by 
Himself.     When  evening  came  on,  His  disciples  went  down  to     16 
the  Lake.     There  they  got  on  board  a  boat,  and  pushed  off  to     17 
cross  the  Lake  of  Capharnahum.     By  this  time  it  had  become 

dark,  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  joined  them  ;  and  the     18 
"^tlie  Lake?"    Lake  was  getting  rough  because  a  strong  wind  was 

blowing.     When,  however,  they  had  rowed  three     19 

1-14.  Cp.  Matt.  xiv.  13-21  ;  Mark  vi.  30-44  ;  Luke  ix.  10-17. 
2.  3f/rac/es]  Lit.  'signs.'     Cp.  ii.  11.      , 
9.  Loaves\  Or  '  cakes.' 

14.  Miracle\  Lit.  'sign.'     Cp.  ii.  ii. 

15-21.   Cp.  M.itt.  xiv.  22-33  ;  ^Lirk  vi.  45-52. 

15.  However]  See  Aonst,  Appendix  B. 


2  24  JOHN   VI. 

or  four  miles,  they  saw  Jesus  walking  on  the  water  and  coming 
near  the  boat.     They  were  terrified  ;  but  He  called  to  them,     20 
"  It  is  I  :  don't  be  afraid."     Then  they  were  willing  to  take  Him     21 
on  board  ;  and  in  a  moment  the  boat  reached  the  shore  at  the 
point  to  which  they  were  going. 

Next  morning  the  crowd  who  were  still  standing  about  on  the     22 
other  side  of  the  Lake  found  that  there  had  been  but  one  small 
boat  there,  and  they  had  seen  that  Jesus  did  not  go  on  board 
with  His  disciples,  but  that  His  disciples  went  away  without 
Him.    Yet  a  number  of  small  boats  came  from  Tiberias  to  the     23 
neighbourhood  of  the  place  where  they  had  eaten  the  bread 
after  the  Lord  had  given  thanks.     When  however  the  crowd     24 
saw  that  neither  Jesus  nor  His  disciples  were  there,  they  them- 
selves also  took  boats  and  came  to  Capharnahum  to  look  for 
Jesus. 
,         u-       ,r      So  when  they  had  crossed  the  lake  and  had     25 

Jesus   Himself  ^  ■' 

the  Bread  of    found  Him,  they  asked  Him,  "  Rabbi,  when  did 

^'^®'  you  come  here.'*"    "In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell     26 

you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  you  are  searching  for  me  not  because 

you  have  seen  miracles,  but  because  you  ate  the  loaves  and  had 

a  hearty  meal.     Bestow   your   pains   not   on   the   food  which     27 

perishes,  but  on  the  food  that  remains  unto  the   Life  of  the 

ages — that  food  which  will  be  the  Son  of  Man's  gift  to  you  ;  for 

on  Him  the  Father,  God,  has  set  His  seal." 

"  What  are  we  to  do,"  they  asked,  "  in  order  to  carry  out  the     28 

things  that  God  requires  ?  "    "  This,"  replied  Jesus,  "  is  above  all     29 

the  thing  that  God  requires — that  you  should  be  believers  in 

Him  whom   He  has  sent."     They  asked,  "  What  miracle  then     30 

do  you  perform  for  us  to  see  and  become  believers  in  you  ? 

What  do  you  do  ?    Our  forefathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  desert,     31 

as  it  is  written,  'He  GAVE  THEM  bread  out  of  heaven  to 

eat'"  (Exod.  xvi.  15  ;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  24).     "  In  most  solemn  truth     32 

I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "that  Moses  did  not  give  you  the  bread 

out  of  heaven,  but  my  Father  is  giving  you  the  bread — the  true 

bread — out  of  Heaven  ;  for  God's  bread  is  that  which  comes     33 

down  out  of  Heaven  and  gives  Life  to  the  world."     "  Sir,"  they     34 

said,  "always  give  us  that  bread."    Jesus  answered  them,  "I     35 

am  the  bread  of  Life  :  he  who  comes  to  me  shall  never  hunger, 

26.  The  haves]  Lit.  '  of  the  loaves.'     Cp.  verse  51,  n. 

27.  The  Life  of  the  ages\  Cp.  Matt.  xix.  16. 

30.  Miracle]  Lit.  'sign.'    The  clause  may  be  rendered,  '  What  then  do  you  do  as 
a  sign  ?' 

33.   That  which]  Or  '  He  who.' 


JOHN  VI.  225 

and  he  who  believes  in  me  shall  never,  never  thirst.     But  it  is     36 
as  I  have  said  to  you  :  you  have  seen  me  and  yet  you  do  not 
believe.     Every  one  whom  the  Father  gives  me  will  come  to  me,     yj 
and  him  who  comes  to  me  I  will  never  on  any  account  drive 
away.     For  I  have  left  Heaven  and  have  come  down  to  earth     38 
not  to  do  my  own  pleasure,  but  the  pleasure  of  Him  who  sent 
me.     And  this  is  the  pleasure  of  Him  who  sent  me,  that  of  all     39 
that  He  has  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it 
to  life  on  the  last  day.     For  this  is  my  Father's  pleasure,  that     40 
every  one  who  gazes  on  the   Son  of  God  and  believes  in  Him 
should  have  the  Life  of  the  ages,  and  I  will  raise  him  to  life  on 
the  last  day." 

Now  the  Jews  began   to  find   fault  about    Him    because  of    41 
His  claiming  to  be  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of  Heaven. 
They  kept  asking,  "  Is  not  this  man  Joseph's  son  ?    is  he  not     42 
Jesus,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know  '>.    What  does  he  mean 
by  now  saying,  '  I  have  come  down  out  of  Heaven  '?"    But  Jesus     43 
answered,  "  Do  not  thus  find  fault  among  yourselves.     No  one     44 
can  come  to  me  unless  the  Father  who  sent  me  draws  him  ; 
then  I  will  raise  him  to  life  on  the  last  day.     It  stands  written     45 
in  the  Prophets,  '  And  they  SHALL  ALL  OF  them  BE  TAUGHT 
BY  God'  (Isa.  liv.   13).     Every  one  who  listens  to  the  Father 
and  learns  from  Him  comes  to  me.     Not  that  any  one  has  seen     46 
the  Father — no  one  has  except  Him  who  is  from  God  :  He  has 
seen  the  Father. 

"  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  he  who  believes  has  the    47 
Life  of  the  ages.     I  am  the  bread  of  Life.     Your  forefathers  ate  48,  49 
the  manna  in  the  desert,    and  they  died.     Here  is  the  bread     50 
that  comes  down  out  of  Heaven  that  a  man  may  eat  it  and  not 
die.     I  am  the  living  bread  come  down  out  of  Heaven.     If  a     51 

36.  It  is  as]  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  64,  n.     Me]  v.L.  omits. 

37.  E^'ery  one  luhom]  Lit.  '  all  that,'  or  '  everything  that.'  If  the  sense  intended 
were  "all  the  wealth,  honour,  power,  or  other  rewards  which,"  this  in  the  Greek 
would  more  naturally  be  expressed  by  the  plural,  but  the  words  are  in  the  neuter 
singular.     See  xvi.  2,  n. 

38.  39,  40.  Pleasure]  Or  'will,'  but  not  in  the  sense  of  resolve  or  determined  pur- 
pose. This  latter  sense  is  conveyed  by  another  word  (containing  the  same  root  as 
our  '  will,'  German,  '  woU-en  ;'  Latin,  '  vol-o')  is  found  in  three  places  only  in  the 
N.T.  (Rom.  ix.  19  ;  Acts  xxvii.  43  ;  i  Pet.  iv.  3). 

39.  All  that]  Or  'all  whom.'  The  same  expression  as  in  verse  37.  It]  As  an 
aggregate  or  whole. 

40.  54,  68.   0/ the  ages]  Greek  'aeonian.*     Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8. 

42,  52.    J  his  man]  Or  'this  fellow.'     Cp.  2  Chron.  xviii.  26. 

43.  Thus]  '  As  you  are  finding  fault '  is  iijiplied  by  the  tense. 
45.  Listens  .   .  and  learns]   Lit.  '  has  listened  .  .  and  learnt.' 
47.  Believes]  v.L.  adds  'on  me." 

51.  Tins  bread]  Lit.  (a  portion)  '  out  of  this  bread.'  Had  the  simple  accusative 
been  used  in  the  original,  it  might  have  suggested  to  the  Greek  reader  the  absurd 


226  JOHN   VI. 

man  eats  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever  ;  moreover  the  bread 
which  I  will  give  is  my  flesh  given  for  the  life  of  the  world." 

This  led  to  an  angry  debate  among  the  Jews.     "  How  can     52 
this  man,"  they  argued,  "give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?"    "  In  most     53 
solemn  truth  I  tell  you,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  unless  you  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man  and  drink  His  blood,  you  have  no  Life 
in  you.     He  who  eats  my  flesh  and  drinks  my  blood  has  the     54 
Life  of  the  ages,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  on  the  last  day.     For     55 
my  flesh  is  true  food,  and  my  blood  is  true  drink.     He  who  eats     56 
my  flesh  and  drinks  my  blood  remains  in  me,  and  I  remain  in 
him.     As  the  ever-living  Father  has  sent  me,  and  I  Hve  because     57 
of  the  Father,  so  also  he  who  eats  me  will  live  because  of  me. 
This  is  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven  ;  it  is  unlike     58 
that  which  your  forefathers  ate — for  they  ate  and  yet  died  :  he 
who  eats  this  bread  shall  live  for  ever."     Jesus  said  all  this  in     59 
the  synagogue  while  teaching  at  Capharnahum. 

Many  therefore  of  His  disciples,  when  they  heard  it,  said,     60 
"This  is  hard  to  accept.     Who  can  listen  to  such  teaching?" 
But  knowing  in  Himself  that   His  disciples  were  dissatisfied     61 
about  it,  Jesus  asked  them,  "  Does  this  seem  incredible  to  you  ? 
What  then  if  you  were  to  see  the  Son  of  Man  ascending  again     62 
where  He  was  before  ?    It  is  the  spirit  which  gives  Life  ;  the     63 
flesh  confers  no  benefit  whatever  :  the  words  I  have  spoken  to 
you  are  spirit  and  are  Life.     But  there  are  some  of  you  who  do     64 
not  believe."     For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they 
were  that  did  not  believe,  and  who  it  was  that  would  betray 
Him.     So  He  added,  "  That  is  why  I  told  you  that  no  one  can     65 
come  to  me  unless  it  be  granted  him  by  the  Fatlier."     There-     66 
upon  many  of  His  disciples  left  Him  and  went  away,  and  no 
longer  associated  with  Him. 

Jesus  therefore  appealed  to  the  Twelve,  "  Will     67 
^l*cfges  JesSr  you  go  also  ?  "     "Master,"  replied  Simon  Peter,     68 

as  God's       «to  whom  shall  we  go?     Your  teachings  tell  us 

Messiah,  r       i  t      r  r       ■,  A,  , 

of  the  Life  of  the  ages.     And  we  have  come  to     69 

notion  of  the  whole  of  it  being  consumed  by  the  individual  eater  ;  but  in  English  the 
accusative,  required  by  our  idiom,  contains  no  such  suggestion.  Given]  Not 
expressed  in  the  Greek,  although  v.l.  adds  '  which  I  will  give.' 

53.  In  you]  Lit.  '  in  yourselves.' 

57.  Because  of  the  Father  .  .  because  o/  me]  i.e.  '  because  the  Father  lives  .  . 
because  I  live.'  Cp.  Rom.  viii.  20,  n.  Or  '  for  the  Father  .  .  forme  ; '  the  'for' 
expressing  '  devotion  to.' 

59.  In  the  synagog^ue]  See  Westcott's  interesting  note. 

60.  To  such  teaching]  Or  '  to  Him.' 

61.  Does  this  seem  incredible]  Lit.  'Is  this  a  stumbling'ulock?' 

62.  Again]  Cp.  Eph.  iv.  9. 

68.  Yoiir  teachittgs  tell  us]  Lit.  '  You  have  words.' 


JOHN   VI.-VII.  227 

believe  and  know  that  you  are  indeed  the  Holy  One  of  God." 
Jesus  answered  him,  "  Is  it  not  I  who  chose  you — the  Twelve  ?     70 
and  even  of  you  one  is  a  devil."     He  alluded  to  Judas,  the  son     71 
of  Simon  the   Iscariot ;  for  he  it  was   who,  though   one  of  the 
Twelve,  was  afterwards  to  betray  Him. 

Christ's  Reia.       After  this  Jesus  moved  from  place  to  place  in     i   ' 
tives  unsym-    Galilee.       He    would    not    go   about   in    Judaea, 

pa    e  ic.       because  the  Jews  were  seeking  an  opportunity  to 
kill  Him.     But  the  Jewish  Festival  of  the  Tent-Pitching  was     2 
approaching  ;  so  His  brothers  said  to  Him,  "  Leave  these  parts     3 
and  go  into  Judaea,  that  not  only  we  but  your  disciples    also 
may  witness  the  miracles  which  you  perform.     For  no  one  acts     4 
in  secret,  desiring  all  the  while  to  be  himself  known  publicly. 
Since  you  are  doing  these  things,  show  yourself  openly  to  the 
world."     For  even    His  brothers  were   not  believers  in   Him.     5 
"  My  time,"  replied  Jesus,  "  is  not  yet  come,  but  for  you  any     6 
time  is  suitable.    It  is  impossible  for  the  world  to  hate  you  ;  but     7 
me  it  does  hate,  because  I  give  testimony  concerning  it  that  its 
conduct  is  evil.     As  for  you,  go  up  to  the  Festival  :  I  do  not     8 
now  go  up  to  this  Festival,  because  my  time  is  not  yet  fully 
come."     Such  was  His  answer,  and  He  remained  in  Galilee.     9 
When  however  His  brothers  had  gone  up  to  the  Festival,  then     10 
He  also  went  up,  not  openly,  but  as  it  were  privately. 

Meanwhile  the  Jews  at  the  Festival  were  looking  for  Him  and     11 
were  inquiring,  "Where  is  he?"     Among  the  mass  of  the  people     12 
there  was  much  muttered  debate  about  Him  :  some  said,  "  He 
is  a  good  man,"  others  said,  "  Not  so  :  he  is  imposing  on  the 
people."    Yet  for  fear  of  the  Jews  no  one  spoke  out  boldly  about     13 
Him. 
,  ,  .  But  when  the  Festival  was  already  halt  over,     14 

Jesus  claims  ^  '         ^ 

to  have  come  Jesus   went  up   to   the   Temple  and  commenced 

rom    o  .     tej^^ching.     The  Jews  were  astonished,  and  asked,     15 
"  How  does  this  man  know  anything  of  books,  when  he  has 
never  been  at  any  of  the  schools?"  Jesus  answered  their  ques-     16 

70.  A  devil]  Or  '  a  false  accuser.'  The  word  {diabolos)  is  used  as  the  name  of 
Satan  in  xiii.  2  ;  Matt.  iv.  i  ;  and  elsewhere.  It  is  a  different  word  from  that  which 
in  this  Translation  is  everywhere  rendered  '  demon.' 

i-io.   Cp.  Luke  ix.  51-56. 

8.  /  do  not  now  go  up]  That  is,  not  as  they  had  expected  Him  to,  coming  with  the 
Twelve  and  an  imposing  body  of  followers  to  join  the  long  caravan  of  intending 
worshippers  who  were  starting  for  the  Festival.  Not  now]  Lit  '  not.'  There  is  how- 
ever a  v.L.  '  not  yet '  instead  of  '  not.'  '  No); '  is  used  for  '  not  yet '  in  viii.  15,  and  in 
the  Hebrew  of  2  Kings  xx.  4  ;  Ps.  cxxxix.  16.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that  in 
Greek  the  present  tense  is  more  emphatically  present  than  in  English.    Cp.  xvii.  9,  n. 

13.  ForJi'a7-]h\t.  '  because  of  their  fear.' 

15.    This  man]  Or  '  this  fellow.'     Cp.  vi.  42. 


228  JOHN    VII. 

tion.     "  My  teaching,"  He  said,   '•'  does  not  belong  to  me,  but 
comes  from  Him  who  sent  me.     If  any  one  is  wilHng  to  do  His     17 
will,  he  shall  know  about  the  teaching,  whether  it  is  from  God 
or  originates  with  me.    The  man  whose  teaching  originates  with     18 
himself  aims  at  his  own  glory :  he  who  aims  at  the  glory  of  Him 
who  sent  him  teaches  the  truth,  and  there  is  no  deception  in 
him.     Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  Law?     And  yet  not  a  man  of     19 
you  obeys  the  Law.     Why  do  you  want  to  kill  me  ? "     "  You     20 
have  a  demon,"  replied  the  crowd  ;  "no  one  wants  to  kill  you." 
Jesus  answered  them,  "One  deed  I  have  done,  and  you  are  all     21 
full  of  wonder.     Consider  therefore  :  Moses  gave  you  the  rite  of    22 
circumcision  (not  that  it  began  with  Moses,  but  with  your  earlier 
forefathers),  and  even  on  a  Sabbath  day  you  circumcise  a  child. 
If  a  child  is  circumcised  even  on  a  Sabbath  day,  are  you  bitter     23 
against  me  because  I  have  restored  a  man  to  perfect  health 
on  a  Sabbath  day  ?     Do   not  form  superficial  judgements,  but     24 
form  the  judgements  that  are  just." 

Some  however  of  the  people  of  Jerusalem  said,  "  Is  not  this     25 
the  man  they  are  wanting  to  kill?     But  here  he  is,- speaking     26 
openly  and  boldly,  and  they  say  nothing  to  him  !       Can  the 
Rulers  actually  have  ascertained  that  this  is  the  Christ?     And     27 
yet  we  know  this  man,  and  we  know  where  he  is  from  ;  but  as 
for  the  Christ,  when  He  comes,  no  one  can  tell  where  He  is 
from."     Jesus  therefore,   while   teaching  in   the  Temple,  cried     28 
aloud,  "  Yes,  you  know  me,  and  you  know  where   I   am  from. 
And  yet  I  have  not  come  of  my  own   accord  ;  but  there  is  One 
who  has  sent  me,  an  Authority  indeed,  of  whom  you  have  no 
knowledge.     I  know  Him,  because  I  came  from  Him,  and  He     29 
sent  me." 

On  hearing  this  they  wanted  to  arrest  Him  ;  yet  not  a  hand     30 
was  laid  on  Him,  because  His  time  was  not  yet  come.     But     31 
from   among   the   crowd   a   large   number    believed    in    Him. 
"When  the  Christ  comes,"  they  said,   "will   He   perform  more 
miracles  than  this  teacher  has  performed  ?  " 

He  asserts  that      ^^^  Pharisees  heard  the  people  thus  expressing     32 
He  is  going  to  their  various  doubts  about   Him,   and  the    High 
Priests  and  Pharisees  sent  some  officers  to  appre- 

22.  Consider  therefore]  Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  52.  Gave"]  Greek  perfect.  "  As  an 
abiding  ordinance  "  (Westcott)  which  you  are  still  in  possession  of.  See  Aorist 
vii.  9. 

24.  Do  not  fornt\  'As  you  are  doing'  is  indicated  by  the  tense.  S uf>erjicial\ 
Hasty  ;  formed  at  the  first  glance. 

26.  Here  he  is\  See  Matt.  xii.  18,  n. 

31.  Miracles]  Lit,  'signs.' 


JOHN    VII.  229 

hend  Him.     So  Jesus  said,  "  Still  for  a  short  lime   I  am  with     33 
you,  and  then  I  go  my  way  to  Him  who  sent  me.    You  will  look     34 
for  me  and  will  not  find  me,  and  where  I  am  you  cannot  come." 
The  Jews  therefore  said  to  one  another,  "  Where  is  he  about  to     35 
betake  himself,  so  that  we  shall  not  find  him  ?     Will  he  betake 
himself  to  the  Dispersion  among  the  heathen,  and   teach  the 
heathen  ?     What  do  those  words  of  his  mean,  '  You  will   look     36 
for  me,   but   will   not    find   me,  and  where   I  am  you  cannot 
come '  ?  " 

On  the  last  day  of  the  Festival — the  great  day—     ^y 
livirTg  Water.    J^sus   Stood    up   and   cried    aloud,   "  Whoever  is 

thirsty,  let  him  come  to  me  and  drink.     He  who     38 
believes  in  me,  from  within  him  as  the  Scripture  has  said  rivers 
of  living  water  shall  flow."     He  referred  to  the   Spirit  which     39 
those  who  believed  in  Him  were  to  receive  ;  for  the  Spirit  was 
not  bestowed  as  yet,  because  Jesus  had  not  yet  been  p;lorified. 
The  People  are      After  listening  to  these  discourses,  some  of  the     40 
divided  in      crowd  began  to  say,  "  This  is   beyond   doubt  the 
Opinion.       Prophet;"   others  said,  "He  is   the  Christ,"  but     41 
others  again,  "Not  so,  for  is  the  Christ  to  come  from  Galilee? 
Has  not  the  Scripture  declared  that  the  Christ  is  to  come  of  the     42 
family  of  David  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  3,  4)  and  from  Bethlehem,  David's 
village"  (Mic.  V.  2)  ?     So  there  was  a  violent  dissension  among     43 
the  people  on  His  account  ;  some  of  them  wanted  at  once  to     44 
arrest  Him,  but  no  one  laid  hands  upon  Him. 

The  Attempt        Meanwhile   the   officers  returned  to   the   High     45 
to  arrest  Him  Priests  and   Pharisees,    who  asked  them,  "  Wiiy 

have  you  not  brought  him  ?  "  "  Never  has  a  mere  46 
man  spoken  as  this  man  speaks,"  said  the  officers.  ''  Are  you  47 
deluded  too?"  replied  the  Pharisees;  "has  any  one  of  the  48 
Rulers  or  of  the  Pharisees  believed  in  him  ?  But  this  rabble  49 
who  understand  nothing  about  the  Law  are  accursed  !  "  Nico-  50 
demus   interposed — he  who   had  formerly  come    to   Jesus  by 

35.  So  that]  Or,  perhaps  more  correctly,  '  because.'     Heathen]  Lit.  '  Greeks.' 

39.  ^^/zVz'^<^/J  Or  '  had  believed,' including  those  who  should  afterwards  believe. 
See  Aorist  vi.  5.  Bestowed]  Not  expressed  in  the  Greek.  See  the  Commen- 
tators. Glorified]  So  it  may  be  that  individual  men  do  not  receive  from  God  tfie 
fulness  of  spiritual  blessing  expressed  in  the  N.T.  as  '  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit ' 
until  they  cease  to  regard  Jesus  as  a  mere  teacher,  example  and  friend,  and 
glorify  Him  by  accepting  Him  as  their  Saviour  and  the  absolute  Lord  and  Ruler  of 
their  hearts  and  lives  ! 

40.  Some  of]  The  same  form  of  expression  occurs  in  the  Greek  of  2  John  4.  Dis- 
courses] Lit.  'words'  or  'sayings;'  possibly  alluding  only  to  verses  37,  38.  But  in 
that  sense  we  should  more  probably  have  had  the  singular,  as  in  the  Greek  of  verse 
36  and  vi.  60. 

41.  Not  so,  for]  Or  the  unemphatic  '  why.'     See  Aorist,  Appendix  A  §  8. 


230  JOHN   VII.-VIII. 

night,  being  himself  one  of  them.     "  Does  our  Law,"  he  asked,     51 
"judge  a  man  without  first  hearing  what  he  has  to  say  and 
ascertaining  what  his  conduct  is  ?"     "Do  you  also  come  from     52 
Galilee?"  they  asked  in  reply;  "search,  and  see  for  yourself 
that  no  Prophet  is  of  Galilaean  origin." 
Jesus  and  a        t^°  ^^^^  ^^^^^  away  to  their  several  homes  ;  but  53,  i  Q 
notorious      Jesus  went  to  the  Mount  of  Olives.     At  break  of    2 
day  however  He  returned  to  the  Temple,  and  there 
the  people  came  to  Him  in  crowds.     He  seated  Himself;  and 
was  teaching  them  when  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  brought  to     3 
Him  a  woman  who  had  been  found  committing  adultery.    They 
made  her  stand  in  the  centre  of  the  cpurt  and  they  put  the     4 
case  to  Him.     "  Rabbi,"  they  said,  "this  woman  has  been  found 
in  the  very  act  of  committing  adultery.    Now  in  the  Law  Moses     5 
has  ordered  us  to  stone  such  women  to  death.     But  what  do 
you  say  .'*"     They  asked  this  in  order  to  put  Him  to  the  test,  so     6 
that  they  might  have  some  charge  to  bring  against  Him.     But 
Jesus  stooped  down  and  began  to  write  with  His  finger  on  the 
ground.     When  however  they  persisted  with  their  question.  He     7 
stood  up  and  said  to  them,  "  Let  the  sinless  man  among  you  be 
the  first  to  throw  a  stone  at  her."     Then  He  stooped,  and  again     8 
wrote  on  the  ground.     They  listened  to  Him,  and  then,  begin-     9 
ning  with  the  eldest,  took  their  departure  one  by  one  till  all  were 
gone  ;  and  Jesus  was  left  behind  alone — and  the  woman  in  the 
centre  of  the  court.       Then   standing  up  Jesus  spoke  to  her.     10 
"Woman,"  He  said,  "  where  are  they  ?    Has  no  one  condemned     11 
you?"     "No  one,  Sir,"  she  replied.     "And /do  not  condemn 
you  either,"  said  Jesus  ;  "go,  and  from  this  time  do  not  sin  any 
more."] 

The  Testimony      Once  more  Jesus  addressed  them.     "I  am  the     12 
of  the  Father  Light  of  the   world,"   He    said;    "the  man   who 
on.  fQjiQ^g  j^g  gl^^jl  certainly  not  walk  in  the  dark, 
but  shall  have  the  light  of  Life."     "You  are  giving  testimony     13 
about  yourself,"  said  the   Pharisees  ;  "  your  testimony  is   not 
true."     "  Even  if  I  am  giving  testimony  about  myself,"  replied     14 
Jesus,  "  my  testimony  is  true  ;  for  I  know  where  I  came  from 
and  where  I  am   going,  but  you    know  neither  of  these  two 

vii.  53  to  viii.  u.]  v.l.  omits  this  paragraph. 

4.  Radbi]  Lit.  'Teacher.' 

5.  Such  women].  A  cruel  half-statement  of  the  Law  (Deut.  xxii.  24)  which  also 
condemned  to  death  the  man  who  shared  the  woman's  sin  and  was  perhaps  himself 
largely  responsible  for  it.  Why  did  not  the  Scribes  and  Piiarisees  bring  to  Jesus 
on  this  occasion  the  guilty  man  as  well  as  the  guilty  wuman  ? 


JOHN    VIII.  231 

things.     You  judge  according  to  appearances:    I  am  judging     15 
no  one.     And  even  if  I   do  judge,  my  judgement  is  just  ;  for     16 
I  am  not  alone,  but  the  Father  who  sent  me  is  with  me.     In     17 
your  own  Law  too  it  is  written   that  the  testimony  of  two 
MEN  IS  TRUE  (Deut.  xix.  1 5).     I  am  one  giving  testimony  about     18 
myself,  and  the  Father  who  sent  me  gives  testimony  about  me." 
"  Where  is  your  Father?"  they  asked.     "You  know  my  Father     19 
as  little  as  you  know  me,"  He  replied  ;  "  if  you  knew   me,  you 
would  know  my  Father  also."    These  sayings  He  uttered  in  the     20 
treasury,    while  teaching  in  the  Temple  ;   yet  no  one  arrested 
Him,  because  His  time  had  not  yet  come. 

Christ's  De.  ^'^^^^    ^^    ^'^^^    '°    ^^^"^'    "^   ^^    ^0'"^   ^^^^^      ^I 

parture  now   Then  you  will  try  to  find  me,  but  you  will   die  in 
near  a     an  .  y^^jj.  gj^-^g      Where  I  am  going,  it  is  impossible  for 
you  to  come."      The  Jews  began  to  ask  one  another,   "  Is  he     22 
going  to  kill  himself,  do  you  think,  that  He  says,  '  Where   I  am 
going,  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  come'?"     "You,"  He  con-     23 
tinued,  "  are  from  below,   I  am  from  above  :  you  are  of  this 
present  world,  I  am  not  of  this  present  world.     That  is  why  I     24 
told  you  that  you  will  die  in  your  sins  ;  for  unless  you  believe 
that  I  am  He,  you  will  die  in  your  sins." 

So  they  asked  Him,  "You — who  are  you?"    Jesus  replied,     25 
"  How  is  it  that  I  am  speaking  to  you  at  all?     Many  things   I     26 
have  to  speak  and  to  judge  concerning  you  ;  but   He  who  sent 
me  is  true,  and  the  things  which   I  have  heard  from   Him  are 
those  which  I  have  come  into  the  world  to  speak."     They  did     27 
not  perceive  that  He  was  speaking  to  them  of  the  Father.     So     28 
Jesus  added,  "  When  you  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  Man,  then 
you  will  know  that  I  am  He.     Of  myself  I  do  nothing  ;  but  as 
the  Father  has  taught  me,  so  I  speak.     And  He  who  sent  me  is     29 
with  me  ;  He  has  not  left  me  alone  :  for  I  do  always  what  is 
pleasing  to  Him."     As  He  thus  spoke,  many  became  believers     30 
in  Him. 

15.  Appearances\  Or  'your  human  nature.'  /  am  judgiytg  no  one]  i.e.  as  yet. 
Cp.  V.  22  ;  vii.  8  ;  xvii.  9,  n. 

16.  /usi]  Lit.  '  true.' 

20.   Tei>iple\  I.E.  'Temple  Courts.'     Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  25. 

24,  28.  /  am  He]  Some  would  render,  '  I  am  '  (as  in  verse  58).  On  the  interpreta- 
tion see  the  Commentators.  The  Greek  in  these  passages,  and  in  xiii.  19,  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  LXX.  in  Deut.  xxxii.  39  ;  Isa.  xliii.  10  ;  but  it  is  not  the  same  as 
that  of  Exod.  iii.  14,  last  clause. 

^5.  Askeii]  Or  '  began  asking,'  as  in  vsrse  22.  The  tense  (imperfect)  probably 
indicates  repeated  or  even  clamourous  asking.  How  is  it  dj^c]  Or  (How  useless) 
'all  iliat  I  have  spoken  to  you  from  the  ueginning  ! '  On  'have  spoken'  see 
Aorist,  p   ID. 

26.   /  have  come  dr^c]  Lit.  '  I  speak  into  the  world.'     Cp.  Luke  iv.  23,  n. 


232  JOHN   VIII. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  the  now  beiievincr  Jews:     31 

The   Jews  ,,    :        r  -r  ^       ^    ^     r  ^    ■  ^ 

boast  of  As  for  you,  if  you  hold  fast  to  my  teaching,  then 

"^^Akfraham  "^  y^'^  ^'^  truly  my  disciples  ;  and  you  shall  know     32 

the   Truth,  and  the  Truth    will  make  you  free." 
They  answered,  "  We  are  descendants  of  Abraham,  and  have     33 
never  at  any  time  been  in  slavery  to  any  one.     What  do  those 
words  of  yours  mean,  'You  shall  become  free'?"     "In  most     34 
solemn  truth  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,   "that  every  one  who 
commits  sin  is  the  slave  of  sin.      Now  a  slave  does  not  re-     35 
main  permanently  in  his  master's  house,  but  a  son  does.     If 
then  the  Son  shall  make    you  free,   you   will  be  free  indeed.     36 
You  are  descendants    of  Abraham,  I  know  ;  but  you  want  to     2>7 
kill  me,  because  my  teaching  gains  no  ground  within  you.     The     38 
words  I  speak  are  those  I  have  learnt  in   the  presence  of  the 
Father  :  therefore  you  also  should  do  what  you  have  heard  from 
your  father."     "  Our  father  is  Abraham,"   they  said.     "  If  you     39 
were  Abraham's  children,"    replied   Jesus,    "  it   is   Abraham's 
deeds  that  you  would  be  doing.     But  in  fact  you  are  longing  to     40 
kill  me,  a  man  who  has  spoken  to  you  the  truth  which  I  have 
heard  from  God.     Abraham  did  not  do  that.     You  are  doing    41 
the  deeds  of  your  father."    "We,"  they  replied,  "are  not  illegiti- 
mate children.     We  have  one  Father,  namely  God."     "If  God     42 
were  your  Father,"  said  Jesus,  "  you  would  love  me  ;  for  it  is 
from  God  that  I  came  and  I  am  now  here.     I  have  not  come  of 
myself,  but  He  sent  me.     How  is  it  you  do    not  understand  me     43 
when  I  speak.''    It  is  because  you  cannot  endure  to  listen  to  my 
words.     The  father  whose  sons  you  are  is  the  devil  ;  and  you     44 
desire  to  do  what  gives  him  pleasure.    He  was  a  murderer  from 
the  beginning,  and  does  not  stand  firm  in  the  truth — for  there  is 
no  truth  in  him.     Whenever  he  utters  his  lie,  he  utters  it  out 
of  his  own  store  ;  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of  lies.     But     45 
because  I  speak  the  truth,  you  do  not  believe  me.     Which  of    46 
you  convicts  me  of  sin?     If  I  speak  the  truth,  why  do  you  not 
believe  me  ?     He  who  is  a  child  of  God  listens  to  God's  words.     47 

31.  Said]  Probably  at  some  length,  a  summary  only  being  given  here.  Such 
seems  to  be  the  force  of  the  tense  (imperfect).     Holdfast  to]  Lit  '  remain  in.' 

38.  Learnt]  Lit.  'seen.' 

39.  Ic  is  Abrahaiiis  deeds  dr'c.]  v.L.  '  do  Abraham's  deeds.' 

44.  Does  not  stand]  v.L.  'did  not  stand.'  In  the  truth]  Or  'by  (or,  with)  the 
truth.'  Cp.  Eph.  viii.  14.  Out  of  his  own  store]  i.e.  '  in  accordance  with  his  own 
nature.'     Of  lies]'\J\\..  'of  it.' 

45.  Speak]  Or  'tell,'  or  'say.'  But  the  Greek  verbs  that  correspond  to  these 
three  English  verbs  are  not  always  used  with  exactly  the  same  shades  of  meaning  as 
the  latter.     See  Aorist  i. 

46.  Which  of  you  convicts]  The  '  you'  here  is  apparently  emphatic,  as  the  'you' 
of  the  last  clause  of  the  verse  undoubtedly  is.     The  whole  verse  is  a  home  thrust. 


JOHN  VIII.-IX.  233 

You  do  not  listen  to  them  :  and  why?     It  is  because  you  are 

not  God's  children." 

Jesus  accused      ^^^  J^^^  answered  Him,  "Are  we  not  right  in     48 
of  being  a     saying   that    you   are    a    Samaritan    and   have   a 
Demoniac.       j  1  i)      ^^  t  1  ^        j  n  ^•     ^    r 

demon  ? "     "I  have  not  a  demon,     rephed  J  esus  ;     49 

"on  the  contrary  I  honour  my  Father,  and  you  dishonour  me.     It 
is  not  I  however,  who  aim  at  glory  for  myself:  there  is  One  who     50 
aims  at  it — and  who  judges.     In  most  solemn  truth  I   tell  you,     51 
if  any  one  shall  have  obeyed  my  teaching  he  shall  in  no  case 
ever  see  death."     "  Now,"  exclaimed  the  Jews,  "we  know  that     52 
you  have  a  demon.     Abraham  died,  and  so  did  the  Prophets, 
and  y&tyou  say,  '  If  any  one  shall  have  obeyed  my  teaching,  he 
shall  in  no  case  ever  taste  death.'     Are  you  really  greater  than     53 
our  forefather  Abraham  ?      For  he  died.      And  the  Prophets 
died.     Who  do  you  make  yourself  out  to  be?"    Jesus  answered,     54 
"  Were  I  to  glorify  myself,  I  should  have  no  real  glory  ;  there 
is  One  who  glorifies  me — my  Father  whom  you  call  your  God. 
You  do  not  know  Him,  but  I  know  Him  perfectly  ;  and  were  I     55 
to  deny  my  knowledge  of  Him,  I  should  be  a  liar  like  your- 
selves.    On  the  contrary  I  do  know  Him,  and  I  obey  His  com- 
mands.    Abraham  your  forefather  exulted  in  the  hope  of  seeing     56 
my  day  :  he  has  seen  it,  and  has  been  glad."     "  You  are  not  yet     57 
fifty  years  old,"  cried  the  Jews,  "  and  have  you  seen  Abraham  ?" 
Jesus  answered,  "  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  before     58 
Abraham  came  into  existence,  I  am."     Thereupon  they  took  up     59 
stones  to  pelt  Him  with,  but  He  hid  Himself  and  went  away 
out  of  the  Temple. 

As  He  passed  by,  He  saw  a  man  who  had  been     i   Q 
receives  Si|ht.  blind  from  his  birth.     So  His  disciples  asked  Him,     2 

"Rabbi,  who  sinned — this  man  or  his  parents— 
that  he  was  born  blind  ? "     Jesus  answered,  "  Neither  he  nor     3 
his  parents  sinned,  but  he  was  born  blind  in  order  that  God's 
mercy  might  be  openly  shown  in  him.     We  must  do  the  works     4 

51.  Teackmg]lAt.  'word.' 

52.  Taste]  On  this  inaccurate  quotation  see  the  Commentators. 

53.  Who]  The  objective  interrogative  'Whom?'  is  now  obsolescent. 

55.  Commands]  Lit.  'word.' 

56.  In  the  hope  of  seeinfi  Lit.  '  in  order  to  see,'  as  though  the  longing  and  the 
hope  hastened  the  event.  Cp.  2  Pet.  iii.  12.  My  day]  Perhaps  the  day  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingly  triumph  over  all  evil  rather  than  that  of  His  birth  or  even  that  of  His 
death.     Has  seen]  Beforehand. 

59.  Temple]  v.l.  adds  'and  going  through  the  midst  of  them  He  went  His  way, 
and  so  passed  by.' 

I.  As  He  passed  by]  Or  '  On  one  occasion  as  He  passed  along  '  (through  the  streets 
of  Jerusalem). 

3.  God's  inetcy]  Lit.   '  the  works  of  God.' 

4.  iVe]  The  Lord  associates  His  disciples  with  Himself,  as  in  iii.  n  (Westcott). 
V.L.  has  '  I '  for  '  we.' 


234  JOHN    IX. 

of  Him  who  sent  me  while  there  is  dayHght  :  night  is  coming 
on,  when  no  one  can  work.     When  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the     5 
Light  of  the  world." 

After  thus  speaking.  He  spat  on  the  ground,  and  then,  knead-     6 
ing  the  dust  and  spittle  into  clay,  He  smeared  the  clay  over  the 
man's    eyes   and    said  to   him,  '*'  Go  and  wash  in  the  Pool  of    7 
Siloam  "—the  name  means  '  Sent.'     So  he  went  and  washed  his 
eyes,  and  returned  able  to  see. 

His  Acquaint-       ^°    ^^^    neighbours,   and    the    other   people    to     8 
ances  question  whom  he  had  beeh  a  familiar  object  because  he 
"^"  was  a  beggar,  began  asking.  '•'  Is  not  this  the  man 

who  used  to  sit  and  beg  ? "     Some  replied,  •'"  It  is  ; ''  others  said,     9 
"  No,  but  he  is  like  him."     His  own  statement  was,  "  I  am  the 
man."     So  they  asked  him,  "How  then  were  your  eyes  opened  ?  "     10 
He  answered,  "  He  whose  name  is  Jesus  made  clay  and  smeared     1 1 
my  eyes  with  it,  and  then  told  me  to  go  to  Siloam  and  wash. 
So  I  went  and  washed  and  obtained  sight."     "Where  is  he?"     12 
they  inquired,  but  the  man  did  not  know. 

They  brought  him  to  the  Pharisees — the  man     13 
th?°Pharis1ses.  '^'^^°   ^^^   ^^^^   blind.     Now   the    day  on   which     14 

Jesus  made  the  clay  and  opened  the  man's  eyes 
was  the  Sabbath.     So  the  Pharisees  renewed  their  questioning     15 
as  to  how  he  had  obtained  his  sight.     "  He  put   clay  on  my 
eyes,"  he  replied,  "  and  I   washed,  and  now  I  can  see."     This     16 
led  some  of  the  Pharisees  to  say,  "  That  man  has  not  come  from 
God,  for  he  does  not  keep  the   Sabbath."     But  others   argued, 
"How   is    it   possible   for  a   bad  man  to    do  such  miracles?" 
And  there  was  a  division  among  them.     So  again  they  asked     17 
the  once  blind  man,  "What  is  your  account  of  him  ?— for  he 
opened  your  eyes."     He  replied,  "  He  is  a  prophet." 

^,  .         The  Tews,  however,  did  not  believe  the  state-     18 

They  appeal  .  . 

to  his         ment  concerning  him — that  he  had  been  blind  and 
Parents.       -j^^^^  obtained  his  sight— until  they  called  his  parents 
and  asked  them,  "  Is  this  your  son,  who  you  say  was  born  blind  ?     19 
How  is  it  then  that  he  can  now  see  ?  '     "  We  know,"  replied  the     20 

5.   The  Light  of  the  world]  i.e.  the  <-un  in  the  world's  sky.     Cp.  xi.  9. 
7.  Returned].  Ot  'came  home.'     He  had  probably  been  sitting  at  his  own  door 
when  Jesus  (verse  i)  passed  by. 

10.  Ask:'d]  The  tense  (imperfect;  seems  to  imply  that  more  than  one  pressed  him 
with  the  question. 

11,  15,  iS.   Obtained]  Cp.  Mark  x.  52,  n. 

16.  That  7iian]  'This  man '  would  naturally  mean  "the  man  here  present  who 
says  he  was  blind."  Cp.  Luke  xiii.  2;  xvii.  34.  A  bad  man]  Lit.  'a  man  a 
sinner.' 

18.  Howeve-r]  See  Aorist,  p.  54. 


JOHN   IX.  235 

parents,  "that  this  is  our  son  and  that  he  was  born  blind  ;  but     21 
how  it  is  that  he  can  now  see  or  who  has  opened  his  eyes  we  do 
not  know.     Ask  him  himself;  he  is  of  full  age  ;  he  himself  will 
give  his  own  account  of  it."     Such  was  their  answer,  because     22 
they  were  afraid  of  the  Jews  ;  for  the  Jews  had  already  settled 
among  themselves  that  if  any  one  should  acknowledge  Jesus  as 
the  Christ,  he  should  be  excluded  from  the  Synagogue.     That     23 
was  why  his  parents  said,  "  He  is  of  full  age  :  ask  him  himself." 
^^  A  second  time  therefore  they  called  the  man     24 

They  excom-  ^  .  ^ 

municate      who   had  been  blind,  and  said,  "  Give    God  the 
the  Man.       praise  :  we  know  that  that  man  is  a  sinner."      He     25 
repHed,  "  Whether  he  is  a  sinner  or  not,  I  do  not  know.     One 
thing  I  know — that  I  was  once  blind  and  that  now  I  can  see." 
"What  did  he  do  to  you.''"  they  asked;  "how  did  he    open     26 
your  eyes?"     "I  have  told  you  already,"  he  replied,  "and  you     27 
did  not  listen  to  me.     Why  do  you  want  to  hear  it  again  ?     Do 
you  also  mean  to  be  disciples   of  his  ? "     Then  they  railed  at     28 
him,  and  said,  "  You  are  that  man's  disciple,  but  we  are  disciples 
of  Moses.     We  know  that  God  spoke  to  Moses  ;  but  as  for  this     29 
fellow  we  do  not  know  where  he  comes  from."     The  man  replied,     30 
"  Why,  this  is  marvellous  !     You  do  not  know  where  he  comes 
from,  and  yet  he  has  opened  my  eyes  !     We  know  that  God    31 
does  not  listen  to  bad  people,  but  that  if  any  one  is  a   God- 
fearing man   and   obeys  Him,  to  him    He  listens.     From  the     32 
beginning  of  the  world  such  a  thing  was  never  heard  of  as  that 
any  one  should  open  the  eyes   of  a  man  blind  from  his  birth. 
Had  that  man  not  come  from  God,  he  could  have  done  nothing."     33 
"  You,"  they  replied,  "  were  wholly  begotten  and  born  in  sin,  and     34 
do  you  teach  us  1 '"     And  they  put  him  out  of  the  Synagogue. 

Jesus  heard  that  they  had  done  this  ;   so  hav-     35 
Himself  known  ing    found    him,    He    asked    him,   "  Do  you  be- 

*°  *''"'•        lieve  in  the  Son  of  God?"     "  W^ho  is  He,  Sir,"     36 
repHed  the  man  ;  "tell  me,  so  that  I  may  believe  in    Him?" 
"  You  have  seen  Him,"  said  Jesus  ;  "  and  not  only  so  :  it  is  He     2)7 
who  is  now  speaking  to  you."     "'  I  believe.  Sir,"  said  he.     And     38 
he  threw  himself  at  His  feet. 

^,       ...  .  Jesus   said,  "  I  came   into   this  world  to  judge     39 

Clear  Vision  -'  '  J      i>        jy 

increases      men,  that  those   who    do   not   see  may  see,    and 

Responsibility.  ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^  _^^  ^^^,  ^^^^^^  blind."     These    40 

29.  spoke'}  In  the  Greek  the  tense  is  the  perfect.     See  Aorist  viL  9. 
32.  From  the  beginning-  0/  the  world]  Lit.    'from  the  age.'     Perhaps   the  e.xact 
tliought  is  '  from  the  merging  of  Eternity  into  Time.' 
35.  Son  0/  GoJ]  V.L.,  '  Son  of  IMan.' 


236  JOHN    IX.-X. 

words  were  heard  by  those  of  the  Pharisees  who  were  present, 
and  they  asked  Him,  "Are  we  also  blind?"     Jesus  answered,     41 
"  If  you  were  blind,  you  would  have  no  sin  ;  but  as  a  matter  of 
fact  you  boast  that  you  see  :  so  your  sin  remains  ! 

"  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  the  man     1 
Sheepfold.'     ^^°  ^^^^  "^^^  enter  the  sheepfold  by  the  door,  but 
climbs   over   some   other   way,   is   a  thief  and   a 
robber  ;  but  he  who  enters  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of  the     2 
sheep.     To  him  the  porter  opens  the  door,  and  the  sheep  hear     3 
his  voice  ;  and  he  calls  his  own  sheep  by  their  names  and  leads 
them   out.     When    he  has  brought  out  his  own  sheep — all  of    4 
them — he  walks  at  the  head  of  them  ;  and  the  sheep  follow  him, 
because  they  know  his  voice.     But  a  stranger  they  will  by  no     5 
means  follow,  but  will  run  away  from  him,  because  they  do  not 
know  the   voice    of  strangers."     Jesus  spoke  to  them  in  this     6 
figurative  language,   but   they   did   not   understand   what    He 
meant. 

Again  therefore  Jesus  said  to  them,   "  In  most     7 
'*^Door°''     solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  I  am  the  Door  of  the 

sheep.     All  who  have  come  before  me  are  thieves     8 
and  robbers  ;  but  the  sheep  would  not  listen  to  them.     I  am  the     9 
Door.     If  any  one  enters  by  me,  he  will  find  safety,  and  will  go 
in  and  out  and  find  pasture.     The  thief  comes  only  to  steal  and     10 
kill  and  destroy  :  I  have  come  that  they  may  have   Life,  and 
may  have  it  in  abundance. 

"  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd.     The  good  shepherd     1 1 
She\^rd^     lays  down  his  life  for  the  sheep.     The  hired  ser-     12 
vant — one  who  is  not  a  shepherd  and  does  not 
own  the  sheep — no  sooner  sees  the  wolf  coming  than  he  leaves 
the  sheep  and  runs  away  ;  and  the  wolf  worries  and  scatters 
them.     For  he  is  only  a  hired  servant  and  cares  nothing  for  the     13 
sheep. 

"  I  am  the  Good  Shepherd  ;  and  I  know  my  sheep  and  my     14 

41,  If  you  were  .  .  yoii  would  have]  Or  '  If  you  had  been  .  .  .  you  would  have 
had.' 

2.   The  shepherd]  Ot  ^  a.  she-p^crd.' 

6.  hi  this  figurative  language]  The  word  which  the  EvangeHst  here  uses  is  found 
also  in  xvi.  25,  29  ;  2  Pet.  ii.  22.  It  is  not  the  same  as  that  from  which  the  English 
'parable  '  is  derived,  and  which  occurs  in  Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke,  48  times  in  all, 
but  nowhere  in  John. 

8.  Have  come  before  me]  I.E.  claiming  to  be  the  Door. 

II.  Good]  Not  kmd-liearted  only.  A  shepherd  is  not  a  good  shepherd  unless  he  is 
in  every  way  efficient— in  strength  and  skill  as  well  as  in  tenderness.  Cp.  2  Tim. 
ii.  2. 

II,  IS,  17.  Life]  Or  'soul.'  See  Edward  Seeley's  Great  Reconciliation,  pp.  298- 
301.     Cp.  xii.  25. 


JOHN   X.  237 

sheep  know  me,  just  as  the  Fatlier  knows  me  and  I  know  the     15 
Father  ;  and  I  am  lajang  down  my  Hfe  for  the  sheep.     I  have     16 
also  other  sheep— which  do  not  belong  to  this  fold  1  those  also 
1  must  bring,  and  they  will  listen  to  my  voice  ;  and  they   shall 
become  one  flock  under  one  Shepherd,     For   this  reason   my     17 
Father  loves  me  because  I  am  laying  down  my  life  in  order  to 
receive  it  back  again.     No  one  is  taking  it  away  from  me,  but  I     18 
myself  am  laying  it  down.     I  am  authorized  to  lay  it  down,  and 
I  am  authorized  to  receive  it  back  again.     This  is  the  command 
I  received  from  my  Father." 

Again  there  arose  a  division  among  the  Jews  because  of  these     19 
words.     Many  of  them  said,   "  He  has  a  demon  and  is  mad.     20 
Why  do  you  listen  to  him  ?"     Others  argued,  "  That  is  not  the     2i 
language  of  a  demoniac  :  and  can  a  demon  open  blind  men's 
eyes  ? " 

Jesus  appeals       ^^^  Dedication  Festival  came  on  at  Jerusalem.     22 
to  His         It    was    winter,   and   Jesus    was   walking   in    the     23 
Temple    in    Solomon's    Portico,   when    the   Jews     24 
gathered  round  Him  and  kept  asking  Him,  "  How  long  do  you 
mean  to  keep  us  in  suspense  }     If  you  are  the  Christ,  tell  us 
plainly."     Jesus  answered,  "  I  have  told  you,  and  you  do  not     25 
believe.     The  deeds  that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name— they  give 
testimony  about  me.     But  you  do  not  believe,  because  you  are     26 
not  my  sheep.     My  sheep  listen  to  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,     27 
and  they  follow  me.     I  give  them  the  Life  of  the  ages,  and  they     28 
shall  never,  never  perish,  nor  shall  any  foe  wrest  them  from  my 
hand.     What  my  Father  has  given  me  is  more  precious  than     29 
all  besides  ;    and  no  one  is  able  to  wrest  anything  from  my 
Father's  hand  :  I  and  the  Father  are  one."  30 

Again  the  Jews  brought  stones  to  stone  Him.     31 
of'kimng^Him'!  J^sus    remonstrated   with   them.      "  Many    good     32 

deeds,"  He  said,  "  have  I  shown  you  as  coming 
from  the  Father ;  for  which  of  them  are  you  going  to  stone 

18.   Cp.  xviii.  6,  n. 

22.   Cajne  on\  v. L.  adds  'at  that  time.' 

24.  Kept  asking]  The  tense  (imperfect)  implies  that  the  question  was  pressed  again 
and  again,  probanly  by  several  questioners.      Cp.  Mark  viii.  27,  n. 

28.  Of  the  ages]  Greek,  'aeonian.'     Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  8,  n. 

29.  More  precious]  Or  '  more  (to  me).'     Lit.  '  greater  (in  my  esteem).' 

30.  Are  one]  See  the  Commentators  ;  but  it  is  important  to  observe  that  'one' 
here  is  neuter,  not  masculine  as  in  the  similar  expression  in  Gal.  iii.  28.  Our  Lord 
here  afifirms  that  He  and  His  Father,  being  two  Persons  (masculine),  have  and  are 
one  nature  (neuter). 

32,  Which  0/  them]  Lit.  'which  work  of  them.'  The  Greek  word  here  for 
'which'  is  not  the  one  that  would  be  used  in  classical  Greek.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  23; 
Acts  iv.  7 ;  I  Pet.  ii.  20, 


238  JOHN   X.-XI. 

me  ?  "     "  For  no  good  deed,"  the  Jews  replied,  "  are  we  going  to     33 
stone  you,  but  for  blasphemy,  and  because  you,  who  are  only  a 
man,  are  making  yourself  out  to  be  God."     Jesus  replied,  "  Does     34 
it  not   stand  written  in  your  Law,  '  I  SAID,  YOU   are    gods  ' 
(Ps,  Ixxxii.  6)  ?     If  those  to  whom  God's  word  was  addressed     35 
are  called  gods  (and  the  Scripture  cannot  be  annulled),  how  do     36 
you  dare  to  say  to  Him  whom  the  Father  consecrated  and  sent 
into  the  world,  *  You  are  blaspheming,'  because  I  said,  '  I   am 
God's  Son  ? '     If  the  deeds  I  do  are  not  my  Father's  deeds,  do     37 
not  believe  me  ;  but  if  they  are,  then  even  if  you  do  not  believe     38 
me,  at  least  believe  the  deeds,  that   you  may  know   and  see 
clearly  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  that  I  am  in  the  Father." 
This  made  them  once  more  try  to  arrest   Him,  but  He  with-     39 
drew  out  of  their  power. 

Then  He  went  away  again  to  the  other  side  of  the     40 
the  Jo°cfan      Jordan,  to  the  place  where  John  had  been  baptiz- 
ing at  first  ;  and  there  He  stayed.     Large  numbers     41 
of  people  also  came  to  Him,  and  their  report  was,  "  John  did 
not  work  any  miracle,  but  all  that  John  said  about  this  teacher 
was  true."     And  many  became  believers  in  Him  there.  42 

Now  there  was  a  certain    sick  man,  Lazarus   of     i   IT 
The  ninessof  Bethany— Bethany  being  the  village  of  Mary  and 

her  sister  Martha.     (It  was  the  Mary  who  poured     2 
the  perfume  over  the  Lord  and  wiped  His  feet  with  her  hair, 
whose  brother  Lazarus  was  ill.)     So  the  sisters  sent  to  Him  to     3 
say,  "  Master,  he  whom  you  hold  dear  is  ill.''     Jesus  received  the     4 
message  and  said,  "  This  illness  is  not  to  end  in  death,  but  is  to 
promote  the  glory  of  God,  in  order  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  by  it." 

Now  Jesus  loved  Martha  and  her  sister  and  5 
Jesus^goes^^  Lazarus.  When,  however,  He  heard  that  Lazarus  6 
to  Bethany.    ^^^^^   -jj^  pj^   g^jj^  remained  two  days  in  that  same 

35.  Are  called]  Lit  '  he  (or  He,  or  it)  called  (or  has  called).' 

39.  Power]  Lit.  '  hand.' 

41.  Miracle]  Lit  'sign.'     Cp.  ii.  ii. 

42.  Became  believers]  See  Aorist  vi.  6. 

I.  Bethany  being  the  village]  Lit.  '  out  of  the  village.'     Cp.  i.  44. 

3.  Whom  you  hold  dear]  Or  '  whom  you  regard  as  your  iriend.'  Cp.  xv.  14,  15  ; 
Jas.  ii.  23.  The  Greek  verb  used  here  is  the  one  which  nas  furnished  a  syllable  to 
many  Enghsh  words,  as  '  phil-anthropy,'  '  phil-harmonic,'  '  Russo-phile.' 

5.  Loved]  The  Greek  verb  used  here  is  more  emphatic  than  that  of  verse  3,  and 
marks  a  stronger  glow  of  affection.  We  find  it  in  the  great  and  first  commandment, 
and  in  the  second  which  is  of  the  same  character  (Matt,  x.xii.  37,  39),  and  it  supplies 
a  name  {agape)  for  the  highest  of  Christian  virtues  (i  Cor.  xiii.).  (The  Greek  lan- 
guage has  a  third  word,  eros,  which  may  be  defined  as  '  animal  love.'  "J'his  word 
does  not  occur  in  the  N.T.,  even  in  such  passages  as  Eph.  v.  25-33-)  See  also  v.  20, 
n  ;  XX.  2,  n  ;  xxi.  7,  n. 


JOHN  XL  239 

place.     Then,   after  that,    He    said  to  the  disciples,  "Let  us     7 
return  to  Judaea."     ''  Rabbi,"'  exclaimed  ti)e  disciples,  "  the  Jews     8 
have  just  been  trying  to  stone  you,  and  do  you  think  of  going 
back  there  again  ?  "     Jesus  replied,  "Are  there  not  twelve  hours     9 
in  the  day  ?    If  any  one  walks  in  the  daytime,  he  does  not  stumble 
— because  he  sees  the  light  of  this  world  ;  but  if  a  man  walks  by     10 
night,  he  does  stumble,  because  the  light  is  not  in  him."     He     11 
said  this,  and  afterwards  He  added,    "  Our  friend  Lazarus  is 
sleeping,  but   I   will  go  and  awake  him."     "Master,   if  he  is     12 
asleep,''  said  the  disciples,  "  he  will  recover."     Jesus  had  spoken     13 
of  his  death,  but  they  thought  He  referred  to  the  rest  taken  in 
ordinary  sleep.     So  Jesus  then  told  them  plainly,   "  Lazarus  is     14 
dead  ;  and  for  your  sakes  I  am  glad   I  was  not  there,  in  order     15 
that  you  may  believe.     But  let  us  go  to  him."     "  Let  us  go  also,"     16 
Thomas  the  Twin  said  to  his  fellow  disciples,  "  that  we  may 
die  with  Him." 

Lazarus  was        ^^   ^^^  arrival  Jesus  found  that  Lazarus  had     17 
now  dead     already  been  three  days  in  the  tomb.     Bethany  was     18 
near  Jerusalem,  the  distance  being  a  little  less  than 
two  miles  ;  and  a  considerable  number  of  the  Jews  were  with     19 
Martha  and  Mary,  having  come  to  express  sympathy  with  them 
on  the  death  of  their  brother.     Martha,  however,  as  soon  as  she     20 
heard  the  tidings,  "  Jesus  is  coming,"  went  to  meet  Him  ;  while 
Mary  remained  sitting  in  the  house.      So   Martha  came  and     21 
spoke  to  Jesus.     "  Master,  if  you  had  been  here,"  she  said,  "  my 
brother  would  not  have  died.     And  even  now  I  know  that  what-     22 
ever  you  ask  God  for,  God  will  give  you."     Jesus  answered  her,     25 
"  Your  brother  shall  rise  again."     "  I    know,"  replied  Martha,     24 
'TheResurrec-  "  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  again  at  the  resurrection,  on  the 

tion  and  the    last  day."    Jesus  replied,  "  I  am  the  Resurrection     25 
'  ®'  and  the  Life.      He  who  believes  in  me,  even  if 

9.    T/ie  light  of  this  vjorld\  i.e.,  the  sun  in  the  skj'.     Cp.  ix.  5. 

II.  Friend\  See  verse  3,  n.  Is  sleeping\  Lit.  'has  fallen  asleep.'  The  Greek  per- 
fect tense  often  denotes  a  present  state  resulting  from  a  past  action.  See  Aorist  vii. 
3,  4.      And  a7vak€\  Lit.  '  in  order  that  I  may  asvake.' 

14.  Is  dead}  More  exactly  '  has  died '  (see  Aorist  vi.  i).  But  the  distinction  is  not 
so  important  as  it  is  in  Rom.  vi.  7. 

17.  On  His  arrival]  In  the  Greek  this  verse  begins  with  the  particle  commonly 
rendered  '  therefore.'  It  occurs  19  times  in  this  chapter,  a  frequency  of  repetition 
which  is  never  found  in  English  narrative.  In  the  A.V.  '  therefore  '  is  found  5  times 
in  this  chapter,  in  the  R.V.  16  times.  The  subject  is  fully  discussed  in  Aorist,  Ap- 
pendix B.      Three  days']  Lit.  '  four  days.'     Cp.  Acts  x.  30,  n. 

20.  Ho'iX)ez'er\  Or  '  therefore.'     Cp.  verse  17,  n. 

22.  Even]  The  reader  who  is  in  love  wiih  a  word-for-word  rendering  may  omit  this 
'  even  ; '   but  he  will  then  miss  the  full  force  of  the  original. 

23.  Shall]  Or  '  will.' 

25.  Has  died]  More  exactly,  '  shall  have  died '  (by  the  time  the  Resurrection 
comes) 


240  JOHN    XI. 

he  has  died,  shall  hve  ;  and  every  one  who  is  living  and  is  a     26 
believer  in  me  shall  never,  never  die.     Do  you  believe  this?" 
"Yes,  Master,"  she  replied  ;  "I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that     27 
you  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who  was  to  come  into  the 
world." 

After   saying   this,    she    went    and    called   her    sister   Mary     28 
privately,  telling  her,   "  The    Rabbi  is  here  and  is  asking  for 
you."      So    she,    on    hearing   that,    rose   up  quickly  to    go    to     29 
Him.     Now  Jesus  was  not  yet  come  into  the  village,  but  was     30 
still  at  the   place  where  Martha  had  met  Him.     So  the  Jews     31 
who  were  with  Mary  in  the  house  sympathizing  with  her,  when 
they  saw  that  she  had  risen  hastily  and  had  gone  out,  followed 
her,  supposing  that  she  was  going  to  the  tomb  to  weep  aloud 
there. 

Lazarus  Mary  then,  when   she  came  to  Jesus  and  saw     32 

brought  back   Him,  fell  at  His  feet  and  exclaimed,  "  Master,  if 
you  had  been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have 
died."     Seeing  her  weeping  aloud,  and  the  Jews  in  like  manner     33 
weeping    who  had  come  with   her,  Jesus,  curbing   the  strong 
emotion   of  His    spirit,  though    deeply  troubled,  asked   them,     34 
"Where  have  you  laid  him.-*"     "  Master,  come  and  see,"  was 
their  reply.     Jesus  wept.     "  See  how  dear  he  held  him,"  said  35,  36 
the  Jews  ;  though  others  of  them  asked,  "Was  this  man  who     37 
opened  the  blind  man's  eyes  unable  to  prevent  his  friend  from 
dying  .^"    Jesus,  however,  again  restraining  His  strong  feeling,     38 
came  to  the  tomb.     It  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  had  been  laid 
against  the  mouth  of  it.     "Take  away  the  stone,"  said  Jesus.     39 
Martha,  the  sister  of  the  dead  man,  exclaimed,  "  Master,  by  this 
time  there  is  a  foul  smell  ;  for  it  is  three  days  since  he  died." 
"Did   I  not  promise  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "that  if  you  believe,     40 
you  shall  see  the  glory  of  God.''"     So  they  removed  the  stone.     41 
Then  Jesus  lifted  up  His  eyes  and  said,  "  Father,  I  thank  Thee 
that  Thou  hast  heard  me.     I  knew  that  Thou  always  hearest  me  ;     42 
but  for  the  sake  of  the   crowd  standing  round  I  said  it — that 
they  may  believe  that  Thou  didst  send  me."     After  speaking     43 
thus.   He    called    out   in   a   loud    voice,   "  Lazarus,   come  out." 

28.  I?al>di]Ut.  'Teacher.' 

31.  Stipposing  that  she  was  going\  Or  'supposing  (and  saying  to  one  another), 
"  She  is  going."  ' 

33.  Emotion]  Or  'indignation'  (at  the  triumph  of  evil).  Lit.  '  He  was  moved  with 
indignation  in  the  spirit.' 

35.  lVe/>t]  But  not  aloud,  as  in  verses  31,  33.  This  verb,  signifying  the  silent 
shedding  of  tears,  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T. 

38.  Restraining  ^'c]  Lit.  '  being  moved  with  indignation  in  Himself.' 

39.  It  is  three  days]  See  Westcott's  valuable  note. 


JOHN    XI.  241 

The  dead  man  came  out,  his  hands  and  feet  wrapped  in  cloths,     44 
and  his  face  wrapped  round  with  a  towel.     "  Untie  him,"  said 
Jesus,  "  and  let  him  go  free." 

Thereupon  a  considerable  number  of  the  Jews     45 
^OpposiK"'^  -namely  those  who  had  come  to  Mary  and  had 
witnessed  His  deeds— became  believers  in  Him  ; 
though  some  of  them  went  off  to  the  Pharisees  and  told  them     46 
what  He  had  done. 

Christ's  Death      ^^^  ^'^h  Priests  and  Pharisees  therefore  held     47 
for  others     a  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrin.     "  What  steps  are  we 
pre  icte  .      taking?"  tliey  asked  one  another  ;  "  for  that  man 
is  performing  a   greai  number  of  miracles.     If  we  leave  him     48 
alone  in   this   way,    everybody    will   believe   in    him,    and  the 
Romans  will  come  and  blot  out  both  our  City  and  our  nation." 
But  one  of  them,  Caiaphas,  being  High  Priest  that  year,  said,     49 
"You  know  nothing  about  it.     You  do  not  reflect  that  it  is     50 
to  your  interest  that  one  man  should  die  for  the  People  rather 
than  the  whole  nation  perish."     It  was  not  as  a  mere  man  that     51 
he  thus  spoke  ;  but  being  High  Priest  that  year  he  was  inspired 
to  declare  that  Jesus  was  to  die  for  the  nation,  and  not  for  the     52 
nation  only,  but  in  order  to  unite  into  one  body  all  the  far- 
scattered  children  of  God.     So    from  that    day   forward   they     53 
planned  and  schemed  in  order  to  put  Him  to  death. 

Jesus  Jesus  therefore   no    longer  went  about   openly     54 

withdraws  to   among  the  Jews,  but  left  that  neighbourhood  and 
P  ''^""-       went  into  the  district  near  the  desert,  to  a  town 
called  Ephraim,  and  remained  there  with  the  disciples.     The     55 
Jewish  Passover  was  coming  near,  and  many  from  that  district 
went  up  to  Jerusalem  before  the  Passover,  to  purify  themselves. 
They  therefore  looked  out  for  Jesus,  and  asked  one  another  as     56 
they  stood  in  the  Temple,  "  What  do  you  think  ? — will  he  come 
to  the  Festival  at  all?"     Now  the  High  Priests  and  Pharisees     57 
had   issued    orders    that  if  any  one  knew  where   He    was,    he 
should  give  information,  so  that  they  might  arrest  Him. 

44.  Cloths\  The  Greek  word  here  used  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T.,  but  is  pro- 
bably synonymous  with  the  one  found  Luke  xxiv.  12  ;  John  xix.  40;  xx.  5,  6,  7. 
Tozvel]  Or  '  haudkerchief. ' 

47.  J'hat  man]  '  This  man '  would  suggest  that  Jesus  was  present  and  in  their 
power,  which  was  by  no  means  the  case.  Cp.  ix.  16  ;  Luke  xiii.  2.  Miracles\  Cp. 
ii.  II. 

48.  City\  Lit.  '  place .' 

51.  As  a  tnere  man]  Lit.  '  from  himself.' 

55.  Fro/n  that  district\  Or  '  from  (all  parts  of)  the  country.'  Butif  this  had  been 
the  sense  we  should  have  expected  the  verb  to  be  in  the  imperfect.  Here  it  is  in  the 
aorist. 


242  JOHN   XII. 

Jesus,  however,  six  days   before  the    Passover,     i   ] 

'^Gratitud^"'^    came   to   Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was  whom  He 

had  raised  from  the  dead.     So  they  gave  a  dinner     2 

there  in  honour  of  Jesus*,  at  which  Martha  waited  at  table,  but 

Lazarus  was  one  of  the  guests  who  were  with  Him.     AvaiHng     3 

herself  of  the  opportunity,  Mary  took  a  pound  weight  of  pure 

spilcenard  very  costly  and  poured  it  over  His  feet  and   wiped 

His  feet  with  her  hair,  so  that  tlie  house  was   filled  with  the 

fragrance  of  the  perfume.     Then  said  Judas  (the  Iscariot,  one     4 

of  the  Twelve — the  one  who  afterwards  betrayed  Jesus),  "  Why     5 

was  not  that  perfume  sold  for  300  shillings  and  the  money  given 

to  the  poor?"     The  reason  he  said  this  was  not  that  he  cared     6 

for  the  poor,  but  that  he  was  a  thief,  and  that  being  in  charge  of 

the  money-box  he  used   to    steal   what    was  put  into  it.     But     7 

Jesus  interposed.     "  Do  not  blame  her,"  He  said,  "  allow  her  to 

keep  it  for  this  time  of  my  preparation  for  burial.     For  the  poor     8 

you  always  have  with  you,  but  you  have  not  me  always." 

Now  it  became  widely  known  among  the  Jews  that  Jesus  was     9 

there  ;  but  they  came  not  only  on  His  account,  but  also  in  order 

to  see  Lazarus  whom  He  had  brought  back  to  life.     The  High     10 

Priests,  however,    consulted    together    to   put    Lazarus  also  to 

death,  for  because  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  left  them  and  became     1 1 

believers  in  Jesus. 

The  next  day  a  great  crowd  of  those  who  had     12 
Jesus  •'       ° 

rides  into  come  to  the  Festival,  hearing  that  Jesus  was 
erusaem.  QQj-j^ijjg  ^-q  Jerusalem,  took  branches  of  the  palm  13 
trees  and  went  out  to  meet  Him,  shouting  as  they  went,  "  God 
save  Him  !  Blessings  on  Him  who  comes  in  the  name  of 
THE  Lord  (Ps.  cxviii.  26)— even  on  the  King  of  Israel?"  And  14 
Jesus,  having  procured  a  young  ass,  sat  upon  it,  just  as  the 
Scripture  says,  "Fear  not,  daughter  of  Zion  !     See,  thy     15 

KING  IS  coming  riding  ON  AN  ASS'S  COLT  "  (Zech.  ix.  9).      The      16 
meaning  of  this  His  disciples  did  not  understand  at  the  time  ; 
but  after  Jesus   was  glorified  they   recollected  that  this   was 

I.  HoTvever\  See  Aorist  Appendix  B.  5.     Cp.  also  verses  9-11. 
i-ii.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  6-13  ;  Mark  xiv.  3-9. 

3.  Pure]  Or  '  liquid.' 

6.  Money-bo-v]  The  word   occurs  in  the  N.T.   only   here  and  in    xiii.  29.      Cp. 
2  Chron.  xxiv.  8-11,  LXX. 

7.  Allozv  her  to  keep]  Or  '(her  purpose  was  but)  to  keep.'     The  women  who  later 
on  brought  sweet  spices  to  anoint  Christ's  dead  body  came  too  late  (Mark  xvi.  1). 

II.  Left  them  and  became]  Not  all  at  once,  but,  as  the  imperfect  tense  implies,  in 
long  and  frequent  succession. 

12-19.  Cp.  Matt.  xxi.  i-ii  ;  Mark  xi.  i-ii  ;  Luke  xix.  29-44, 
13.    77if/«/w-/;v^j]  Which  were  growing  there. 


JOHN   XII.  243 

written   about   Him,   and    that    they    had   done   this    to    Him. 

The  large  number  of  people,  however,   who  had  been  present     17 

when    He   called    Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb   and   brought  him 

back  to   life,  declared   what    they    had    witnessed.     This    was     18 

also  why  the  crowd  came  to  meet  Him,  because  they  had  heard 

of  His  having  performed  that  miracle.     The  result  was  that  the     19 

Pharisees  said  among  themselves,  "  Observe  how  idle  all  your 

efforts  are  !     The  world  is  gone  after  him  !  " 

A  u-  u     I  -^        Now  some  of  those  who  used  to   come  up  to     20 
A  higher  Life  ^ 

the  Result  of   worship  at  the  Festival  were  Greeks.     They  came     21 

Death.        ^^  Philip^  of  Bethsai'da  in  Galilee,  with  the  request 
"Sir,  we  wish  to  see  Jesus."     Philip  came  and  told  Andrew:     22 
Andrew  and  Philip  told  Jesus.     His  answer  was,  "  The  time  has     23 
come  for  the  Son  of  Man  to  be  glorified.     In  most  solemn  truth     24 
I  tell  you  that  unless  the  grain  of  wheat  falls  into  the  ground 
and  dies,  it  remains  what  it  was— a  single  grain  ;  but  that  if  it 
dies,  it  yields  a  rich  harvest.     He  who  holds  his  life  dear,  is     25 
destroying  it  ;  and  he  who  makes  his  life  of  no  account  in  this 
world  shall  keep  it  to  the  Life  of  the  ages.     If  a  man  wishes  to     26 
be  my  servant,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and  where  I  am,  there  too 
shall  my  servant  be  ;  if  a  man  wishes  to  be  my  servant,  the 
Father  will  honour  him.     Now  is  my  soul  full  of  trouble  ;  and     27 
what  shall  I   say  ?     Father,  save  me  from  this  hour.     But  for     28 
this  purpose  I  have  come  to  this  hour.      Father,  glorify  Thy 
name." 

Thereupon  there   came  a  voice   from  the  sky, 
^  ^hL''lky.°'"  "I  have  glorified  it  and  will  also  glorify  it  again." 

The  crowd  that  stood  by  and  heard  it,  said  that     29 
there  had  been  thunder  ;  others  said,  "  An  angel  spoke  to  him." 
"  It  is  not  for  my  sake,"  said  Jesus,  "  that  that  voice  came,  but     30 
for  your  sakes.     Now  is  the  judgement  of  this  world  :  now  will     31 
the  prince  of  this  world  be  driven  out.    And  I — if  I  am  lifted     32 

17.  However]  See  Aorisi,  Appendix  B,  5. 

19.  Observe  Ss^aJX  Or  '  Do  you  see  that  .  .  .  ?  ' 

20.  To  co7ne  itp]  Viz.  to- the  part  of  the  country  spoken  of  in  all  the  earlier  part  of 
the  chapter.  Cp.  Matt.  xvii.  27;  Rev.  iv.  i  ;  i  Sam.  xiv.  12,  LXX.  Or  perhaps  '  to 
go  up.' 

21.  Tkey  came]  Apparently  the  whole  body  with  one  consent. 

25.  His  life]  Or  '  his  soul ;'  cp.  x.  11  ;  but  "  not  the  soul  in  the  present  acceptation 
of  that  term"  (Alford).  Makes  0/ no  account]  Lit.  'hates.'  Shall  keep  it]  Lit. 
'will  be  keeping  guard  over  it.'     Of  the  ages]  Greek  '  2.Qon\2t.n.'     Cp.  iii.  15. 

27.  Save  me  from  this  hour]  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  39  ;  Mark  xiv.  36  ;  Luke  xxii.  42.^ 
Or  we  may  understand  the  clause  to  mean,  "  Shall  I  pray,  '  Father  .  .  hour'?" 
For  this  purpose]  i.e.,  of  triumphing  over  Sin, 'the  devil,  and  Death,  just  when  they 
seemed  to  be  triumphing  over  Him. 

39.  Stood  by]  Lit.  'stood.'     Cp.    Matt.  xxvi.  73. 

31.  The  jud£^efuent]  Or  '  a.  judgement.' 

32.  //]  Or  '  v/hen.'     Cp.  xiv.  3,  n  ;  i  John  iii.  2,  n.     From]  More  Hi.  '  out  of.' 


244  JOHN   XII. 

up  from  the  earth — will  draw  all  men  to  me."     He  said  this  to     33 
indicate  the  kind  of  death  He  would  die.      The  crowd  answered     34 
Him,  "We  have  heard  out  of  the  Law  that  the  Christ  remains 
for  ever :  in  what  sense  do  you  say  that  the  Son  of  Man  must 
be  lifted  up  ?    Who  is  that  Son  of  Man  ?  "     "  Yet  a  little  while,"     35 
He  replied,  "  the  light  is  among  you.     Live  and  act  according  to 
the  light  that  you  have,  for  fear  the  darkness  overtake  you  ;  for 
a  man  vvho  walks  in  the  dark  does  not  knew  where  he  is  going. 
In  the  degree  that  you  have  light,  believe  in  the  Light,  so  that     36 
you  may  become  sons  of  Light." 

Jesus  said  this,  and  went  away  and  hid   Him- 

UnbeHen  yet    ^elf  from  them.     But  though  He  had  performed     37 

many  secret    such  great  miracles  in  their  presence,  they  did  not 

believe  in  Him — in  order  that  the  words  of  Isaiah     38 
the  Prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 

"Lord,  who  has  believed  our  preaching? 

And   the   arm  of   the   Lord— to  whom   has  it  been 

UNVEILED.?"  (Isa.  liii.  I.) 
For  this  reason  they  were  unable  to  believe — because    Isaiah     39 
said  again, 
"He  has  blinded  their  eyes  and  made  their  minds    40 

CALLOUS, 

Lest  they  should  see  with  their  eyes  and  perceive 

WITH   THEIR    minds. 

And  should  turn, 

And  I  SHOULD  heal  them"  (Isa.  vi.  9,  10). 

Isaiah  uttered  these  words  because  he  saw  His  glory  ;  and  he     41 
spoke  of  Him.     Nevertheless  even  from  among  the  Rulers  many     42 
believed  in  Him  ;  but  because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not 
avow  their   belief,  for  fear  they  should  be  shut   out  from  the 
synagogue.     For  they   loved  the  glory  that  comes  from  men     43 
rather  than  the  glory  that  comes  from  God. 

Jesus  and  ^^^  Jesus  cried  aloud,  "  He  who  believes  in  me,     44 

His  heavenly   believes  not  SO  much  in  me,  as  in  Him  who  sent 

me  ;  and  he  who  sees  me  sees  Him  who  sent  me.     45 


35.  Lz've  and  act]  Lit.  '  walk.'     Overtake]  Cp.  i.  5,  where  the  same  verb  occurs. 

35.  36.  In  the  degree  that  you  have  light]    Lit.  'As  you  have   the  light'     For 
'  as  '  V. L.  has  '  while.' 

36.  Hid  Himself  ]  In  classical  Greek  the  verb  would  mean  *  was  hidden,'  by  some 
other  agent.     Cp.  Rom.  ix.  29. 

37.  Such  great]  Or  '  so  many,'  but  in  this  Gospel  we  find  but  little  stress  laid  on 
the  number  of  our  Lord's  miracles,  only  seven  being  recorded. 

44.   Cried  aloud]  The  tense  (aorist)  of  this  verb  does  not  admit  of  the  interpreta- 
tion preferred  by  Tlioluck,  Ol.shausen  and  others,  "Jesus  was  accustomed  emphati- 


JOHN   XII.-XIIL  245 

I  have  come  like  light  into  the  world,  in  order  that  no  one  who     46 
believes  in  me  may  remain  in  the  dark.     And  if  any  one  hears     47 
my  teachings  and  regards  them  not,  I  do  not  judge  him  ;  for  I 
did  not  come  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.     He     48 
who  sets  me  at  naught  and  does  not  receive  my  teachings  is  not 
left  without  a  judge  :  the  Message  which  I  have  spoken  will 
judge  him  on  the  last  day.     Because  I  have  not  spoken  on  my     49 
own  authority  ;  but  the  Father  who  sent  me.   Himself  gave  me 
a  command  what  to  say  and  in  what  words  to  speak.     His  com-     50 
mand,  I  well  know,  is  the  Life  of  the  ages  :  what  therefore    I 
speak,  I  speak  as  the  Father  has  said  it  to  me." 

^    ,    .  Now   just   before    the   Feast   of   the   Passover     i 

A  glorious  ■' 

Lesson  in     this  incident  took  place.     Jesus  knew  that  the  time 
"'"'  '  ^'      had  come  for  Him  to  leave  this  world  and  go  to  the 
Father  ;  and   having  loved   His  own  who  were  in  the  world. 
He  loved  them  to  the  end.     While  supper  was  proceeding,  the     2 
devil  having  by  this  time  suggested  to  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son 
of  Simon,  the  thought    of  betraying  Him,  Jesus,  although  He     3 
knew  that  the    Father    had    put   everything    into   His   hands, 
and  that  He  had  come   forth  from    God  and  was  now  going 
to    God,   rose    from    table,    threw    off    His    upper    garments,     4 
and  took   a   towel    and  tied  it  round   His  waist.      Then    He     5 
poured  water  into  a  basin,  and  proceeded  to  wash  the  feet  of 
the  disciples  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  which  He  had 
round    His   waist.      When    He   came   to    Simon    Peter,    Peter     6 
objected.      "  Master,"  he  said,   "  are  you   going  to  wash    my 
feet?"    Jesus  answered  him,  "What  I  am  doing,  for  the  present     7 
you   do   not   know,  but  afterwards  you  shall  know."     "  Never     8 
while  the  world  lasts,"  said  Peter,  "  shall   you  wash  my  feet." 
"If  I  do  not  wash  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  you  have  no  share  with 
me."     "  Master,"  said  Peter,  "  wash  not  only  my  feet,  but  also     9 

cally  to  declare,"  thus  making  the  last  seven  verses  of  this  chapter  an  epitome  of  all 
His  discourses. 

47.  Regards  them  not]  Lit.  *  keeps  on  guard  over  them.'  Cp.  verse  25.  This 
verb  occurs  only  three  times  in  this  gospel,  the  third  instance  being  xvii.  12.  N'ot 
Judge]  I.E.,  'not  now  judge.'     Cp.  xvii.  9,  n. 

48.  49.  /  have  spoken]  The  rendering  '  I  spoke  '  would  be  understood  by  the  ordi- 
nary English  reader  as  referring  to  words  spoken  only  on  one  definite  occasion,  an 
interpretation  altogether  inadmissible. 

49.  Gave  7ne]  And  it  still  continues  in  my  care  (the  Greek  perfect).  See  Aorist 
vii.  3,  4- 

50.  See  the  Commentators,  especially  Westcott. 
1-20.  Cp.  Luke  xxii.  24-30. 

T.  To  the  end]  So  in  Matt.  x.  22  and  elsewhere  ;  or  perhaps  'wholly,'  '  intensely,' 
'  perfectly,'  as  in  2  Mace.  viii.  29. 

6.  When  He  came]  There  is  no  indication  of  the  order  in  which  our  Lord  took  the 
disciples. 


246  JOHN   XIII. 

my  hands  and  my  head."     Jesus  answered  him,  "Any  one  who     lo 
has  lately  bathed  does  not  need  to  wash  more  than  his  feet, 
but  is  clean  all  over  ;  and  you  my  disciples  are  clean,  and  yet 
this  is  not  true  of  all  of  you."     For  He  knew  who  was  betraying     ii 
Him,  and  that  was  why  He  said,  "  All  of  you  are  not  clean," 

So  after  He  had  washed  their  feet,  put  on  His  garments  again,     I2 
and  returned  to  the  table.  He  said  to  them,  "Do  you  understand 
what  I  have  done  to  you  ?     You  call  me  '  The  Rabbi'  and  '  The     13 
Master,'  and  rightly  so,  for  such   I  am.      If  I  then,  your  Master     14 
and  Rabbi,  have  washed  your  feet,  it  is  also  your  duty  to  wash  one 
another's  feet.     For  I  have  set  you  an  example  in  order  that     15 
you  may  do  what  I  have  done  to  you.     In  most  solemn  truth   I      16 
tell  you  that  a  servant  is  not  superior  to  his  master,  nor  is  a 
messenger  superior  to    him    who    sent   him.     If  you  know  all     17 
this,  blessed  are  you  if  you  act  accordingly.     I  am  not  speak-     18 
ing  of  all  of  you.     I  know  whom  I  have  chosen,  but  things  are  as 
they  are  in  order  that  the  Scripture  may  be  fulfilled,  which  says, 
'He  who  eats  my  bread  has  lifted  up  his  heel  against 
me'  (Ps.  xli.  9).     From  this  time  forward  I  tell  you  things  before     19 
they  happen,  in  order  that  when   they   do   happen  you    may 
believe  that  I  am  He.     In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  he     20 
who  receives    whoever    I    send  receives  me,  and  that  he  who 
receives  me  receives  Him  who  sent  me." 

After  speaking  thus  Jesus  was  troubled  in  spirit     21 
Tndicafed"*    ^^*^  ^^^^  whh  deep  earnestness,  "  In  most  solemn 
truth  I  tell  you  that  one  of  you  will  betray  me." 
The  disciples  began  looking  at  one  another,  at  a  loss  to  know  to     22 
which  of  them  He  was  referring.     There  was  at  table  one  of    23 
His   disciples — the  one   Jesus    loved — reclining  with  his  head 
on  Jesus's  bosom.     Making  a  sign   therefore    to   him,    Simon     24 
Peter  said,  "Tell  us  to  whom  He  is  referring."     So  he,  having     25 
his  head  on  Jesus's  bosom,  leaned  back  and   asked,  "  Master, 
who  is  it  ?"     Jesus  answered,  "  It  is  the  one  for  whom  I  will  dip     26 
this  piece  of  bread  and  to  whom  I  shall  give  it."     Accordingly 

10.   More  than  his  feet]  v.L.  omits  these  words. 

13,   14.   Rnl>l'i]U.(.'  Teacher.'     Master]  Or  '  ^.ord.' 

18.  My  bread]v.i..  'bread  witli  me.' 

19.  /  avi  He]  See  viii.  24,  n. 

21-35.   Cp.  Matt.  xxvn.  21-25  ;  Mark  xiv.  18-21  :  Luke  xxii.  21-23. 

23.  Loved]  I'he  same  word  as  in  xxi.  7.  Cp.  xii.  5,  n.  Reclining  ^^c]  In  our  Lord's 
time  Roman  customs  were  to  a  great  extent  adopted  among  the  Jews.  At  meals  the 
Romans  recHned  on  broad  sloping  couches  which  were  placed  on  three  sides  of  a 
square.  On  each  couch  three,  four,  or  even  live  guests  lay  at  full  length  obliquely, 
each  on  his  left  side,  resting  his  elbow  on  a  cushion. 

26.   Dip]  I.E.  in  the  gravy. 


JOHN   XIII.-XIV.  247 

He  dipped  the  piece  of  bread,  and  took  it  and  gave  it  to  Judas 
the  son  of  the  Iscariot  Simon.     Then  after  Judas  had  received     27 
the  piece  of  bread,  Satan  entered  into  him.     Jesus  said  to  him, 
"  Lose  no  time  about  it."     But  why  He  said  this  no  one  else  at     28 
the  table  understood.     Some,  however,  supposed  that  because     29 
Judas  had  the  money-box  Jesus  meant,  "  Buy  what  we  require 
for   the   Festival,'"'    or    that   he    should  give    something  to  the 
poor.     So  Judas  took  the  piece  of  bread  and  immediately  went     30 
out.     It  was  now  night. 

ThenewLaw-      ^^  v/hen  he  was  gone  out,  Jesus  said,  "  Now  is     31 
the  Law  of     the  Son  of  Man  glorified,  gnd  God  is  glorified  in 

him.      Moreover  God  will  glorify  him  in  Himself,     32 
and  will  glorify  him  without  delay.     Dear  children,  I  am   still     33 
with  you  a  little  longer.     You  will  seek  me,  but,  as  I  said  to  the 
Jews,  'Where  I  am  going  you  cannot  come,'  so  for  the  present  I 
say  to  you.     A  new  commandment   I  give  you,  to   love   one     34 
another  ;   that  as  I   have  loved  you,  you  also  may  love   one 
another.    It  is  by  this  that  every  one  will  know  that  you  are  my     35 
disciples— if  you  cherish  mutual  love." 

"  Master,"  inquired    Simon   Peter,  "  where   are     36 
^loretoid"'^'  you  going  ? "     "  Where  I  am  going,"  replied  Jesus, 

"you  cannot  be  my  follower  now,  but   you  shall 
be  later."     Peter  asked  again,  "  Master,  why  cannot  I    follow     37 
you  now  ?     I  will  lay  down  my  life  on  your  behalf."     "You  say     38 
you  will  lay  down  your  life  on  my   behalf !  "  said  Jesus  ;  "  in 
most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  the  cock  will  not  crow  before 
you  have  three  times  disowned  me." 

Christ's Depar-      "  ^^'  "*^^  ^^^^  hearts  be   troubled.      Trust  in     i   lA 
ture  and  Re-    God  I    trust  in  me  also.     In  my   Father's  house     2 

there  are  many  resting-places  :  were  it  otherwise, 
I  would  have  told  you  ;  for  I  am  going  to  make  ready  a  place 

27.  About  it]  Lit.(  in)  '  what  you  are  doing.' 

29.  H(nvever\  See  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  12. 

31.  Is  gloriJiedlOT,  2Ls\\s.de  more  literallj',  '  has  been  glorified.'  '  Was  glorified ' 
seriously  misrepresents,  in  respect  of  time,  the  true  meaning  of  the  verb.  See 
Aorist xu  3. 

33.  Dear]  Cp.  xxi.  17. 

34.  To  love]  Or  '  in  order  that  you  may  love.'  Some  regard  the  institution  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  as  the  '  commandment '  referred  to  by  our  Lord.  In  the  order  of 
events  that  institution,  though  not  mentioned  by  John,  precedes  verse  21,  See  Luke 
xxii.  19-23. 

36-38.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  31-35  ;  Mark  xiv.  27-31  ;  Luke  xxii.  31-38. 

37,  38.  Life]  Or  '  soul.' 

38.  The  cock  will  not  crow]  "  It  was  now  night "  (verse  30). 

1.  Trust  (twice)]  Or  '  you  trust.'  The  second  half  of  the  verse  may  be  punctuated, 
'  Trust :  in  God  and  in  me,  trust.' 

2.  To  jnake  ready]  Later  on  in  the  apostolic  age  the  heavenly  home  is  declared  to 
be  now  ready  (Heb.  xi.  16).     Cp.  Rev.  xiv.  13. 


248  JOHN    XIV. 

for  yon.     And  if  I  go  and  make  ready  a  place  for  you,    I    will     3 
return  and  take  you  to  be  with  me,  that  where  I  am   you  also 
may   be.     And   where    I    am    going — you  all   know  the    way."     4 
"  Master,"  said  Thomas,    "  we  do   not   know   where    you   are     5 
going:  in  what  sense  do  we  know  the  way?"     "I  am  the  Way,"     6 
replied  Jesus,  "  and  the  Truth  and  the  Life  :  no  one  comes  to 
the  Father  except  through  me.     If  you — all  of  you — knew  me,     7  . 
you  would  fully  know  my  Father  also :  from  this  time  forward 
you  know  Him  and  have  seen  Him." 

"  Master,"    said  Philip,    "  cause   us   to  see   the     8 
"th^Fath^!**"  Father  :    that  is  all  we  need."      Jesus  answered     9 

him,  "  Have  I  been  so  long  among  you,  and  yet 
you,  Philip,  do  not  know  me  ?  He  who  has  seen  me  has  seen 
the  Father.    How  can  you  ask  me,  'Cause  us  to  see  the  Father'? 
Do  you  not  believe  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  that  the  Father     10 
is  in  me  ?     The  things  that  I  tell  you  all  I  do  not  speak  on  my 
own  authority  ;  but  the  Father  dwelling  within  me  carries  on 
His  own  work.     Believe  me,  all  of  you,  that  I  am  in  the  Father     11 
and  that    the   Father   is  in    me  ;    or  at  any  rate,  believe  me 
because  of  what  I  do.     In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  he     12 
who  trusts  in  me — the  things   which   I   do  he  shall  do  also  ; 
and  greater  things  than  these  he  shall   do,  because   I  am  going 
to  the  Father.     And   whatever  any   of  you  ask  in  my  name,  I     13 
will   do,   in   order    that    the    Father    may   be   glorified  in  the 
Son.    If  you  make  any  request  of  me  in  my  name,  I  will  do  it.         14 
Th   H  1  s  ■  it      "If  you  love  me,  you  will  obey  my  command-     15 
promised  to    ments.     And  I  will  ask  the  Father,  and  He  will     16 
the  o  e  len  .    ^j^^  ^^^  another  Advocate  to  be  for  ever  with  you 

3.  1/ 1  ffo  &'c.]  Or  less  exactly,  'when  I  have  gone  and  made  ready.'  The  'if 
does  not  indicate  any  uncertainty.  Cp.  xii.  32  ;  i  John  iii.  2  ;  and  the  '  si '  in 
Vergil,  Aeneid  vi.  828.  Take  yon  to  he  with  me\  Lit.  '  receive  you  to  myself.'  Some 
think  the  original  significance  of  these  words  was  an  intimation  that  the  ministry  of 
the  apostles  as  a  whole  would  be  cut  short  by  their  Master's  personal  return  from 
Heaven.  Cp.  xxi.  22;  Matt.  x.  23  ;  xvi.  28  ;  xxiv.  34.  Others  find  the  fulfilment  of 
the  promise  in  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  to  every  individual  Christian  in  the  hour  of 
death.. 

5.  In  what  sense]  Cp.  xii.  34. 

ID.  Believe]  '  What  I  have  already  told  you,  and  not  you  alone.'  See  x.  38. 
Dwelling]  v.i..  'who  dwells.'  IFor//]  Lit.  'works,' but  plainly  not  in  the  sense  in 
which  we  commonly  speak  of  '  the  works  of  God.' 

II.  Believe  7>ie  because]  v.l.  omits  '  me.' 

13,  14.  In  my  name]  Or  '  on  X.\\Q  groxxnA  that  you  are  mine.'  See  the  Commen- 
tators here,  especially  Westcott. 

14.  Of  me]  v.l..  om'us. 

16.  Advocate]  According  to  etymology,  '  one  called  to  one's  side  to  lielp."  Cp. 
Acts  iv.  36,  n.  "The  sense  of  advocate,  counsel,  one  who  pleads,  convinces,  con- 
victs, in  a  great  controversy,  who  strengthens  on  the  one  hand  and  defends  on  the 
other,  meeting  formidable  attacks,  is  alone  adequate"  (Westcutt).  If  tlie  leading 
thought  here  \yere  that  of  'comfort,'  the  form  of  the  word  would  convey  the  modified 
sense,  not  of  '  comforter,'  but  of  '  comforted,' 


JOHN  XIV.  249 

— the   Spirit  of  truth.     That   Spirit  the  world   cannot  receive,     17 
because  it  does  not  see  Him  or  know   Him  :  you  know  Him, 
because  He  remains  by  your  side  and  is  in  you.     I    will   not     18 
leave  you  bereaved  :  I  am  coming  to  you.     Yet  a  little  while     19 
and  the  world  will  see  me  no  more,  but  you  will  see  me  :  because 
I  live,  you  also  shall  live.     At  that  time  you  will  know  that  I     20 
am  in  my  Father  and  that  you  are  in  me  and  that  I  am  in  you. 
He  who  has  my  commandments  and  obeys  them — he  it  is  who     21 
loves  me  ;  and  he  who  loves  me  will  be  loved  by  my  Father, 
and  I  will  love  him  and  will  clearly  reveal  myself  to  him." 

Judas  (not  the  Iscariot)  asked  :  "  Master,  how  is     22 
Love  find^God.  ^^  ^^^^  y°^  ^^^^^  reveal  yourself  clearly  to  us  and 

not  to  the  world  ?  "  "  If  any  one  loves  me,"  replied     23 
Jesus,  "  he  will   obey  my  teaching  ;  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  to  him  and  make  our  home  with  him.    He     24 
who  has  no  love  for  me  does  not  obey  my  teaching  ;  and  yet 
the  teaching  to  which  you  are  listening  is  not  mine,  but  is  the 
teaching  of  the  Father  who  sent  me. 
_,    ,.  ,  o  •  -x      "All  this  I  have  spoken  to  you  while  still  with     25 

The  Holy  Spirit  f  }  J 

is  the  great    you.     But   the  Advocate,    the  Holy  Spirit  whom     26 
Teacher.       ^j^^  Father  will  send  at  my  request,  will  teach  you 
everything,  and  will  bring  to  your  memories  all  that  I  have  said 
to  you.     Peace  I  leave  with  you  :  my  own  peace  I  give  to  you.     27 
It  is  not  as  the  world  gives  its  greetings  that  I  give  you  peace. 
Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled  nor  be  timid. 

•  t"   De-        "  ^°^  heard   me  say  to  you,  '  I  am  going  away,     28 
parture  to  the  and  yet  I  am  coming  to  you.'     If  you  loved  me, 
^    ^''"       you  would  have  rejoiced  because  I  am  going  to  the 
Father  ;  for  the  Father  is  greater  than  I  am.     I  have  now  told     29 
you  before  it  comes  to  pass,  that  when  it  has  come  to  pass  you 
may  believe.      In  future  I  shall  not  talk  much  with  you,  for  the     30 
Prince  of  this  \forld  is  coming.    And  yet  in  me  he  has  nothing  ; 
but  it  is  in  order  that  the  world  may  know  that   I  love  the     31 

iS.  Bereaved]  Or  '  orphans.' 
19.    JVill see]  Lit.  'sees.' 

22.  Hoiu  is  it]  Lit.  '  What  has  happened.' 

23.  Tettching]  Lit.  '  word.'  With  him]  Or  '  by  his  side,'  as  in  verse  17.  See  also 
verse  25.  (Stapfer's  rendering  c/i^s /mz  is  certainly  permissible,  and  perhaps  gives 
the  exact  sense.)     Cp.  Acts  x.xi.  8,  16,  where  the  same  preposition  is  similarly  used. 

26.  At  my  request]\J\i.  'in  my  name.'  See  Westcott's  note.  All  that  I  have 
said  to  you]  The  'have  '  is  indispensable  here,  the  aorist  tense  being,  as  its  name 
implies,  indefinite,  while  '  I  said  '  is  definite.'  See  this  argued  at  lengtli  in  Aorist  v. 
Both  Segond  and  Stapfer  rightly  use  the  past  indefinite — "  tout  ce  que  je  vous  ai 
dit." 

28.  Greater  than  T  am]  Cp.  Phil.  ii.  7. 

30.   Prince]  Or  '  Ruler.'     Of  this  world]  Lit  '  of  the  world.' 


253  JOHN   XIV.-XV, 

Father,    and   that   it   is  in  obedience    to  the  cominand   which 
the  Father  gave  me  that  I  thus  act.     Rise,  let  us  be  going." 
The  True  Vine      "  ^  ^^^  *^^  Vine— the  True  Vine,  and  my  Father     i  ' 
and  its        is  the  vine-dresser.     Every   branch    in  me — if  it     2 
bears  no  fruit,  He  takes  away  ;  and  every  branch 
that  bears  fruit  He  prunes,  that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.     Ah-eady     3 
you  are  cleansed — through  the  teaching  which  I  have  given  you. 
Continue  in  me,  and  let  me  continue  in  you.     Just  as  the  branch     4 
cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself— that  is,  if  it  does  not  continue  in  the 
vine — so  neither  can  you  if  you  do  not  continue  in  me.     I  am     5 
the  Vine,  you  are  the  branches  :  he  who  continues  in  me  and 
in  whom  I  continue  bears  abundant  fruit,  for  apart  from  me  you 
ca'n  do  nothing.     If  any  one  does  not  continue  in  me,  he  is  like     6 
the  unfruitful  branch  which  is  at  once  thrown  away  and  then 
withers  up  :  such  branches  they  gather  up  and  throw  into  the 
fire  and  they  are  burned. 

"  If  you  continue  in  me  and  my  sayings  con-     7 

A  close  Union      .  .  i         1     ,  -n  j    -^       1     n    i_ 

with  Christ     tinue  m  you,  ask  what  you  will  and  it   shall  be 

through       ^Q^Q    foj.    you       By    ti^is    is    God    glorified -by     8 
Obedience.  ■'  ■'  s>  j 

your  bearing  abundant  fruit  and  thus  being  true 

disciples  of  mine.     As  the  Father  has  loved  me,  I  have  also     9 
loved  you:  continue  in  my  love.     If  you  obey  my  command-     10 
ments,  you  will  continue  in  my  love,  as  I  have  obeyed  my  Father's 
commandments  and  continue  in  His  love. 

"These  things  I  have  spoken  to  you  in  order     11 
will  resuitl^    ^^""^^  ^  ^""^Y  ^^^e  jov  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may 

become  perfect.  This  is  my  commandment  to  12 
you,  to  love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you.  No  one  has  13 
greater  love  than  this— a  man  laying  down  his  life  for  his 
friends.  You  are  my  friends,  if  you  do  what  I  command  14 
you.  No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants,  because  a  servant  does  15 
not  know  what  his  master  is  doing  ;  but  I  have  called  you 
friends,  because  all  that  I  have  heard  from  the  Father  I  have 

3.   Teachi)ig  .  .  given]  Lit.  'word  .  .  spoken.' 

6.  Which  is  thrown  aioay]  Lit.  'he  has  been  thrown  away.'  Should  the  con- 
nexion be  severed,  the  result  is  immediately  apparent— he  has  been  flung  aside  for 
the  burning.     Similarly  the  aorist  can  be  accounted  for  in  verse  8. 

7.  Sayings]  Of  warning,  rebuke,  encouragement,  instruction,  promise. 

8.  Is  glo7i_fied]  Lit.  'has  been  glorified.'  No  sooner  will  you  have  shown  your- 
selves fruitful  branches — my  true  disciples — than  at  once  glory  has  accrued  to  God. 
Cp.  verse  6. 

9.  Has  loved]  The  simple  'loved'  would  refer  to  some  definite  past  time,  or  would 
represent  the  Greek  imperfect  lather  than  the  aorist.     I  have  also  &=c.]  Or  '  and  I   . 
you,  continue  &c.' 

II.  /  have  spoken]  And  let  them  be  treasured  in  your  hearts— the  Greek  perfect. 
See  verse  10,  n. 

15.  Servants  .  .  servant]  Lit.  'bondservants  .  .   bondservant. 


JOHN   XV.-XVI.  251 

made  known  to  you.     It  is  not  you  who  chose  me,  but  it  is  I     16 
who  chose  you  and  appointed  you  that  you  might  go  and  be 
fruitful  and  that  your  fruit  might  remain  ;  so   that  whatever 
petition  you  present  to  the  Father  in  my  name  He  may  give 
you. 
The  World  "Thus  I  command  you  to  love  one  another.     If  17,  18 

will  hate  and    the  world  hates  you,  remember  that  it  has  first  had 

persecu  e,      ^^   ^^    ^^^^   fixed   object   of  its    hatred.      If  you     19 
belonged  to  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own  property  ; 
but  because  you  do  not  belong  to  the  world,  and  I  have  chosen 
you  out  of  the  world — for  that  reason  the   world   hates  you. 
Bear  in  mind  what  I  said  to  you,  '  A  servant  is  not  superior  to     20 
his  master.'     If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will  also  perse- 
cute you  :    if  they  have  obeyed  my  teaching,  they  will  obey 
yours  also.     But  they  will  inflict  all  this  suffering  upon  you  on     21 
account  of  your  bearing  my  name — because  they  do  not  know 
Him  who  sent  me. 
The  Guilt  of        "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to  them,  they     22 

sinning        would  have  had  no  sin  ;  but  as  the  case  stands 
agains     ig    .  ^^^^  ^^^  without  excuse  for  their  sin.     He  who     23 
hates  me  hates   my   Father  also.     If  I  had  not  done  among     24 
them,  as   I  have,  such  miracles  as  no  one  else  ever  did,  they 
would  have  had  no  sin  ;  but  they  have  in  fact  seen  and  also 
hated  both  me  and  my  Father.     But  this  has  been  so,  in  order     25 
that  the  saying  may  be  fulfilled  which  stands  written  in  their 
Law,  'They  have  hated  me  without  any  reason'  (Ps. 
XXXV.  19  ;  Ixix.  4). 

Inward  Light       "  ^^^^^  ^he  Advocate  is  come  whom  I  will  send     26 
and  external    to  you  from  the  Father's  presence — the  Spirit  of 
es  imony.     'pj-^j^j^  y^-j^Q  coHies  forth  from  the  Father's  presence 
— He  will  be  a  witness  concerning  me  ;  and  you  also  are  wit-     27 
nesses,  because  you  have  been  with  me  from  the  first. 

"  These  things  I  have  spoken  to  you  in  order  to     i   1  fi 
c'at?o?)'and''    clear   stumbling-blocks    out    of  your   path.      You     2 
'^foretold"^     will  be  excluded  from  the  synagogues  ;  nay  more, 
the    time    is    coming     when    any    one    who    has 
murdered  one  of  you  will  suppose  he  is  offering  service  to  God. 
And   they   will   do   these  things   because  they    have   failed   to     3 
recognize  the  Father  and  to  discover  who  I  am.     But  I  have     4 

24    As  I  have]  Implied  in  the  definite  article,  which  is  used    here  in  the  Greek, 
Have  .   .  seen\  See  Aorist  vii.  6.     Have  .   .  hatcd\  Cp.  verse  i3,  n. 
3.   The  Father]  i.e.  '  in  Ale.'     Cp.  verse  25  ;  2  Cur.  v.  19. 


252  JOHN   XVI. 

spoken  these  things  to  you  in  order  that  when  the  time  for  their 
accompHshment  comes  you  may  remember  them,  and  may 
recollect  that  I  told  you.  I  did  not,  however,  tell  you  all  this 
at  first,  because  I  was  still  with  you.  But  now  I  am  returning  5 
to  Him  who  sent  me  ;  and  not  one  of  you  asks  me  where  I  am 
going,  but  grief  has  filled  your  hearts  because  I  have  said  all  6 
this  to  you. 

"  Yet  it  is  the  truth  that  I  am  telling  you — it  is     7 
to  come  when  to  your  advantage  that  I  go  away.     For  unless  I 
Jesus  went     go  away,  the  Advocate  will  not  come  to  you  ;  but 

if  I  go,  I  will  send  Him  to  you.     And   He,  when     8 
He  comes,  will  convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgement  ;  of  sin,  because  they  do  not  believe  in     9 
me  ;  of  righteousness,  because  I  am  going  to  the   Father,  and     10 
you  will  no  longer  see  me  ;  of  judgement,  because  the   Prince     11 
of  this  world  is  under  sentence. 

"  I  have  much  more  to  say  to  you,  but  you  are  12 
our"capacity  enable  at  present  to  bear  the  burden  of  it.  But  13 
for  receiving   ^^^n  He  is  come— the  Spirit  of  Truth— He  will 

guide  you  into  all  the  truth  ;  for  He  will  not  speak 
as  Himself  originating  what  He  says,  but  all  that  He  hears  He 
will  speak,  and  He  will  make  known  the  future  to  you.  He  will  14 
glorify  me,  because  He  will  take  of  what  is  mine  and  will  make 
it  known  to  you.  Everything  that  the  Father  has  is  mine  ;  that  15 
is  why  I  said  that  the  Spirit  of  Truth  takes  of  what  is  mine  and 
will  make  it  known  to  you. 

"A  little  while  and  you  see  me  no  more,  and  16 
Eternal  Joy  ^  ' 

would  follow  again  a  little  while  and  you  shall  see  me."  Some  17 
bnei  orrow.  ^^  j^j^  disciples  therefore  said  to  one  another, 
"What  does  this  mean  which  He  is  telling  us,  '  A  little  while 
and  you  do  not  see  me,  and  again  a  little  while  and  you  shall 
see  me,' and  '  Because  I  am  going  to  the  Father'?"  So  they  18 
asked  one  another  repeatedly,  "  What  can  that  '  little  while ' 
mean  which  He  speaks  of.''  We  do  not  understand  His  words." 
Jesus  perceived  that  they  wanted  to  ask  Him,  and  He  said,     19 

5.  Asks  J7ie\  The  '  me '  is  not  emphatic  as  though  Jesus  were  upbraiding  them 
with  seliish  thoughtlessness  about  Him^^elf.  The  sense  seems  rather  to  be,  '  as  by 
this  time  you  fully  understand.'     Cp.  xiv.  28. 

7.  I  am  telling]  The  '  I '  is  expressed  in  the  Greek,  but  is  not  emphatic.  There 
is  no  antithesis  imphed  between  our  Lord  and  some  other  person.      Cp.  xiv.  28,  n. 

8.  Convict]  Or  '  bring  demonstration  to.' 
TO.    Youivill  .   .  see]  Lit.  'you  see.' 

13.  All  that  He  hears  &*r.J  Cp.  viii.  26,  28.  The  future]  Lit.  'the  things  that 
are  cominjr. ' 

17.   Because]  Or  'that,'  a  word  which  may  be  omitted  here  in  translating. 


JOHN   XVI.  253 

"  Is  this  what  you  are  questioning  one  another  about — my  say- 
ing, '  A  little  while  and  you  do  not  see  me,  and  again  a  little 
while  and  you  shall  see  me'?    In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you     20 
that  you  will  weep  aloud  and  lament,  but  the  world  will  be  glad  : 
you  will  mourn,  yet  your  mourning  will  turn  into  gladness.     A     21 
woman,  when  she  is  in  labour  has  sorrow,  because  her  time  has 
come  ;  but  when  she  has  given  birth  to  the  babe,  she  no  longer 
remembers  the  pain,  because  of  her  joy  at  a  child  being  born 
into  the  world.     So  you  also  now  have  sorrow  ;  but  I  shall  see     22 
you  again,  and  your  hearts  will  be  glad,  and  your  gladness  no 
one  will  take  away  from  you.     You  will  put  no  questions  to  me     23 
then. 

"  In  most  solemn  truth  I  tell  you  that  whatever 
tages^""     you  ask  the  Father  for  in  my  name  He  will  give 
Ch'^'^t'^^N'"      y^'^'     ^s  yet  you  have  not  asked  for  anything  in     24 

my  name  :  ask,  and  you  shall  receive,  that  your 
hearts  may  be  filled  with  gladness. 

"All  this  I  have  spoken  to  you  in  veiled  Ian-     25 
"he  wouiT^    guage  :  the  time  is  coming  when  I  shall  no  longer 
speak  more     speak  to  you  in  veiled  language,  but  will  tell  you 

about  the  Father  in  plain  words.    At  that  time  you     26 
will  make  your  requests  in  my  name  ;  and  I  do  not  promise  to 
ask  the  Father  on  your  behalf,  for  the  Father  Himself  holds  you     27 
dear,  because  you  have  held  me  dear  and  have  believed  that  I 
came  from  the  Father's  presence.     I  came  from  the  Father  and     28 
have  come  into  the  world  :  again  I  am  leaving  the  world  and 
am  going  to  the  Father." 

"Ah,  now  you  are  using  plain  language,"  said  His  disciples,     29 
"  and  are  uttering  no  figure  of  speech  !    Now  we  know  that  you     30 
have  all  knowledge,  and  do  not  need  to  be  pressed  with  ques- 
tions.   Through  this  we  believe  that  you  came  from  God."    "Do     31 
you  at  last  believe  ?"    replied  Jesus  ;  "remember  that  the  time     32 

21.  Child]  Lit.  'human  being.' 

22.  I  shall  see  you  again]  "  At  my  Resurrection — by  my  Spirit — at  my  second 
Advent "  (Alford). 

23.  l^en]  Lit.  '  in  that  day  ' — a  Hebrew  rather  than  an  English  idiom. 

24.  An  indication  that  Christians  are  not  to  limit  themselves  to  the  use  of  '  the 
Lord's  Prayer  '  (Matt.  vi.  9  ;  Luke  xi.  2).  Fulness  of  blessing,  and  especially  the 
Father's  promised  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  come  to  us  only  as  the  result  of  our 
having  '  linked  with  each  petition  the  great  Redeemer's  Name.' 

25.  li'ill  tell  you]  Lit.  '  will  bring  word  to  you.' 

26.  A  t  that  time]  Cp.  verse  23,  n. 

27.  Have  held  .  .  liave  believed]  Greek  perfects,  implying  '  and  you  are  still  of 
the  same  mind.'     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

28.  From  the  Father]  Lit.  '  out  of  the  Father  ;  '  the  preposition  is  different  from 
that  used  in  the  last  clause  of  verse  27,  and  also  from  the  one  in  the  last  clause  of 
verse  30. 


254  JOHN    XVI.-XVII. 

is  coming,  nay,  is  already  come,  for  you  all  to  be  dispersed  each 
to  his  own  home  and  to  leave  me  alone  ;  and  yet  I  am  not 
alone,  for  the  Father  is  with  me. 

"  I  have  spoken  all  this  to  you  in  order  that  in     33 

Concluding  ,  t      ^i  u  u 

Words  of      nie  you  may  have  peace.     In  the  world  you  have 
^"ment^^"     affliction  ;  but  keep  up  your  courage  :  /have  won 
the  victory  over  the  world." 

When   Jesus  had  thus  spoken,  He  raised  His     i 
for'^mmseif^    ^y^^  towards  heaven  and  said,  "  Father,  the  hour 
is    come  :    glorify   Thy    Son    that   the    Son    may 
glorify  Thee  ;  even  as  Thou  hast  given  Him  authority  over  all     2 
mankind,   so  that  on  all  whom  Thou  hast  given  Him  He  may 
bestow  the  Life  of  the  ages.     And  in  this  consists  the  Life  of    3 
the  ages — in  knowing  Thee  the  only  true  God  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  Thou  hast  sent.     I  have  glorified  Thee  on  earth,  having     4 
done  perfectly  the  work  which  by  Thine  appointment  has  been 
mine  to  do.     And  now,  Father,  do  Thou  glorify  me  in  Thine     5 
own  presence,  with  the  glory  that  I  had  in  Thy  presence  before 
the  world  existed. 
Christ  prays        "  ''■   ^^^"^^  revealed  Thy  perfections  to  the  men     6 
for  His        whom  Thou  gavest  me  out  of  the  world.     Thine 
pos  es.       ^i^^y.  ^ygj-g^  ^^^  Thou  gavest  them  to  me,  and  they 

have  obeyed  Thy  message.    Now  they  know  that  whatever  Thou     7 
hast  given  me  is  from  Thee.     For  the  truths  which  Thou  didst     8 
teach  me  I  have  taught  them  ;  and  they  have  received  them, 
and  have  known  for  certain  that  I  came  out  from  Thy  presence, 
and  have  believed  that  Thou  didst  send  me. 

"  I  am  making  request  for  them  :  for  the  world  I  do  not  make     9 
any  request,  but  for  those  whom  Thou  hast  given  me  ;  because 
they  are  Thine,  and  everything  that  is  mine  is   Thine,   and     10 


3.  Kumuing]  Or,  as  the  tense  implies,  '  an  ever-enlarging  knowledge  of. ' 

4.  By  Thine  af'pointment  has  been  miite\  Lit.  '  Thou  hast  given  me.'  J'he  perfect 
tense  is  used  in  the  Greek,  implying  '  and  it  remains  in  my  hands.'     Cp.  xv.  lo. 

6.  Perfections]  Or  *  name '  (of  Father).  But  cp.  E.xod.  xxxiv.  5-7;  Isa.  ix.  6; 
Jer.  xxiii.  6.  They  have  obeyed]Gre.tk  Y>&riGCi.  Cp.  xv.  10,  n.  Perhaps  proleptically 
spoken  ;  cp.  verse  la 

7.  From  Thee]  Or  (sent)  '  from  Thy  presence.' 

8.  Teach  .  .  taught]  Lit.  'give  .  .  given.'     Cp.  ]Mark  xiii.  11. 

9.  /  am  making  request]  John  nowhere,  either  in  the  Gospel  or  in  his  Epistles, 
uses  the  ordinary  word  for  '  pray '  or  'prayer,'  but  this  may  be  a  mere  matter  of 
style.  For]  The  same  preposition  in  the  Greek  is  employed  in  Luke  xxii.  32  ;  Acts 
viii.  15  ;  Col.  i.  3  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  i  ;  and  elsewhere.  Some,  however,  prefer  to  render 
'concerning.'  /  do  not  make]  i.e.  'I  do  not  now  make.'  In  Greek  the  present 
tense  is  more  emphatically  present  than  in  English.     Cp.  vii.  8,  n. 

10.  A)n  croivned  zvith  giory]  Such  is  the  force  of  the  tense  (the  Greek  perfect), 
used  proleptically  ;  i.e.  our  Lord  spoke  as  though  the  act  of  crowning  was  already 
conip.c.c.     Cp.  verso  .'2. 


JOHN   XVII.  255 

everything  that  is  Thine  is  mine  ;  and  I  am  crowned  with  glory 

in  them.     I  am  now  no  longer  in  the  world,  but  they  are  in  the     1 1 

world  and  I  am  coming  to  Thee. 

"  Holy  Father,  keep  them  true  to  Thy  name— the  name  which 
TIiou  hast  given  me  to  bear— that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we 
are.  While  I  was  with  them,  I  kept  them  true  to  Thy  name —  12 
the  name  Thou  hast  given  me  to  bear— and  I  kept  watch  over 
them,  and  not  one  of  them  has  perished  except  the  one  doomed 
to  destruction,  that  the  Scripture  may  be  fulfilled. 

"  But  now  I  am  coming  to  Thee,  and  I   speak  these  words     13 
while  I  am  in  the  world,  in  order  that  they  may  have  my  glad- 
ness within  them  filling  their  hearts.     I  have  given  them  Thy     14 
Message,  and  the  world  has  hated  them,  because  they  do  not 
belong  to  the  world,  just  as  I  do  not  belong  to  the  world.     I  do     15 
not  ask  that   Thou  wilt  remove    them    out  of  the   world,   but 
that  Thou    wilt    protect   them    from  the    Evil   one.     They    do     16 
not  belong  to  the   world,  just  as  I  do  not  belong  to  the  world. 
Make  them  holy  in  the  truth  :  Thy  Message  is  truth.     Just  as  17,  ic 
Thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  I  also  have  sent  them  ;  and 
on  their  behalf  I  consecrate   myself,   in   order  that  they  may     19 
become  perfectly  consecrated  in  truth. 
Christ    ra  "  ^'^^  ^^  ^^  ^^^  them  alone  that  I  make  request  :     20 

for  His  future  it  is  also  for  those  who  trust  in  me  through    their 

o  owers.     tgad^ing  .  ^^at  they  may  all  be  one,  even  as  Thou     21 
art  in  me,  O  Father,  and  I  am  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be 
in  us  ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  didst   send  me. 
And  the  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  me  I  have  given  them,     22 
that  they  may  be  one,  just  as  we  are  one  :  I  in  them  and  Thou     23 

II.  True  to]  Lit.  'in'  (Thy  name),  as  men  representing  Thee.  Cp.  v.  43.  What 
the  Father  gave  to  the  Son,  tlie  Son  in  turn  has  given  to  His  disciples — the  teaching 
(verse  8),  the  glory  (verse  22),  and  here  the  unspeakable  dignity  and  honour  of  being 
the  representatives  of  God  among  men,  and  of  bearing  His  name.  Cp.  '  a  man  of 
God  '  (2  Kings  i.  9  ;  i  Tim.  vi.  11),  'a  man  in  Christ '  (2  Cor.  xiL  2). 

11,  12.    To  bear]  Or  'to  make  known.' 

12.  Doomed  to]  Lit.  '  a  son  of.'  Cp.  the  Hebrew  idioms  '  a  son  of  stripes,'  Deut. 
XXV.  2,  'a  son  of  death,'  x  Sam.  xx.  31  ;  and  for  the  genitive  cp.  'the  people  of  my 
wrath,'  Isa.  x.  6. 

14,17.  Jl/essage]  Lit.  'word;'  God's  whole  revelation— instruction,  correction, 
warning,  encouragement,  promises — as  often  in  the  O.  T. 

15.  From  the  Evil  one]  I.E.  'from  its  ruler.'  Cp.  xiv.  30.  Or  '  from  the  evil' 
(which  is  in  the  world). 

17.  In  the  truth]  Let  them  live  and  move  and  have  their  being  in  the  truth,  and 
so  grow  holy  under  its  influence.     Or  '  by  the  truth.' 

18.  Have  sent]  Proleptic.     Cp.  verse  10  and  xx.  21. 

19.  Consecrate  myself]  Or  '  make  myself  a  holy  '  (sacrifice). 

20.  Those  who  trust]  i.e.  all  believers,  future  as  well  as  present. 

21.  May  believe]  Tiie  tense  indicates  as  the 'exact  sense,  '  in  order  that  it  may  be 
the  prevailing  and  standing  belief  of  the  world  that  &c.' 

22.  I  have  given  them  the  glory]  Proleptic.     Cp.  verse  10;  Rom.  viii.  17,  29. 

23.  /«  one]  Lit.  (perfectly  united)  '  into  one.' 


256  JOHN   XVII.-XVIIL 

in  me,  that  they  may  stand  perfected  in  one,  that  the  world  may 
come  to  understand  that  Thou  didst  send  me  and  hast  loved 
them  with  the  same  love  as  that  with  which  Thou  hast  loved  me. 

"  Father,  those  whom  Thou  hast  given  me — I   desire  that     24 
where  I  am  they  also  may  be  with  me,  that  they  may  see  the 
glory — my  glory — my  gift  from  Thee,  which  Thou  hast  given 
me  because  Thou  didst  love  me  before   the   creation    of  the 
world.     And,  righteous  Father,  though  the  world  has  failed  to     25 
recognize  Thee,  I  have  known  Thee,  and  these  have  perceived 
that  Thou  didst  send  me  ;  and  I  have  made  known  Thy  name     26 
to  them  and  will  make  it  known,  that  the  love  with  which  Thou 
hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  that  I  may  be  in  them." 

After  offering  this  prayer  Jesus   went  out  with     i   ] 
armed  Mer^^  ^^^  disciples   to  a  place  on  the   further  side  of 
the    Ravine    of  the    Cedars,    where    there    was    a 
garden  which  He  entered — Himself  and  His  disciples.     Now     2 
Judas    also,    who    at    that    very    time    was    betraying     Him, 
knew   the    place,   for    Jesus    had    often    resorted    there    with 
His  disciples.     So  Judas,  followed  by  the  battalion  and  by  a     3 
detachment  of  the  Temple  police  sent  by  the   High  Priests  and 
Pharisees,  came  there  with  torches  and  lamps  and  weapons. 
Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  that  was  about  to  befall  Him,  went     4 
out  to  meet  them.     "Who  are  you  looking  for.?"     He  asked 
them.     "For  Jesus  the  Nazarene,"  was  the  answer.    "I  am  he,"     5 
He  replied.    (Now  Judas  who  was  betraying  Him  was  also  stand- 
ing with  them.)     As  soon  then  as  He  said  to  them,  "  I  am  he,"     6 
they   went   backwards   and  fell  to  the  ground.       Again  there-     7 
fore    He   asked    them,    '•'  Who  are  you  looking  for  ? "      "  For 
Jesus  the  Nazarene,"  they  said.     "  I  have  told  you,"  replied     8 
Jesus,  "that  I  am  he  ;  if  therefore  you  are  looking  for  me,  let 
my  disciples  go  their  way."     He  made  this  request  in  order  that     9 

24.  Those  ivJiom\  Lit.  'that  which,' or  (the  gift)  'which,'],  e.  the  Church  in  the 
widest  sense  of  the  word,  as  in  Matt.  xvi.  i8.  May  see^  Certainly  not  as  naere  list- 
less or  uninterested  spectators.  The  word  (one  out  of  six  which  all  signify  '  see  ')  is 
a  favourite  word  with  John  and  Luke,  though  it  is  not  once  used  by  Paul.  Some 
prefer  '  behold.' 

25.  And,  righteous  Father]  Lit.  'Righteous  Father,  and.'  In  Greek  a  vocative 
is  often  placed  before  a  conjunction. 

I.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  30 ;  JMark  xiv.  26  ;  Luke  xxii.  39. 

2-11.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  47-56  ;  Mark  xiv.  43-52  ;  Luke  xxii.    47-53. 

3.  Follozved by]  Lit.  'having  '  '  received'  or  'got.'  Lamps]  Such  as  might  easily 
be  carried  out  of  doors.     Cp.  Matt.  xxv.  i. 

4,  7.    Who]  The  objective  interrogative  '  Whom  ? '  is  now  obsolescent. 

6.  Fell  to  the  grotmd]  A  proof  that  had  He  chosen  to  exert  His  supernatural 
power  He  was  infinitely  stronger  than  they,  and  that  in  reality  He  was  voluntarily 
siirrendering  Himself  to  death.  See  x.  18,  and  cp.  the  angel's  act  in  putting  Jacob's 
thigh  out  01  jouit  (Gcu.  xxxii.  25). 


JOHN   XVIII.  257 

the  words  He  had  spoken  might  be  fulfilled,  "  As  for  those  whom 
Thou  hast  given  me,  I  have  not  lost  one." 

Simon  Peter,  however,  having  a  sword  drew  it,     10 
'^^*Act.'*^^^    ^^^  aiming  at  the  High  Priest's  servant  cut  off  his 

right  ear.    The  servant's  name  was  Malchus.    Jesus     11 
therefore  said  to  Peter,  "  Put  back  your  sword  :  shall  I  refuse  to 
drink  the   cup  of  sorrow   which   the  Father  has  given  me  to 
drink  ? " 

Jesus  arrested      ^°  ^^^   battalion   and   their  tribune    and    the     12 
and  taken  to   Jewish  police  closed  in  and  took  Jesus  and  bound 

Him.     They  then  brought  Him  to  Annas  first  ;  for     13 
Annas  was  the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas  who  was  High  Priest 
that  year.     (It  was  this  Caiaphas  who  had  advised  the  Jews,     14 
saying,  "  It  is  to  your  interest  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
People.") 

Meanwhile  Simon  Peter  was    following   Jesus,     i| 
''hlrM^aft'eT^  ^"^   SO   ^Iso   was   another   disciple.      The   latter 
was  known  to  the  High  Priest,  and  accompanied 
Jesus  into  the  court  of  the  High  Priest's   palace.     But  Peter     16 
remained  standing  outside  the  door,  till  the  disciple  who  was 
acquainted  with  the   High   Priest  came  out  and  induced  the 
porters  to  let  Peter  in.     This  led  the  girl,  the  portress,  to  ask     17 
Peter,  "  Are  you  also  one  of  this  man's  disciples?"    "I  am  not," 
he  replied.      Now  because  it  was  cold  the  servants  and  the     18 
police  had  lighted  a  charcoal  fire,  and  were  standing  and  warm- 
ing themselves  ;  and  Peter  too  remained  with  them  standing 
and  warming  himself. 

So  the  High  Priest  questioned  Jesus  about  His     19 
tiSnf  jIsuI'  disciples  and  His  teaching.     "  As  for  me,"  replied     20 
Jesus,  "  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world  :  I  have 
continually  taught  in  some  synagogue  or  in  the  Temple  where 

10.  Servant]  Or  'slave.' 

12-18,  and  25-27.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  57,  58,  69-75  :  Mark  xiv.  53,  54,  66-72  ;  Luke 
xxii.  54-62. 

12.  Tribune]  This  title  is  found  in  Mark.  vi.  21  (where  see  note),  18  times  in  the 
Acts,  and  twice  in  the  Revelation. 

13.  Annas]  See  Acts  iv.  6. 

18.  Servants]  Or  'slaves.'  Charcoal  fire]  In  the  N.T.  the  word  is  only  found 
here  and  in  xxi.  9. 

19-24.  Cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  59-68  ;  Mark  xiv.  55-65  ;  Luke  xxH.  63-71. 

20.  I  have  spoken]  This  is  the  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek,  and  implies  (see  Aorist 
vii.  3,  4)  that  'tlie  world  '  was  in  possession  of  full  knowledge  as  to  His  teaching. 
Cp.  verse  21.  Openly]  Or,  perhaps,  '  without  reserve.'  Have  taught  .  .  have  said 
nothing]  These  are  not  perfects,  but  aorists  ;  ,it  was  unnecessary  to  keep  the  same 
shade  of  meaning  as  just  before.  Yet  the  English  idiom  demands  the  perfect,  for 
here  our  simple  past  tense  would  represent  the  Greek  imperfect.  With  'always,'  or 
any  equivalent  phrase,  the  Greek  perfect  is  extremely  rare  ;  not  once  is  it  to  be 
found  in  the  N.T.     Cp.  Aorist  viii. 

s 


258  JOHN   XVIII. 

all  the  Jews  are  wont  to  assemble,  and  I  have  said  nothing  in 
secret.     Why  do  you  question  me?     Question  those  who  heard     21 
what  it  was  I  said  to  them  :  these  witnesses  here  know  what   I 
said."     Upon   His  saying  this,  one  of  the  police  standing  by     22 
struck  Him  with  his  open  hand,  asking  Him  as  he  did  so,  "  Is 
that  the  way  you  answer  the  High  Priest?"     "  If  I  have  spoken     23 
wrongly,"  replied  Jesus,  "  bear  witness  to  it  as  wrong  ;  but  if 
rightly,  why  that  blow  ?  " 

So  Annas  sent  Him  bound  to  Caiaphas  the  High  Priest.  24 

Peter  again         ^^^  Simon  Peter  remained  standing  and  warm-     25 
disowns  his     ing  himself,  and  this  led  to  their  asking  him,  "Are 
^^  ^'"'       you  also  one  of  his  disciples?"      He  denied  it, 
and  said,  "  I  am  not."     One  of  the  High  Priest's  servants,  a     26 
relative  of  the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  ofif,  said,  "  Did  I  not 
see  you  in  a  garden  with  him?"     Once  more  Peter  denied,     27 
and  immediately  a  cock  crowed. 

So  they  brought  Jesus  from  Caiaphas's  house  to     28 

Christ  taken       ,        -r,  .  /  ,  , 

before  the     the   Praetorium.     It  was  the  early  mornmg,  and 
''°'"noi?°^*'""  ^^^y  would  not  enter  the  Praetorium  themselves 
for  fear  of  defilement,  and  in  order  that  they  might 
be  able  to  eat  the  Passover.     Accordingly  Pilate  came  out  to     29 
them  and  inquired,  "What  accusation  have  you  to  bring  against 
this  man?"     "If  the  man  were  not  a  criminal,"  they  replied,     30 
"we  would  not  have  handed  him  over  to  you.''    "Take  him  your-     31 
selves,"  said  Pilate,  "and  judge  him  by  your  Law."     "  We  have 
no  power,"  replied  the  Jews,  "  to  put  any  man  to  death  ; "  that     32 
the  words  might  be  fulfilled  in  which  Jesus  predicted  the  kind 
of  death  He  was  to  die. 

Re-entering    the    Praetorium    therefore,    Pilate     33 
'tionl  Him."    called  Jesus  and  asked  Him,  "  Are  you  the  King 

of  the  Jews?"  Jesus  answered,  "Do  you  say  this     34 

21.  T/iose  who  heat-d]  Such  is  assuredly  the  English  idiom  (not  with  'have'), 
although  it  is  the  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek.    See  Aorist  vii.  9. 

22.  With  his  open  hand]  Or  perhaps  '  with  a  rod.' 

24.  So  Annas  sent]  It  is  quite  possible  to  render,  '  Annas,  however,  had  sent.' 
See  Aorist,  pp.  19,  53.     Seftt]  "Across  the  court-yard"  (Farrar). 

25.  Warjning  himself]  The  fire  was  apparently  in  the  court-yard  of  Annas's  palace 
(verse  15)  ;  but  possibly  this  court  was  common  to  both  palaces,  as  our  Lord  was  able 
(Luke  xxii.  61)  while  in  the  palace  of  Caiaphas  to  turn  round  and  look  at  Peter. 
See  Geikie,  Life  of  Christ,  ii.  514. 

26.  Servants]  Or  '  slaves.' 

28.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  1-2  ;  Mark  xv.  i  ;  Luke  xxiii.  i. 

28,  33.  Praetorium]  Or  '  Governor's  Palace.' 
29-32.  Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  2. 

29.  Ca7ne  out  (or  outside)  to  them]  The  formal  trial  not  beginning  till  xix.  13.  v.L. 
omits  'out'  or  'outside.' 

33-38.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  11-14  ;  Mark  xv.  2-5  ;  Luke  xxiii.  3-5. 


JOHN   XVIII.-XIX.  259 

of  yourself,  or  have  others  told  it  you  about  me?"     '^  Am   I  a     35 
Jew  ? "  exclaimed  Pilate  ;  "  it  is  your  own  nation  and  the  High 
Priests  who  have  handed  you  over  to  me  :  what  have  you  done?" 
"My  kingdom,"  replied  Jesus,  "does  not  belong  to  this  world.     36 
If  my  kingdom  did  belong  to  this   world,   my  subjects  would 
have  resolutely  fought  to  save  me  from  being  delivered  up  to 
the  Jews  ;  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  my  kingdom  has  not  this 
origin."     "So  then  you  are  a  king!"  rejoined  Pilate.      Jesus     37 
answered,    "You   say  truly  that   I   am  a  king.     For  this  pur- 
pose I  was  born,  and  for  this  purpose  I  have  come  into  the  world 
— to  give  testimony  for  the  truth.    Every  one  who  i?  a  friend  of 
the  truth  listens  to  my  voice." 

"What  is  truth?"  said  Pilate;  but  no  sooner     38 
torereaseHi'II?  ^^^^  ^e  spoken  the  words  than  he  went  out  again 
to  the  Jews  and  told  them,   "  I  find  no  crime  in 
him.    But  you  have  a  custom  that  I  should  release  one  prisoner     39 
to  you  at  the  Passover ;  so  shall  I  release  to  you  the  King  of 
the  Jews?"       With  a    roar  of   voices   they    again    cried    out,     40 
saying,  "  Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas  ! "     Now  Barabbas  was 
a  robber. 

Jesus  is  ^'^tn  Pilate  took  Jesus  and  scourged  Him.    And  ij  2  JQ 

scourged  and  the  soldiers,  twisting  twigs  of  thorn  into  a  wreath, 
'"°^  ^  '       put  it  on  His  head,  and  threw  round  Him  a  crimson 
cloak.    Then  they  began  to  march  up  to  Him,  saying  in  a  mock-     3 
ing  voice,  "  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !  "     And  they  struck  Him 
with  the  palms  of  their  hands. 

Pilate  pro-         Once  more  Pilate  came  out  and  said  to  the  Jews,     4 
nounces  Him   "See,    I  am  bringing  him  out  to  you  to  let  you 
clearly  understand  that  I  find  no  crime  in  him." 
So  Jesus  came   out,    wearing  the   wreath   of   thorns     and   the     5 
crimson  cloak  ;  and  Pilate  said  to  them,  "  See,  there  is  the  man." 
As  soon  then  as  the  High  Priests  and  officers  saw  Him,  they     6 
shouted,   "  To  the  cross  !   to  the   cross  ! "     "  Take  him   your- 
selves and  crucify  him,"  said  Pilate;  "for  I  find  no  crime  in 
him."     "  We  have  a  Law,"  replied  the  Jews,  "  and  according  to     7 

36.  U'otiid  have  resoliitt'ly/ought]  A  hard  and  determined  -truggle— here  in  battle, 
usually  in  wrestling— is  signified  by  the  verb  employed,  which  occurs  also  in  Luke 
xiii.  24  and  is  used  six  times  by  Paul  (i  Cor.  ix.  25,  &c.)  while  the  tense  (imperfect) 
marks  the  prolonged  nature  of  the  struggle  whether  now  or  at  some  undefined  past 
time. 

37.  I  was  born]  Greek  perfect.  See  verse  21,  n.  A  friend  of  the  truth]  Or  'a 
child  of  the  truth.'     Cp.  viii.  47  ;  i  John  iii.  19. 

39-40.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  15-23  ;   Mark  xv.  6-14  ;  Luke  xxiii.  18-23. 
4.  Caine  out]  Apparently  from  the  vaulted  hall  (supposed  to  have  been  lately  dis- 
covered) where  he  had  witnessed  the  hideous  torture  of  the  scourging, 


26o  JOHN   XTX. 

that  Law  he  ought  to  die,  for  having  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of 

God." 

L,  ,  More  alarmed  than  ever,  Pilate  no  sooner  heard     8 

He  again  ' 

questions      these  words  than  he  re-entered  the  Praetorium  and     9 
"^"  began  to  question  Jesus.  "What  is  your  origin?" 

he  asked.  But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer,  "  Do  you  refuse  to  10 
speak  even  to  me?"  asked  Pilate;  "do  you  not  know  that  I 
have  it  in  my  power  either  to  release  you  or  to  crucify  you  ?"  11 
"  You  would  have  had  no  power  whatever  over  me,"  replied 
JesuSj  "  had  it  not  been  granted  you  from  above  ;  on  that 
account  he  who  has  delivered  me  up  to  you  is  more  guilty  than 
you  are." 

He  passes         Upon  receiving   this    answer,    Pilate    was    for     12 
Sentence  of  releasing  Him  ;    but  the  Jews  kept  shouting,  "If 
you  release  that  man,  you  are  no  friend  of  Caesar's  : 
every  one  who  sets  himself  up  as  king  declares  himself  a  rebel 
against  Caesar."     On  hearing  this,  Pilate  brought  Jesus  out,  and     13 
made  Him  sit  on  the  judge's  seat  in  a  place  called  the  Pave- 
ment—or in  Hebrew,  Gabbatha.     It  was  the  day  of  Preparation     14 
for  the  Passover,  about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.     Then  he 
said  to  the  Jews,  "  There  is  your  king  !  "     This  caused  a  storm     15 
of  outcries,  "  Away  with  him  !  away  with  him  !  crucify  him  ! " 
"Am  I  to  crucify  your  king?"  Pilate  asked.     The  High  Priests 
answered,  "We  have  no  king,  except  Caesar."  Then  Pilate  gave     16 
Him  up  to  them  to  be  crucified. 

Accordingly  they  took  Jesus  ;  and  He  went  out     17 

Jesus  is  taken  .  /   ^,  ,  „     ,   c,,     „ 

to  Golgotha    carrymg  His  own  cross,  to  the  place  called  SkuU- 
and   crucified,  pij^^g — or  in  Hebrew  Golgotha — where  they  nailed     18 
Him  to  a  cross,  and  two  others  at  the  same  time,  one  on  each 
side  and  Jesus  in  the  middle.     And  Pilate  wrote  a  notice  and     19 
had  it  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  cross.     It  ran  thus  :  JESUS 
THE  NAZARENE,  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS.     Many      20 
of  the  Jews  read  this  notice,  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  cruci- 
fied was  near  the  city,  and  the  notice  was  in  three  languages — 
Hebrew,  Latin  and  Greek.     This  led  the  Jewish  High  Priests  to     21 
remonstrate  with  Pilate.     "  You  should  not  write  '  The  King  of 

12.  Kept  shouting]  Imperfect  tense,     v.l.  has  the  Aorist  indicating  the  utterance 
of  a  lou'i  and  simultaneous  shout. 

13.  Made  Him  sit]  In  mockery.       And  said  (verse  14)  "There  is  your  king  !" 
Or  as  in  the  A.V.  the  verb  may  be  intransitive  :  *  took  his  seat.' 

16.  They  took  Jesus]  v.l.  adds,  'and  led  Him  away.' 

16-17.   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  31-34  ;  Mark  xv.  20-23  ;  Luke  xxiii.  26-33. 

17.  His  own  cross]  Lit.  '  the  cro-s 'oi  Himself.' 

18-24.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  35-38  ;  Maik  xv.  24-27  ;  Luke  xxiii.  33,  34,  38. 


JOHN   XIX.  261 

the  Jews,'"  they  said,    "but  that  he    claimed  to  be   King    of 
the  Jews."     "  What  I  have  written  I  have  written,"  was  Pilate's     22 
answer. 

The  Soldiers       ^^  ^^^  Soldiers,  as  soon  as  they  had  crucified     23 
take  Possession  Jesus,  took  His    garments,   including  His  tunic, 

of  His  Clothes.  ^^^  divided  them  into  four  parts— one  part   for 
each  soldier.     Tlie  tunic  was  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top 
in  one  piece.     So  they  said  to  one  another,  "  Don't  tear  it  :  let     24 
us  draw  lots  for  it."     This  happened  that  the  Scripture  might  be 

fulfilled    which    says,  "  They   SHARED  MY   GARMENTS  AMONG 
THExM,   AND   DREW   LOTS    FOR    MY    CLOTHING"    (Ps.    xxii.     18). 

That  was  just  what  the  soldiers  did. 

Now  standing  close  to  the  cross  of  Jesus  were     25 

''"^  Jo^hn."*^      His  mother  and  His  mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife 

of    Clopas,    and    Mary   of    Magdala.      So   Jesus,     26 

seeing  His  mother,  and  seeing  the  disciple  whom   He  loved 

standing  near,  said  to   His  mother,  "  He   is   now   your   son."     27 

Then  He  said  to  the  disciple,  "  She  is  now  your  mother."     And 

from  that  time  the  disciple  received  her  into  his  own  home. 

,  ..  After  this,  Jesus,  knowing  that  everything  was     28 

Jesus    dies.  '■'  '  ,?, 

now  brought  to  an  end,  said — with  a  view  to  the 

fulfilment   of    the   Scripture   (Ps.    Ixix.    21) — "I    am    thirsty." 

There  was  a  jar  of  sour  wine  standing  there.     With  this  wine     29 

they  filled  a  sponge,  put  it  on  the  end  of  a  stalk  of  hyssop,  and 

hfted  it  to  His  mouth.     As  soon  as  Jesus  had  taken  the  wine,     30 

He  said,  "  It  is  finished  ; "  and  bowing  His  head  He  died. 

Meanwhile  the  Jews,  because  it  was  the  day  of    31 

"^pie^ced  '^     Preparation  for  the  Passover,  and  in   order  that 

the  bodies  might  not  remain  on  the  crosses  during 

the  Sabbath  (for  that  Sabbath  was  one  of  special  solemnity), 

requested  Pilate  to  have  the  legs  of  the  dying  men  broken,  and 

the  bodies  removed.     Accordingly  the  soldiers  came  and  broke     32 

the  legs  of  the  first  man,  and  also  of  the  other  who  had  been 

crucified  with  Jesus.     Then  they  came  to  Jesus  Himself  :  but     33 

when  they  saw  that  He  was  already  dead,  they  refrained  from 

23.   Ttink]  The  close-fitting  under  garment. 

25.  Mary  the  tvife  of  Clopas]  This  seems  the  most  probable  sense  ;  lit.  '  Clopas's 
Mary.'  There  is  nothing  in  tlie  Greek  to  settle  the  question  whether  she  was  Christ's 
'  mother's  sister,'  just  mentioned. 

25-27.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  39-44  ;  Mark  xv.  29-32  ;  Luke  xxiii.  35-37,  and  39-43. 

28-30.   Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  45-50  :   Mark  xv.  33-37  ;   Luke  xxiii.  44-46. 

30.  Died\  Lit.   'yielded  up  His  spirit.'  Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  46. 

31.  Meanwhile]  Lit.  'Therefore'  —  the  resiunptive  'therefore.'  See  Aor/sl, 
Appendix  B  :  and  the  notes  of  Alford  and  De  Wette  on  Acts  xvii.  17.  TAe  Sal>bath\ 
Commencing  at  sunset. 


262  JOHN   XIX.-XX. 

breaking  His   legs.     One   of    the  soldiers,   however,   made  a     34 

thrust  at  His  side  with  a  lance,  and  immediately  blood  and 

water  flowed  out.     This  statement  is  the  testimony  of  an  eye-     35 

witness,  and  it  is  true.     He  knows  that  he  is  telling  the  truth— in 

order  that  you  also  may  beheve.     For  all  this  took  place  that     36 

the  Scripture  might  be  fulfilled  which  declares,  "  Not  one  OF 

His  BONES  SHALL  BE  BROKEN  "  (Exod.  xii.  46  ;  Ps.  xxxiv.  2o) ; 

and  again  another  Scripture   says,  "  They  shall  look  on     yj 

Him  whom  they  have  pierced  "  (Zech.  xii.  10). 

After  this,  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  who  was   a     38 
Joseph  and       ,.      .    ,         ^    '  ,         /•       r  r    ^       \ 

Nicodemus     disciple  of  Jesus,  but  for  fear  of  the  Jews  a  secret 
Dury  It.       disciple,  asked  Pilate's  permission  to  carry  away 
the  body  of  Jesus  ;  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.     So  he  came  and 
removed  the  body.     Nicodemustoo— he  who  at  first  had  visited     39 
Jesus  by  night — came  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  in 
weight  about  seventy  or  eighty  pounds.     Taking  down  the  body     40 
they  wrapped  it  in  linen  cloths  along  with  the  spices,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Jewish  mode  of  preparing  for  burial.     There  was     41 
a  garden  at  the  place  where  Jesus  had  been  crucified,  and  in  the 
garden  a  new  tomb,  in  which  no  one  had   yet  been   buried. 
Therefore,  because  it  was  the  day  of  Preparation  for  the  Jewish     42 
Passover,   and   the  tomb   was   close   at   hand,  they  put  Jesus 
there. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  week,  very  early,  while  it     i   <" 

fo"JlfdT!^ty.  '^^^  ^^^^^  ^^1'^'  ^^^y  °f  Magdala  came  to  the  tomb 
and  saw  that  the  stone  had  been  removed  from  it. 
So  she  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  to  find  Simon  Peter   and   the     2 
other  disciple — the  one  who  was  dear  to  Jesus — and  to  tell  them, 
"They  have  taken  the  Master  out  of  the  tomb,  and  we  do  not 
know  where  they  have  put  Him."     Peter  and  the  other  disciple    3 
started  at  once  to  go  to  the  tomb,  both  of  them  running,  but     4 
the  other  disciple  ran  faster  than  Peter  and  reached  it  before  he 
did.     Stooping  and  looking  in  he  saw  the  linen  cloths  lying  there     5 
on  the  ground,  but  he  did  not  go  in.     Simon  Peter,  however,  also     6 
came,  following  him,  and  entered  the  tomb.    There  on  the  ground 

34.  Blood   and   water]     "  Emblematical    of   the    removal    of   our  guilt  by    His 
atoning  sacrifice,  and  the  purifying  of  our  souls  by  His  grace  ''  (Scott). 
38-42.  Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  57-61  ;  Mark  xv.  42-47  ;  Luke  xxiii.  50-56. 
39.  A  vtixt7ire\  v.l.  '  a  roll.'    jo  or  Zo  pounds]  Lit.  '  100  (Roman)  pounds.' 

1.  Removed  from]  Or  possiblj',  '  lifted  out  of.'  But  the  original  notion,  conveyed 
by  the  verb  here  used,  of  vertical  motion  upwards  seems  to  be  lost  in  a  large  number 
of  cases,     Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  1-4  ;  Markxvi.  1-4  ;  Luke  .x.xiv.  1-3. 

2.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  8  ;  Mark  xvi    8  ;  Luke  xxiv.  9-1 1. 
3-10.  Cp.  Luke  xxiv.  12. 

.■;.  Stooping  and  looking  in]  One  vi'ord  in  the  Greek.  Cp.  verse  11  and  i  Pet.  i.  12,  n. 
'1  he  tombs  were  cut  into  the  solid  rock. 


JOHN    XX.  263 

he  saw  the  cloths  ;  and  the  towel,  which  had  been  placed   over     7 

the  face  of  Jesus,  not  lying  with  the  cloths,  but  folded  up  anr 

put  by  itself.     Then  the  other  disciple,  who  had  been  the  first  to     8 

come  to  the  tomb,  also  went  in  and  saw  and  was  convinced. 

For  until  now  they  had  not  understood  the  inspired  teaching,     9 

that  He  must  rise  again  from  among  the  dead  (Ps.  xvi.  10). 

Then  they  went  away  and  returned  home.  10 

Meanwhile    Mary   remained   standing  near  the     11 

Mary  sees     tomb,  weeping  aloud.     She  did  not  enter  the  tomb, 
two  Angels.  J  i      o  7 

but  as  she  wept  she  stooped  and  looked  in,  and     12 
saw  two  angels  clothed  in  white  raiment,  sitting  one  at  the  head 
and  one  at  the  feet  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  been.    They     13 
spoke  to  her.    "  Why  are  you  weeping  ?  "  they  asked.    "  Because," 
she  replied,  "  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  do  not  know 
where  they  have  put  Him." 

While  she  was  speaking,  she  turned  round  and     14 
with^Jesu*?     ^^^  Jesus  standing  there,  but  did  not  recognize 

Him.     Jesus  asked  her,  "  Why  are  you  weeping?     15 
Who  are  you  looking  for  ? "    She,  supposing  that  He  was  the 
gardener,  replied,  "  Sir,  if  you  have  carried  Him  away,  tell  me 
where  you  have  put  Him  and  I  will  remove  Him."     "  Mary  !"     16 
said  Jesus.     She  turned  to  Him.     "  Rabbuni  !  "  she  cried  in 
Hebrew  :  the  word  means  '  Teacher  !'      "  Do  not  cling  to  me,"     17 
said  Jesus,  "  for  I  have  not  yet  ascended  to  the  Father  ;  but 
take  this  message  to  my  brethren  :  '  I  am   ascending  to  my 
Father  and  your  Father,  to  my  God  and  your  God. '"     Mary  of     18 
Magdala  came  and  brought   word  to  the  disciples,  saying,  "  I 
have  seen  the  Master" — and  she  told  them  that  He  had   said 
these  things  to  her. 

On  that  same  first  day  of  the  week,  when  it  was      19 
to  the        evening  and  for  fear  of  the  Jews  the  doors  of  the 
Apostles.      i^ouse  where  the  disciples  were  were  locked,  Jesus 

7.   Tozuel]  Or  '  handkerchief.'    Over  the  face  of  Jesus]  Lit.   'on  His  head.' 

11-18.  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  9, 10  :  Mark  xvi.  9-11. 

12.  .Saw]  Or 'observed.'  That  the  fourth  Evangelist  has  employed  in  some  23 
passages  a  somewhat  uncommon  word  [theoreo)  for  '  to  see  '  may  be  a  mere  matter 
ofstyle. 

13.15-  ^hy]  Lit.  'Woman,  why;'  but  in  modern  English  we  seldom  use  the 
simple  vocative  in  the  language  of  sympathy  and  condolence.     Cp.  ii.  4. 

15.  /F/z£7]  The  objective  interrogative  'Whom?'  is  now  obsolescent. 

16.  Rabbuni^  The  word  occurs  also  in  Mark  x.  51.  Do  not  cling]  The  time  for 
Him  to  leave  His  disciples  again  not  havina:  yet  come  there  was  no  need  to  attempt 
to  detain  Him.  The  tense  of  the  verb  implies  that  she  was  clinging  to  Him.  But] 
Lit.  '  for'  parenthetically.  The  meaning  may  be,  "  for  there  is  this  duty  for  you 
to  discharge  first."     v.L.,  as  in  the  A.V.,  omits  the  words  '  in  Hebrew.' 

19-25.  Cp.  Mark  xvi.  14  ;   Luke  xxiv.  36-43- 


264  JOHN    XX. 

came  and  stood  in  their  midst,  and  said  to  them,  "  Peace  be  to 
you  ! "    Having  said  this  He  showed  them  His  hands  and  also     20 
His  side  ;  and  the  disciples  were  filled  with  joy  at  seeing  the 
Master.     A  second  time  therefore  He  said  to  them,  "  Peace  be     21 
to  you  !  As  the  Father  sent  me,  I  also  now  send  you."     Having     22 
said  this  He  breathed  upon  them  and  said,  "  Receive  the  Holy 
Spirit.     If  you  remit  the  sins    of   any    persons,    they  remain     23 
remitted  to  them  :  if  you  bind  fast  the  sins  of  any,  they  remain 
bound." 
^^  ^         Thomas,    one    of  the    twelve — surnamed    '  the     24 

Thomas,  who    _,     .     , 

was  absent,     Twm  — was  not  among  them  when  Jesus    came. 

is  sceptical,     g^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^j-  ^j^^  disciples  told  him,  "  We  have    23 
seen  the  Master  !  "     He  replied,  "  Unless  I  see  in  His  hands  the 
wound  made  by  the  nails  and  put  my  finger  into  the  wound,  and 
put  my  hand  into  His  side,  I  will  never  believe  it." 

,  A  week  later  the  disciples   were  again  in  the     26 

Jesus   appears  ^  ° 

again.  Thomas  house,   and  Thomas  was  with  them,  when  Jesus 
came — though  the  doors  were  locked— and  stood 
in  their  midst,  and  said,  "  Peace  be  to  you."     Then  He  said  to     27 
Thomas,  "  Bring  your  finger  here  and  feel  my  hands  ;  bring  your 
hand  and  put  it  into  my  side,  and  do  not  be  ready  to  disbelieve 
but  to  believe."     Thomas  answered,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "     28 
"Because  you  have   seen   me,"  replied  Jesus,  "you  have  be-     29 
lieved :   blessed    are  they  who  have  not   seen   and  yet   have 
believed." 
^.     ^,  ,    ,         There  were  also  a  greit  number  of  other  signs     30 

The  Object  ^  c     ^ 

of  the  fourth   which  Jesus  performed    in    the    presence    of  the 

Gospe  .        disciples,  which  are  not  recorded  in  this  book  ;  but     31 
these  have  been  recorded  in  order  that  you  may   believe  that 

He  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  through  befieving 
you  may  have  Life  through  His  name. 


21.  He  said]  v.l.  'Jesus  said.' 

22.  7'ke  Holy  Spirit]  Or  (a  bestowment  of  the)  '  Holy  Spirit,'  there  being  no 
article  here  in  the  Greek. 

23.  Remain]  Twice  the  Greek  perfect  is  used  here.  See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4.  Some 
have  questioned  whether  the  apostles  ever  exercised  the  august  prerogative,  thus 
conferred  on  them,  of  forgiving  (or  leaving  unforgiven)  the  sins  of  their  fellow  men. 
The  true  answer  seems  to  be  that  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  N.T.  sense  of 
the  words,  carries  with  it — as  nothing  else  does — complete  forgiveness.  And  in  the 
Acts  (viii.  17  ;  xix.  6,  etc.)  we  fuid  the  Holy  Spirit  conveyed  through  the  laying  OB 
of  the  hands  of  the  apostles,  and  by  tlie  exercise  of  tlieir  wills. 

25.  Finzer  into  the  7von7id]  v.l.  '  finger  into  the  place.' 

27.   Feel]  Or  'examine.'  Lit.  'see.' 

30.  On  the  absence  of  a  connecting  adverb  at  the  beginning  of  this  verse  (where 
'however  '  mi«ht,  with  little  or  no  advantage,  be  inserted— but  certainly  not  '  there- 
fore')  see  .4  cr/^^,  Appendix  B,  4. 


JOHN   XXI.  265 

After  this,  Jesus  again  showed  Himself  to  the     i   2X 
Sero"/G?iMel  disciples.     It  was  at  the  Lake  of  Tiberias.     The 
circumstances  were  as  follows. 
Simon  Peter  was  with  Thomas,  called  the  Twin,     2 
Number  of     Nathanacl  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  the  sons  of  Zabdai, 
Fish  caught,     and  two  Others  of  the  Master's  disciples.     Simon     3 
Peter  said  to  them,  "  I  am  going  fishing."     "  We  will  go  too," 
said  they.     So  they  set  out  and  went  on  board  their  boat  ;  but 
they  caught    nothing    that    night.      When,  however,  day  was     4 
now  dawning,  Jesus  stood  on  the  beach,  though  the  disciples 
did  not  know  that  it  was  Jesus.     He  called  to  them,  "  Children,     5 
have  you  any  food  there  ?  "     They  answered,  "  No."     "  Throw     6 
the  net  in  on  the  right  hand  side,"  He  said,  "  and  you  will  find 
fish."     So  they  threw  the  net  in,  and  now  they  could  scarcely 
drag  it  along  for  the  quantity  of  fish.     This  made  the  disciple     7 
whom  Jesus  loved  say  to  Peter,  "  It  is  the  Master."     Simon 
Peter  therefore,  when  he  heard  the  words,  "  It  is  the  Master," 
drew  on  his  fisherman's  shirt — for  he  had  not  been  wearing  it — 
put  on  his  belt,  and  sprang  into  the  water.     But  the  rest  of    8 
the  disciples  came  in  the  small  boat  (for  they  were  not  far  from 
land — only  about  a  hundred  yards  off),  dragging  the  net  full  of 
fish. 
A  Meal  of         ^^  ^^^'^   ^^  ^^^^  landed,  they  saw  a  charcoal    9 
Bread  and     fire  burning    there,  with   fish  broiling  on  it,  and 
^'^^'  bread  close  by.     Jesus  told  them  to  fetch  some  of     10 

the  fish  which  they  had  just  caught.     So  Simon  Peter  went  on     11 
board  the  boat  and  drew  the  net  ashore  full  of  large   fish,   a 
hundred  and  fifty-three  in  number  ;    and  yet,  although  there 
were  so  many,  the  net  had  not  broken.     "  Come  this  way  and     12 
have  breakfast,"    said    Jesus.      But   no   one   of  the   disciples 
ventured  to  question     Him  as  to  who    He   was,   for  they  felt 
sure  that  it  was  the  Master.     Then  Jesus   came  and   took  the     13 
bread  and  gave  them   some,  and  the  fish   in   the   same    way. 
This  was  now  the  third  occasion  on  which  Jesus  showed  Him-     14 
self  to  the  disciples  after  He  had  risen  from  among  the  dead. 

I.  After  this]  Whether  a  week  later,  or  a  month,  or  even  more,  there  is  no- 
thing to  indicate. 

7.  Loved}  The  stronger  and  more  emphatic  word  is  used  here,  as  it  is  in  xix.  26, 
though  not  in  xx.  2.  Fishertnatt's  shirt]  Or  'outer  tunic'  He  had  not  been 
wear  ins:  ii]  Lit.  '  he  was  naked.'  It  is  said  that  to  this  day  fishermen  are  to  be 
seen  at  the  Sea  of  Galilee  at  work  at  their  nets,  wearing  no  clothes. 

8.  Small  boat]  The  nearest  English  word  would  perhaps  be  'dinghy.'  It  was 
probably  large  enough  to  hold  six  men. 

II.  The  boat]  Not  the  fishing  smack,  but  the  small  boat  (verse  8)  to  which  the 
ropes  of  the  net  were  made  fast. 


266  JOHN   XXI. 

When  they  had  finished  breakfast,  Jesus  asked     15 
''for'^Jesus^    Simon  Peter,  "  Simon,  son  of  John,  do  you  love 
me  more  than  these  others  do?"     "Yes,  Master," 
was  his   answer ;    "  you  know    that    you    are    dear   to    me." 
"Then  feed  my  lambs,"  replied  Jesus.     Again  a  second  time     16 
He  asked  him,  "Simon,  son  of  John,  do  you  love  me.-^ "     "  Yes, 
Master,"  he  said,  "  you  know  that  you  are  dear  to  me."     "  Then 
be  a  shepherd  to  my  sheep,"  He  said.     A  third  time  Jesus  put     17 
the  question  :  "  Simon,  son  of  John,   am  I   dear  to  you  .^ "     It 
grieved  Peter  that  Jesus  asked  him  the  third  time,  "  Am  I  dear 
to  you  ?  "     "  Master,"  he  replied,   "  you  know  everything,  you 
can  see  that  you  are  dear  to  me."    Jesus  answered  him,  "  Then 
feed  my  dear  sheep.      In  most  solemn  truth   I  tell  you  that     18 
whereas,  when  you  were  young,  you  used  to  put  on  your  belt 
and  walk  whichever  way  you  chose,  when  you  have  grown  old 
you  will  stretch  out  your  arms  and  some  one  else  will  put  a  belt 
round  you  and  carry  you  where  you  have  no  wish  to  go."     This     19 
He  said  to  indicate  the  kind  of  death  by  which  that  disciple 
would  bring  glory  to  God  :  and  after  speaking  thus  He  said  to 
him,  "  Follow  me." 

Peter   turned    round  and   noticed   the   disciple     20 
Return  of  ^  whom  Jesus  loved  following — the  one  who  at  the 
Jesus.         supper  had   leaned  back  on  his  breast  and  had 
asked,  "  Master,  who  is  it  that  is  betraying  you  ?"     On  seeing     21 
him,  Peter    asked    Jesus,    "And,  Master,  what  about  him?" 
Jesus  replied,  "  If  I  desire  him  to  remain  till  I   come,  what     22 
concern  is  that  of  yours?      You,    yourself,  must  follow    me." 

15,  16.  Love  .  .  aredear]The  former  emphatic  word  the   humbled  Peter  does 
not  now  dare  to  apply  to  his  own  affection  for  the  Master.      More  &=€.]  Cp.  xiii.  6, 
8,  37.     To  this  part  of  the  question  Peter  gives  no  answer. 
'15-17.  Then  feed  .  .  then  be  .  .  ihen/eed]  Lit.  'Feed  .   .  be  .  .  feed;'  omitting 
'  then.'     v.L.  has  '  Jonas  '  for  '  John  '  in  each  of  these  three  verses. 

17.  Dear  sheep\  Such  seems  to  be  the  force  of  the  diminutive.  Cp.  xiii.  33  ; 
I  John  ii.  I,  n.    v.L.  simply  '  sheep.' 

18.  Some  one  else\  The  centurion  under  whose  orders  the  details  of  Peter's  cruci- 
fixion would  be  carried  out.  A  belt]  The  rope  which  would  be  put  round  his  waist 
to  bind  him  to  the  cross.  Carry]  When  both  cross  and  victim  v/ere  lifted,  for  the 
cross  to  be  planted  in  the  hole  dug  to  receive  its  foot.  Or  possibly  '  bring  '  or  '  lead,' 
as  in  Matt.  xi.  2. 

22,  23.  Till  I  come]  Lit.  '  While  I  am  coming.'  A  baldly  literal  interpretation  of 
these  two  verses  is  to  be  found  in  the  idea  that  our  Lord's  return  was  to  take  place 
in  John's  lifetime,  but  that  John  was  to  survive  the  event  and  become  the  apostle 
of  the  new  era — the  Christian  era  of  love  to  God  and  man.  Others  have  found 
in  the  words  a  suggestion  that  the  '  Rapture '  or  '  Translation  '  of  the  saints  at  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  (Matt.  xxiv.  31  ;  1  Thess.  iv.  17)  will  not  exempt  their  earthly 
bodies  from  physical  death,  but  will  mean  the  ascension  of  their  spirits — their  real 
and  innermost  selves — to  Heaven  in  new  and  glorified  bodies,  resembling  the  re- 
surrection body  in  which  the  Lord  Jesus  ascended  (Mark  xvi.  19  ;  Luke  xxiv.  51  ; 
Acts  i.  9  ;  I  Cor.  xv.  51,  52).  In  that  case  even  if  John  had  lived  until  the  Parousia 
and  the  possibility  of  his  doing  so  is  hinted  at  here  by  our  Lord — this  would  not 


JOHN   XXI.  267 

Hence  the  report  spread  among  the  brethren  that  that  disciple     23 
would  never  die  ;  but  Jesus  did  not   say,   "  He  is  not  to  die," 
but,  "  If  I  desire  him  to  remain  till   I  come,  what  concern  is 
that  of  yours  ?" 

TheTestimon  That  is  the  disciple  who  gives  his  testimony  as  24 
of  an  Eye  to  these  matters,  and  has  written  this  history  ; 
'*"®^^'  and  we  know  that  his  testimony  is  true.  But  there  25 
are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did — so  vast  a  number 
indeed  that  if  they  were  all  described  in  detail,  I  suppose  that 
the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that  would  have 
to  be  written. 

hive  meant  that  he  escaped  death,   but   that,   through  his  union  with  the  Saviour, 
death  became  to  him  the  gate  of  eternal  Life  and  Glory. 

23.    What  concern  is  that  of  yours  ?]  v.l.  omits  these  words. 

25.  V.L.  omits  this  verse.     Another  v.l.  adds  'Amen  '  at  the  end. 


THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


The  authorship  of  this  book  has   occasioned    much    modern 
discussion,  but  it  may  be  affirmed  with  confidence  that  the 
writer  of  our  third  Gospel  is  also  the  author  of  "  the  Acts,"  and 
that  he  speaks  from  the  standpoint  of  an  eye-witness  in  the 
four  "we"  sections   (xvi.    10-17  5  xx.   5-15  ;  xxi.  T-18  ;  xxvii.- 
xxviii.  16)  who  is  known  in  Paul's  Letters  as  "  Luke  the  beloved 
physician"  (Col.  iv.  14  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  11  ;  Philem.  24).     The  date 
necessarily  depends  upon  that  of  the  third  Gospel.     If,  as  some 
think,  the  latter  was  written  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
then  Luke's  second  work  may  well  have  been  issued  between 
66  A.D.  and  70  A.D,     But  the  tendency  of  modern  research  is  to 
date  the  Gospel  after  the  destruction  of  the   City,  somewhere 
between  75  A.D.  and  85  A.D.,  in  which  case  "  the  Acts  "  may  be 
assigned  to  any  period  between  80  A.D.  and  90  A.D.     The  latter 
conclusion,  though  by  no  means  certain,  is  perhaps  the  more 
probable.      The  familiar  title   of  the    book   is    somewhat    un- 
fortunate, for"  it  is  manifestly  not  the  intention  of  the  writer  to 
describe  the  doings  of  the  apostles  generally,  but  rather  just  so 
much  of  the  labours  of  Peter  and   Paul — and  especially  the 
latter — as  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  growth  of  the  early  Church, 
and  at  the  same  time  exhibit  the  emancipation  of  Christianity 
from  its  primitive  Judaic  origin  and  environment.     It  is  plain 
that  the  writer  was  contemporary  with  the  events  he  describes, 
and  although  his  perfect  ingenuousness  ceaselessly  connects  his 
narrative  with  history,  in  no  case  has  he  been  proved  to  be  in 
error.     The  intricacy  of  the  connexions  between  this  record 
and  the  Pauline  Letters  will  be  best  estimated  from  a  study  of 
Paley's  Horae  Panlinae.     We  know  nothing  definite  as  to  the 
place  where  the  Acts  was  written,  nor  the  sources  whence  the 
information  for  the  earlier  portion  of  the  narrative  was  obtained. 
But  it  may  be  truthfully  affirmed  that  from  the  modern  critical 
ordeal  the  work  emerges  as  a  definite  whole,  and  rather  con- 
firmed than  weakened  in  regard  to  its  general  authenticity. 


270 


THE   ACTS   OF   THE    APOSTLES 

Introduction, 

The  risen  ^y  former  narrative,  Theophilus,  dealt  with  all     I 

Jesus  seen  for  that  Jesus  did  and  taught  as  a  beginning,  down  to     2 

six  WcGks 

the  day  on  which,  after  giving  instructions  through 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  apostles  whom   He  had  chosen,  He  was 
taken  up  to   Heaven.     He  had  also,  after  He  suffered,  shown     3 
Himself  alive  to  them  with  many  sure   proofs,  appearing    to 
them  at  intervals  during  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  King- 
dom of  God.     And  while  in  their  company  He  charged  them     4 
not  to  leave  Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  for  the  Father's  promised 
gift,  "  which  you  have  heard  of,"  He  said,  "  from  me.     For  John     5 
indeed  baptized  with  water,  but  before  many  days  have  passed 
you  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit."     Once  when  they     6 
were  with  Him,  they  asked  Him,  "  Master,  is  this  the  time  at 
which  you  are  about  to  restore  the  kingdom  for  Israel }  "     "  It  is     7 
not  for  you,"   He  replied,  "to  know  times  or  epochs  which  the 
Father  has  reserved  within   His  own  authority  ;  and  yet  you     8 
will  receive  power  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has  come  upon  you, 
and  you  will  be  liRy  witnesses  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judaea 
and  Samaria  and  to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth.^ 
Christ  is  taken      When  He  had  said  this,  and  while  they  were    9 
up  into        looking  at   Him,  He  was  carried  up,  and  a  cloud 

closing  beneath  Him  hid   Him  from  their  sight. 

1.  As  a  beginning]  So  laying  the  first  foundation  of  the  Christian  church.  Or 
'from  the  beginning.' 

2.  Taken  up  to  Heaven]  Lit.  simply  'taken  up.'  Or  'taken  up  again;'  the 
ascent  reversing  the  previous  descent.     See  Eph.  iv.  9,  n. 

3.  Shown]  More  lit.  'presented.'  In  xxiii.  33  ;  Eph.  v.  27  ;  Col.  i.  22  ;  the  same 
verb  is  used.  Proofs]  Of  the  reality  of  His  Resurrection.  Appearing  to  them  at 
intervals]  Or  '  being  seen  repeatedly.' 

4.  While  in  their  cotnpatiy]  Or  '  while  eating  with  them.' 

6.  Once  .  .  asked  Him]  More  lit.  '  They,  then,  having  assembled  to  meet  Him, 
began  to  ask  Him.' 

7.  Times  or  epochs]  The  former  word  'implies  something  longer '  (Bengel)  than 
the  latter.      The  Father]  Cp.  Mark  xiii.  32. 

8.  "  These  words  contain  the  whole  plan  of  the  Acts  "  (De  Wette).  IVill  receive] 
Or  '  shall  receive,'  according  as  we  take  the  word  to  be  a  prediction  or  a  promise. 

271 


272  THE   ACTS   I. 

But  while  they  stood  intently  gazing  into  the  sky  as  He  went,     lo 
suddenly  there  were  two  men  in  white  garments  standing  by 
them,  who  said,  "  Galilaeans,  why  stand  looking  into  the  sky?     ii 
This  same  Jesus  who  has  been  taken  up  from  you  into  Heaven 
will   come  in  just  the  same  way  as  you  have  seen  Him  going 
into  Heaven." 

The  Church  in  Jerusalem, 

Then  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  the  moun-     12 
melt'^iS^Jeru-  tain  Called  the  Oliveyard,  which  is  near  Jerusalem, 

saiem  for      about  a  mile  off.     They  entered  the  city,  and  then     13 
Prayer.  ,  '  ...  •'  .     .  ^ 

went  up  to  the  upper  room  which  was  now  their 

fixed  place  for  meeting.     Their  names  were  Peter  and  John, 

James   and   Andrew,  Philip    and   Thomas,    Bartholomew   and 

Matthew,  James  the  son  of  Alphaeus,  Simon  the  Zealot,  and 

Judas  the  brother  of  James.     All  of  these  with  one  mind  con-     14 

tinued  earnest  in  prayer,  together  with  some  women,  and  Mary 

the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  His  brothers. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  days  that  Peter  stood  up     15 

speech         ^^  ^^^  midst  of  the  brethren — the  entire  number 

of  persons  present  being   about    120 — and   said, 

"Brethren,  it  was  necessary  that  the   Scripture  should  be  ful-     16 

filled — the  prediction,  I  mean,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  uttered  by 

the  lips  of  David,  about  Judas,  who  acted  as  guide  to  those  who 

arrested  Jesus.     For  Judas  was  reckoned  as  one  of  our  number,     1 7 

and  a  share  in  this  ministry  was  allotted  to  him."     (Now  having     18 

bought  a  piece  of  ground  with  the  money   paid  him  for  his 

wickedness  he  fell  there  with  his  face  downwards,  and,  his  body 

bursting  open,  he  became  disembowelled.     This  fact  became     19 

widely  known  to   the   people  of  Jerusalem,  so  that  the  place 

received  the  name,  in  their  language,  of  Achel-damach,  which 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  sent  by  the   Father  (John  xiv.  16,  26),  and  also  by  the  Son 
(John  xvi.  7).     Earth]  Or  'land.' 

10.  II.  Sky  .  .  Heave7i\  The  same  word  in  the  Greek. 

11.  In  just  the  same  ivaj]  Suddenly,  personally,  visibly,  and  (some  have  sup- 
posed) with  a  measure  of  secrecy.     Cp.  John  xiv.  19,  21  ;  Heb.  ix.  28  ;  xii.  14. 

12.  About  a  inilc\  Lit.  'a  Sabbath's  journey.' 

13.  To  the  upper  rootii  .  .  meeting]  Or  '  to  the  upper  room  of  the  house  which 
was  now  their  residence.'  The  relative  clause  maybe  rendered  '  where  they  had 
been  residing.'     See  Ao'ist,  p.  12.     John,  James]  v.l.  'James,  John.' 

16.  Brethren]  Preceded  in  the  Greek  by  '  Men  '  (approaching  in  senseour  'Gentle- 
men '  or  '  Sirs ').  '  Men  and  brethren  '  suggests  the  erroneous  notion  that  two 
classes  of  persons  were  addressed. 

x-].  A  share  .   .  to  him]  Lit.  '  he  obtained  his  lot.' 

i§,  19.  Some  are  of  opinion  that  these  verses  are  not  (as  here  printed)  a  parenthe- 
tical .statement  by  Luke,  but  a  part  of  Peter's  address,  as  if  the  120  believers  needed 
to  be  informed  of  a  fact  which  was  "  widely  known  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem." 


THE    ACTS    I.-II.  273 

means  '  The  Field  of  Blood.')     "  For  it  is  written  in  the  Book     20 
of  Psalms, 

'Let  his  encampment  be  desolate  : 
Let  there  be  no  one  to  dwell  there'  (Ps.  Ixix.  25); 
and 

'His  work  let  another  take  up'  (Ps.  cix.  8). 

"It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  of  the  men  who  have  been     21 
with  us  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among 
us — beginning  from  His  baptism  by  John  down  to  the  day  on     22 
which   He  was  taken  up  from  us  into  Heaven— one  should  be 
appointed  to  become  a  witness  with  us  as  to  His  resurrection." 

-jL  ....  So  two  names   were   proposed,   Joseph    called     23 

selected  in      Bar-Sabbas — and  surnamed  Justus — and  Matthias. 
Place  of  Judas.  ^^^  the  brethren  prayed,  saying,  "Thou,  Lord,     24 
who  knowest  the  hearts  of  all,  show  clearly  which  of  these  two 
Thou  hast  chosen  to  occupy  the  place    in   this   ministry   and     25 
apostleship  from  which  Judas  through  transgression  fell  in  order 
to  go  to  his  own  place."     Then  they  drew  lots  between  them  ;     26 
the  lot  fell  on  Matthias,  and  a  place  among  the  eleven  apostles 
was  voted  to  him. 
^.     -,  .  At  length,  on  the  day  of  the  Harvest  Festival,     i  < 

The  Outpour-  o      '  j  '4 

ing  of  the  Holy  they  had  all  met  in  one  place;  when   suddenly     2 

®''"''*"  there  came  from  the  sky  a  sound  as  of  a  strong 
rushing  blast  of  wind.  This  filled  the  whole  house  where  they 
were  sitting  ;  and  they  saw  tongues  of  what  looked  like  fire  3 
distributing  themselves  over  the  assembly,  and  on  the  head  of 
each  person  a  tongue  alighted.  They  were  all  filled  with  the  4 
Holy  Spirit,  and  began  to  speak  in  foreign  languages  according 
as  the  Spirit  gave  them  words  to  utter. 

Now  there  were   Jews   residing  at  Jerusalem,    devout   men     5 


20.  Encatnpinent\  So  the  same  Greek  word,  as  representing  the  same  Hebrew 
word,  is  translated  in  tlie  R.V.  in  Gen.  xxv.  i6  ;  Num.  xxxi.  lo.  (' Castles  '  and 
'goodly  castles'  in  the  A.V.).  lVork\  Lit.  '  overscership.'  The  same  word 
sometimes  rendered  '  visitation  '  or  '  bishopric,'  is  found  in  Luke  xx.  44  ;  i  Tim.  iii.  i ; 
I  Pet.  ii.  12. 

23.  Two  names  were  profiosetl]  Lit.  '  they  caused  two  to  stand."  Justus]  Or 
'  the  Just.' 

24.  Who  knowest  the  hearts]  Lit.  *  Heart-knower.'  The  word  is  also  found  la 
XV.  8. 

25.  Which^i.-e,.  'which  ministry  and  apostleship.'  Through  transgression/el^'L\t. 
'  transgressed.' 

1.  At  length,  on  the  day  0/ the  Harvest  Festival]  Lit.  'when  the  day  was  com- 
pleting itself  as  the  fiftieth  day.' 

3.  Distributing  tJteinsclves]  Tlie  present  participle.  Or  '  parting  asunder.' 
'  Cloven '  would  be  a  perfect  participle  in  the  Greek. 

4.  In/oreign  langtta^es]  Lit.  '  with  tongues  of  a  different  kind.' 

5.  Residing]  Or  perhaps  'staying.'     But  see  verse  9,  n. 

T 


274  THE    ACTS    II. 

from    every   part   of  the   world.       So    when  this     6 
' Tongues °*^    noise  was    heard,  they  came  crowding  together, 

and  were  amazed  because  every  one  heard  his  own 
language  spoken.     They  w^ere  beside  themselves  with  wonder,     7 
and  exclaimed,  "  Are  not  all  these  speakers  Galilaeans .''    How     8 
then  does  each  of  us  hear  his  own  native  language  spoken  by 
them  ?    Some  of  us  are  Parthians,  Medes,  Elamites  ;  some  are     9 
inhabitants  of  Mesopotamia,  of  Judaea  or  Cappadocia,  of  Pontus 
or  the  Asian  Province,  of  Phrygia  or  Pamphylia,  of  Egypt  or  of     10 
the  parts  of  Africa  towards  Cyrene  ;  others  are  visitors  from 
Rome — being  either  Jews  or  converts  from  heathenism, — and     1 1 
others  are  Cretans  or  Arabians.     Yet  we  all  alike  hear  these 
Galilaeans  speaking  in  our  own  language  about  the  wonderful 
things  which   God  has  done."     They  were    all  astounded  ami     12 
bewildered,  and  asked  one  another,  "  What  can  this  mean  .'' " 
though  others,  scornfully  jeering,  said,  "They  are  brim-full  of     13 
sweet  wine." 

Peter  however,  together  with  the  Eleven,  stood     14 
Speech!        up  and  addressed  them  in  a  loud  voice  :  "  Men  of 

Judaea,  and  all  you  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,"  he 
said,  "  be  in  no  uncertainty  about  this  matter  but  pay  attention 
to  what  I  say  :  for  this  is  not  intoxication,  as  you  suppose,  it     15 
These  Marvels,  being  only  the  third  hour  of  the  day.     But  that     16 
the  Fulfilment  which    was    predicted    by   the  Prophet   Joel  has 

of  Prophecy.     ,  j  r  j 

happened  : 
'And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  God  says,    17 

THAT   I    WILL  POUR    out    MY    SPIRIT  UPON   ALL  MANKIND  : 


6.  This  nois£  was  heard]  See  verse  2,  ihoii^li  the  word  for  'sound'  is  different. 
The  word  here  employed  coiiunonly  signifies  the  human  voice,  but  it  is  also  used  of 
wind  (John  iii.  8),  musical  instruments,  millstones,  wings,  chariots,  waters,  etc. 

9.  Parthians  &^c.]  I.E.  Parthian  Jews,  etc.  Inhabitants]  'I'he  same  word  as  in 
verse  5.  It  usually  signifies  settled  residence.  It  seems,  tiierefore,  that  we  must 
understand  these  to  liave  been  Jews  who  had  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  Mesopo- 
tamia— and  so  probably  of  all  the  rest  from  Parthians  down  to  Arabians — but  who 
had  come  back  to  d^e  in  the  Holy  City,  this  being  an  object  of  ambition  with  many 
Jews  throughout  the  world.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  along  with  these  resi- 
dents many  Jews  who  were  visitors  to  Jerusalem  from  foreign  countries  to  the 
Pentecost  would  also  come,  attracted  by  the  strange  sound.  The  Asian  Pro7>ince] 
Lit.  '  Asia,'  which  in  tlie  N.T.  always  signifies  the  Roman  Province  of  Asia, 
embracing  about  one-third  of  Asia  Minor  on  the  west,  with  Ephesus  for  its  capital. 

13.  Sweet  wine]  One  very  intoxicating  species  of  this  is  said  to  be  produced  by- 
steeping  raisins  in  old  wuie. 

14.  Inhabita7tts]  .See  verse  9,  n. 

15.  Third  hour]  Al)out  9  a.m.  "  The  first  hour  of  prayer,  before  which  no  Jew 
might  eat  or  drink  "  (Alford). 

16.  By]  Or  perhaps  '  through.' 

17.  The  last  days]  Perhaps  of  the  Jewish  dispensation.  Right  down  to  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  the  apostles  always  appear  to  have  recognized  that  they  were 
living  at  the  end  of  an  an<;ient  era.     The  phrase  '  the  End  '  occurs  Matt.  x.  22  ;  xxiv 


THE   ACTS   II.  275 

And  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy, 

And  your  young  men  shall  se?:  vlsions, 

And  your  old  men  shall  have  dreams  ; 

Yes,  and  upon  My  bondservants,  both  men  and  women,     18 

At  that  tlme,  i  will  pour  out  My  Spirit  and  they 

shall  prophesy, 
i  will  display  marvels  in  the  sky  above,  i9 

And  SIGNS  on  the  earth  below, 
Blood  and  fire,  and  pillars  of  smoke. 
The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness  20 

And  the  moon  into  blood. 
To  usher  in  the  day  of  the  Lord- 
That  GREAT  AND   ILLUSTRIOUS   DAY  ; 

And  every  one  who  calls  on  the  name  of  the  Lord    21 
SHALL  be  saved  '  (Joel  ii.  28-32). 
The  Resurrec-      "  Listen,   Israelites,  to  what  I  say.     Jesus,  the     22 
tion  of  Jesus    Nazarenc,  a  man  accredited  to  you  from  God  by 
miracles  and  marvels  and   signs  which  God  did 
among    you    through    Him,    as   you    yourselves   know.    Him —     23 
delivered  up  through  God's  settled  purpose  and  foreknowledge 
— you  by  the  agency  of  heathens  have  nailed  to  a  cross  and 
have  put  to  death.     But  God  has  raised  Him  to  life,  having     24 
terminated  the  throes  of  death,  for  in  fact  it  was  not  possible 
for  Him  to  be  held  fast  by  death.     For  David  says  in  reference     25 
to  Him, 

'i  constantly  fixed  my  eyes  upon  i  he  lord, 
Because  He  is  at  my  right  hand  in  order  that  i  may 
continue  unshaken. 

6,  13,  14  ;  Mark  xiii.  7,  13  ;  Luke  xxi.  9  ,  i  Cor.  i.  8  ;  Heb.  iii.  6,  14  ;  vi.  11  ;  i  Peter 
ii.  7  ;  Rev.  ii.  26,  and  (in  a  different  sense)  i  Cor.  xv.  24.  Cp.  i  Cor.  x.  11.  '  The 
last  time,'  '  the  last  times,'  '  the  latter  times,"  '  the  last  daj'S,'  are  spoken  of  in  i  Tim. 
iv.  I  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  i  ;  Heb.  i.  2  ;  James  v.  3  ;  i  Peter  i.  5.  20  ;  2  Peter  iii.  3  ;  Jude 
8.  '  The  last  day'  is  referred  to  in  John  vi.  ^9,  40.  44,  54;  xi,  24  ;  and  '  the  last 
hour'  in  r  John  ii.  18.  My  Spirit]  Here,  and  in  verse  18,  lit.  '  of  or  'from  My 
Spirit' — a  share  or  portion,  as  it  were,  of  the  infinite  wealth  of  power,  wisdom  and 
grace,  potentially  included  in  that  wondrous  gift.  In  the  original  Hebrew  of  Joel 
ii.  28,  29,  this  '  of '  or  '  from  '  is  not  expressed.  Mankind]  Lit.  '  flesh.'  Or  we  may 
render  '  on  all  classes.'     Cp.  Mark  i.  5,  n. 

20.  That  f^reat  aJid  illustn'ous  day]  Such  to  the  first  Christians  was  the  epoch  of 
the  fall  of  Judaism  and  the  establishmeat  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  over  the  earth 
in  70,  A.D.  Such  also  to  all  consecrated  believers  is  the  day  of  their  own  death. 
.\nd  such  to  tlie  whole  world  will  be  the  day  of  final  judgement. 

22.  From  God]  I.E.  "a  man  (sent)  from  God,  accredited  as  such." 

23.  Heathens]  Lit.  '  men  without  tl»e  ^Law,'  or  perhaps  simply  '  wicked,' 
'impious.' 

24.  Terminated  the  throes]  As  of  ch'ldbirth.  So  in  Job  xxxix.  2,  LXX.,  "  Hast 
thou  numbered  the  full  months  for  their  bringing  forth,  and  terminated  their  tiiroes?  " 
Christ  was,  as  it  were,  born  from  the  grave  into  a  new  life.  Terminated]  Lit. 
'  untied/ 


276  THE   ACTS    11. 

For  this  reason  my  heart  is  glad  and  my  tongue    26 

EXULTS. 

My  body  also  shall  rest  in  hope  ; 

For  Thou  wilt  not  leave  me  in  the  Unseen  World    27 
forsaken, 

Nor  give  up  Thy  holy  One  to  undergo  decay. 

Thou  hast  made  known  to  me  the  ways  of  Life  :         28 

Thou  wilt  fill  me  with  gladness  in  Thy  presence' 

(Ps.  xvi.  8-11). 

"As  to  the    Patriarch    David,    1   need   hardly   remind   you,     29 
brethren,  that  he  died  and  was  buried,  and  that  we  still  have 
his  tomb  among  us.     Being  a  prophet,  however,  and  knowing     30 
that   God  had   solemnly   sworn  to  him  to  seat  a  descendant 
of   his    upon    his    throne     (Ps.    cxxxii.     11),    with   prophetic     31 
foresight  he  spoke  of  the  resurrection   of  tlie    Christ,  to  the 
effect  thjt  He  was  not  left  forsaken  in  the  Unseen  World,  nor 
did  His  body  undergo  decay  (Ps.  xvi.  10).     This  Jesus,  God 
has  raised  to  life — a  fact  to  which  all  of  us  testify.  32 

It  is  He  who        "Being   therefore   Hfted    high    by    the  mighty     33 
has  now  sent   hand  of  God,  He  has  received  from  the  Father 
'  the  promised  Holy  Spirit  and  has  poured  out  this 
which   you    see   and   hear.      For    David   did   not  ascend  into     34 
Heaven,  but  he  says  himself. 


26.  Is  glad  .  .  exults]  On  the  tense  see  Aorist  vi.  6.  Shall  rest]  Accord- 
ing to  etymology  this  verb  signifies  'to  dwell  as  in  a  tent,'  but  in  Matt.  xiii.  32  ; 
Mark  iv.  32  :  Luke  xiii.  39  ;  it  is  used  of  the  roosting  of  birds  in  trees. 

27.  TAe  Unseen  World]  Greek,  '  Hades,'  the  abode  of  departed  spirits;  Hebrew, 
*  Sheol.'  ■'  Hades  is,  as  it  were,  the  sepulchre  of  souls"  (Bengel).  See  Rev.  vi.  8,  n. 
Decay]  The  word  denotes  the  decomposition  of  the  body  after  death.  See  i  Cor. 
XV.  42,  n. 

28.  In  Thy  presence]  Lit.  '  with '  (i.e.  '  together  with,'  not  '  by  ')  '  Thy  presence.' 

30.  To  seat]  Ox '' \.\\2,t    .    .    should  take  his  seat,' as  in  Mark  xi.  7, 

31.  The  stress  in  this  sentence  lies  on  the  words  '  the  Christ.'  It  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose  that  even  incipient  corruption  is  indicated  by  the  'blood  and  water'  that 
flowed  from  the  pierced  heart  of  the  dead  Jesus.  The  separation  of  the  blood  into 
clot  and  serum  would  not  take  place  till  the  body  had  grown  cold,  several  hours 
after  death.  It  follows  that  what  was  seen  by  the  apostle  (who  gives  his  'evidence,' 
John  xix.  34,  35,  expressly  as  an  eye-witness)  consisted  of  a  certain  quantity  of  the 
living  blood  and  living  serum  {Liquor  pericardii).  The  quantity  need  not  have 
been  great,  but  just  sufficient  for  the  astonished  apostle  to  be  able  to  say  with  cer- 
tainty that  he  had  seen  it. 

32.  A  fact  of  ivhich  all  of  us  are  witnesses]  Or  the  relative  may  be  masculine, 
and  refer  to  Jesus  :  'whose  witnesses  we  all  are.'  Cp.  i.  8  ;  xiii.  31.  Bengel  pre- 
fers '  whose,    as  referring  to  God,  and  compares  x.  41  ;  i  Cor.  xv.  15. 

33.  By  the  iJii^hty  hand  of  God]  Or '■  to  God'i  right  hand.'  See  and  hear]  They 
saw  the  tongues  of  fire,  and  heard  the  languages  spoken. 

34.  Did  not  ascend]  When  he  died.  Cp.  John  iii.  13.  That  he  did  ascend  when 
our  Lord  ascended  was  the  belief  of  the  mediaeval  Church.  But  Dr.  J.  S.  Russell 
(author  of  The  Parousid)  has  argued  for  the  belief  that  70,  A.D.,  the  time  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  full  establishment  of  Christ's  heavenly  kingdom, 


39 


THE   ACTS   II.  277 

'The  Lord  said  to  mv  Lord, 

Sit  at  My  right  hand 

Until  I  make  thy  foes  a  footstool  under  thy  feet  '    35 

(Ps.  ex.  I). 

"  Therefore  let  the  whole  House  of  Israel  know  beyond  all     36 
doubt  that  God  has  made  Him  both  LORD  and  CHRIST— 
this  Jesus  whom  you  crucified." 

3,000  new         ^^""^  ^°  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^y  ^^^^^  vvords,  they  said  to     37 
Adherents  are  Peter  and   the  rest  of  the  apostles,   "  Brethren, 

sa>"^d,        ^^^^^  ^j.^  ^g  ^^  ^^P„    "Repent,"  replied   Peter,     38 
"  and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
with  a  view  to  the  remission  of  your  sins,  and  you  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     For  to  you  belongs  the  promise, 
and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  who  are  far  off,  whoever  the 
Lord  our  God  may  call."     And  with  many  more  appeals  he     40 
solemnly  warned  and  entreated  them,  saying,  "  Escape  from 
this  crooked  generation."     Those,  therefore,  who  joyfully  wel-     ^^  i 
corned  his  Message  were  baptized  ;  and  on  that  one  day  about 
three  thousand  persons  were  added  to  them  ;  and  they  were     42 
constant  in  listening  to  the  teaching  of  the  apostles  and  in  their 
attendance   at  the   Communion,  that   is,  the    Breaking  of  the 
Bread,  and  at  prayer. 

Fear  came  upon  every  one,  and  many  marvels     43 
o^^the  cIlurlTh.  and  signs  were  done  by  the   apostles.     And  all     44 

the  believers  kept  together,  and  had  everything  in 
common.     They  sold  their  lands  and  other  property,  and  dis-     45 
tributed   the   proceeds    among   all,    according   to    every    one's 

was  the  date  when  the  O.T.  saints  passed  from  Paradise  (the  outer  court  or  garden 
of  Heaven)  to  Heaven  itself,  the  way  into  the  most  holy  place  not  having  been 
made  manifest  so  long  as  the  Jewish  temple  was  still  in  existence  (Heb.  ix.  8). 

36.  T/ie  whole  House]  Not  '  every  house.'  See  Theological  Monthly,  April,  1889, 
p.  274. 

37.  Stung]  Lit.  '  pierced  '  or  'stabbed  deep,'  as  with  the  thrust  of  a  spear.  A  less 
emphatic  verb  occurs  in  John  xix.  34. 

38.  With  a  vie-iv  to]  Or  '  for.'  The  gift]  "The  word  for  '  gift '  {dorea)  is  generic, 
and  differs  from  the  specific  '  gift '  {chnris7iia.)  of  i  Cor.  xiii.  4,   9,  28  "  (Plumptre). 

39.  Far  off]  Either  locally  (i.  8)  or  as  to  spiritual  condition  (Eph.  ii.  13,  17),  or 
both.     May  call]  Lit.  '  shall  have  called  to  Himself. ' 

40.  Escape]  Or  '  secure  your  salvation.'  Lit.  '  be  saved.'  '  Save  yourselves  '  (but 
without  emphasis  on  the  pronoun)  is  also  a  possible  translation,  as  shown  by  Jas.  iv. 
7,  10  ;  I  Pet.  v.  6. 

42.  ConDiiunion]  Some  interpret  the  word  (which  is  literally  'partnership  ')  to 
mean  '  distribr.tion.'  This  however  would  have  been  only  the  act  of  a  few  rich  per- 
sons. It  is  better  (with  Beza  and  Grotius)  to  take  the  word  in  apposition  (there 
being  no  '  and  '  in  the  best  texts)  with  the  verbal  noun  next  mentioned.  See  i  Cor. 
X.  16  for  'communion,'  in  almost  the  same  sense.  At  prayer]  Lit.  'at  the 
prayers.'  ' 

43.  Were  done  by]  More  lit.  'took  place  through."  All  the  indicative  verbs  in 
verses  42  to  47  are  in  the  imperfect  tense,  pointing  to  continuous,  repeated, 
and  habitual  action. 

45.  Lands]  Such  is  the  meaning  of  the  same  word  in  v.  i.     Cp.  v.  3,  8. 


278  THE  ACTS   II.-IIL 

necessities.     And,   day  by   day,   attending   constantly   in    the     46 
Temple  with  one  accord,  and  breaking  bread  in  private  houses, 
they  took  their  meals  with  great  happiness  and  single-hearted- 
ness, praising  God  and  being  regarded  with  favour  by  all  the     47 
people.     Also,  day  by  day,  the   Lord  added  to  their  number 
those  whom  He  was  saving. 

One  day  Peter  and  John  were  going  up  to  the     i   J 
Begga'r^?l^red.  Temple  for  the  hour  of  prayer— the  ninth  hour— 

and  just  then  some  men  were  carrying  there  one     2 
who  had  been  lame  from  his  birth,  whom  they  were  wont  to  place 
every  day  close  to  the  Beautiful  Gate  (as  it  was  called)  of  the 
Temple,  for  him  to  beg  from  the  people  as  they  went  in.     Seeing     3 
Peter  and  John  about  to  go  into  the  Temple,  he  asked  them  for 
alms.     Peter  fixing  his  eyes  on  him,  as  John  did  also,  said,     4 
"  Look  at  us."     So  he  looked  and  waited,  expecting  to  receive     5 
something  from  them.     "  I  have  no  silver  or  gold,"  Peter  said,     6 
"but  what  I  have,  I  give  you.     In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Nazarene — walk  !  "     Then  taking  his  hand  Peter  lifted  him  up,     7 
and  immediately  his  feet  and  ankles  were  strengthened.     Leap-     8 
ing  up,  he  stood  upright  and  began  to  walk,  and  went  into  the 
Temple  with  them,  walking,  leaping,  and  praising  God.     All  the     9 
people  saw  him  walking  and  praising  God  ;  and  recognizing  him     10 
as  the  man  who  used  to  sit  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the  Temple 
asking  for  alms,  they  were  filled  with  awe  and  amazement  at 

what  had  happened  to  him. 
Thts\irrade        While   he   still    clung  to    Peter  and   John,   the     11 
*^Ch'°'^t  °^     people,  awe-struck,  ran  up  crowding  round  them 

in  what  was  known  as  Solomon's  Portico       J^eter,     12 

46.  Temple\  See  Matt.  xxi.  12,  n.  In  private  houses\  No  doubt  the  upper  rooms 
(i.  13,  n.)  in  the  large  houses  of  the  weakhier  Christians  were  used  for  this  purpose, 
and  so  we  get  here  our  first  glimpse  of  the  "church  in  the  house"  (Rom.  xvi.  5; 
I  Cor.  xvi.  19  ;  Col.  iv.  15  ;  Philem.  2).  'At  home'  (R.V.)  is  unlikely.  It  would 
suggest  that  the  Breaking  of  tlie  Bread  (as  well  as  the  love-feast  which  preceded  it) 
took  place  in  the  house  of  every  individual  believer.  '  From  house  to  house  '  is  a 
possible  rendering. 

47.  To  theirnumber\\j\.\..  '  to  the  same  thing  (or  place).'  The  expression  occurs 
in  i.  16  and  signifies  '  together  '  or  'assembled.'  Whom  He  was  saving]  Lit.  '  who 
were  being  saved  '  or  '  who  uere  saving  themselves'  (the  '  themselves "  being  unem- 
phatic).  "  They  were  escaping  (as  it  were)  from  the  Flood,  and  taking  refuge  in  the 
Ark,  the  Church"  (Wordsworth). 

1.  The  hour  of  prayer]  i.h.  of  evening  prayer — about  3.0  p.m.     Cp.  ii.  15,  n. 

2.  'Jo  place]  That  he  lay  down  is  not  implied  by  the  Greek,  and  is  in  itself  improb- 
able.    Gate]  or  '  door.' 

6.  Walk]  The  tense  (present)  implies  the  continual  power  to  do  this,  v.l.,  as  in 
the  A. v.,  '  rise  up  and  w.ilk.' 

7.  Feet]  Lit.  'soles.'     St7'enzthened\  Lit.  '  made  firm.' 

10.  Rixogrmzing]  One  after  another  looked  at  him,  and  then  saw  and  knew  the 
familiar  face.  . 

12.  Spoke  to]  Lit.  'answered.'    Cp.  Matt.  xii.  38,  n.     At  this  man]  Or  'at  this 
(which  has  happened). 


THE   ACTS   III.  279 

seeing  this,  spoke  to  the  people.     "Israelites,"  he  said,  "why 
do   you  wonder   at  this  man  ?  or  why  gaze  at  us,   as  though 
by  any  power  or   piety  of  our   own  we  had   enabled   him   to 
walk?     The  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  the  God  of  our     13 
forefathers,  has  conferred  this  honour  on    His  Servant  Jesus, 
whom  you  deUvered  up  and  disowned  before  Pilate,  when  he 
had   decided  to  let   Him  go.     Yes,  you  denied  the  holy  and     14 
righteous  One,  and  asked  as  a  favour  the  release  of  a  murderer. 
The  Prince  of  Life  you  put  to  death  ;  but  God  has  raised  Him     15 
from  the  dead,  and  we  are  witnesses  as  to  that.     It  is  His  name     16 
— faith  in  that  name  being  the  condition— which  has  strength- 
ened this  man  whom  you  behold  and  know  ;  and  the  faith  which 
He  has  given  has  made  this  man  sound  and  strong  again,  as 
you  can  all  see. 

An  Appeal         "And    now,    brethren,    I    know    that  it  was  in     17 

^3r.  ^^}}^  ^"^   ignorance  that  you  did  it,  as  was  the  case  with  your 
Obedience.        ®,  ,  ^■'      .       ,  .    '  ^     ,  ,         /-,-,,;, 

rulers  also.     But  m  this  way  God  has  fulhlled  the     18 

declarations  He  made  through  all  the  Prophets,  that  His  Christ 

would  suffer.     Repent,  therefore,  and  reform  your  lives,  so  that     19 

the  record  of  your  sins  may  be  cancelled,  and  that  there  may     20 

come  seasons  of  revival  from  the  Lord,  and  that  He  may  send 

the  Christ  appointed  beforehand  for  you — even  Jesus.     Heaven     21 

must  receive  Him  until  those  times  of  which  God  has  spoken 

from  the  earliest  ages  through  the  lips  of  His  holy  prophets — the 

times  of  the  reconstitution  of  all  things.     Moses  declared,  '  THE     22 

Lord  your  God  will  raise  up  a  Prophet  for  you  from 

AMONG  your  brethren  AS  HE  HAS  RAISED  ME  ;  IN  ALL  THAT 
He   SAYS    TO   YOU,  YOU    MUST  LISTEN    TO    HiM  ;     AND    EVERY      23 
ONE,  WITHOUT  EXCEPTION,  WHO  REFUSES  TO  LISTEN  TO  THAT 

13.  Servant]  Or  perhaps  '  Child.'     See  Matt.  xii.  i8  ;  Isa.  xi.  i. 

14.  A  murderer]  Lit.  '  a  man  a  murderer.'  So  '  a  man  a  prophet,'  Luke  xxiv.  19  ; 
'a  man  a  magician,'  Acts  xiii.  6.     Cp.  Matt,  xviii.  23  ;  xxii.  2. 

16.  Faith]  That  of  the  apostles,  according  to  some  interpreters,  but  see  xiv.  9. 
Faith  .  .  being  the  conditi.'u]  Lit.  'on  condition  of  the  faith.'  Cp.  ii.  38  ;  Heb. 
X.  28.     As  you  can  all  see]  Lit.  '  before  you  all.' 

19.  Reform  your  lives]  Lit.  'turn  back;'  not  merely  turn  aside  from  your  evil 
way,  but  go  straight  back  in  the  precisely  opposite  direction.  See  Theological 
Monthly,  ii.  121,  August,  1889. 

20.  Seasons]  Not  'the  seasons,'  as  Alford.  Seasons  of  revival]  i.e.  times  of 
spiritual  blessing.  Such  have  come  to  the  penitent  right  down  tlirough  the  Chris- 
tian era.      Appointed  beforehand  for]  v.L.  '  preached  beforehand  to.' 

21.  Heaven  must  receive  Hitn]  Or  '  He  must  take  possession  of  Heaven.'  So 
most  of  the  Lutheran  divines.  From  the  earliest  ages]  Lit.  '  from  the  age.'  Recon- 
stitution] Or  'restoration,'  namely  "  to  a  state  of  primeval  order,  purity  and  happi- 
ness" (Hackett).  Otiiers  explain  the  word  as  referring  to  the  new  and  infinitely 
better  order  of  things  inaugiir.Tted  when  the  e1riv^i.^n  era  succeeded  the  Jewish  (iis- 
pensation  upon  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  in  70  a.d.  The  word  is  found  only  here.  Cp. 
i.  6  ;  Matt.  xvii.  11. 

22.  Declared]  v.L.  adds  'to  our  forefathers.' 


28o  THE    ACTS    III.-IV. 

Prophet  shall  be  utterly  destroyed  from  among  the 
People'  (Deut.  xviii.  15-19  ;  Lev.  xxiii.  29).      Yes,  and  all  the     24 
Prophets,  from  Samuel  onwards — all  who  have  spoken — have 
also  announced  the  coming  of  this  present  time. 

"You  are  the  heirs  of  the  Prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  25 
which  God  made  with  your  forefathers  when  He  said  to  Abra- 
ham, 'And  through  your  posterity  all  the  families  of 
the  world  shall  be  blessed'  (Gen.  xii.  3  ;  xxii.  9).  It  is  to  26 
you  first  that  God,  after  raising  His  Servant  from  the  grave,  has 
sent  Him  to  bless  you,  by  causing  every  one  of  you  to  turn  from 
your  wickedness." 

Arrest  of         While  they  were  saying  this  to  the  people,  the     i  t 
Peter         Priests,  the  commander   of  the  Temple    Guard, 

^"      °  "■     and  the   Sadducees  came  upon  them,  highly  in-     2 
censed  at  their  teaching  the  people  and  proclaiming  in  the  case 
of  Jesus  the  Resurrection  from  among  the  dead.     They  arrested     3 
the  two  apostles  and  lodged  them  in  custody  till  the  next  day  ; 
for  it  was  already  evening.     But  many  of  those  who  had  lis-     4 
tened  to  their  preaching  believed ;  and  the  number  of  the  adult 
men  had  now  grown  to  about  five  thousand. 

The  next  day  a  meeting  was  held  in  Jerusalem     5 
and^Defe'nce.  ^^  ^^^^^  rulers,  elders,  and    scribes,  with    Annas     6 

the  High  Priest,  Caiaphas,  John,  Alexander,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  high-priestly  family.     So  they  made     7 
the  apostles   stand    in  the  centre,  and   demanded,  "  By   what 
power  or  in  what  name  have  you  done  this  ?  "     Then  Peter  was     8 
filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  he  replied  :  "Rulers  and  Elders 
of  the  people,  if  we  to-day  are  under  examination  concerning     9 
the  benefit  conferred  on  a  man  helplessly  lame,  as  to  how  this 
man  has  been  cured ;  be  it  known  to  you  all,  and  to  all  the     10 

24.  Yes]  See  vii.  43,  n.     Announced  the  coviing  of]  Lit.  simplj' '  announced.' 

25.  Heirs]  Lit.  'sons.'     CoTenaut  .  .  made  vjith]     Or  'charter  .   .   granted  to.' 
I.  Commander  of  the  Temple  Guard]  "The  captain  of  the  Levitical  guard  of  the 

Temple  who  was  on  duty"  (Olshausen).     See  Luke  xxii.  52,  n. 

6.  Annas]  Or  probably  more  correctly  '  Hannas.' 

7.  In  the  centre]  "The  Sanhedrin  sat  in  a  semicircle"  (Wordsworth).  By]  Lit. 
'in.'  Apparently  a  Hebraism.  In]  Or 'by.'  In  the  Greek  the  preposition  is  the 
same  in  both  clauses.      IVIiat  .  .  what]  Cp.  John  x.  32,  n. 

8.  Of  the  people]  On  the  order  of  the  words  see  verse  13,  and  Phil.  i.  2,  n.  Cp. 
Matt.  xxi.  23  ;  xxvi.  3,  47. 

9.  The  benefit]  The  'this'  of  the  question  in  verse  7.  Possibly  'a  benefit' 
would  be  abetter  translation  ;  but  see  Middleton,  on  The  Article,  I.  iii.  6.  How] 
Lit.  'in  whom 'or  'in  what,' the  pronoun  being  either  mascuHne  or  neuter.  Tliis 
tnan]  Peter  while  he  speaks  points  to  the  man.  Has  been  cured]  And  continues 
cured — the  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek.     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

ID.  Th7'02igh  the  name]  Lit.  '  in  the  name.'  Cp.  verse  7  and  notes.  The  Anointed] 
Or 'Christ.'  But  we  must  not  forget  that  '  Jesus  Christ '  was  by  no  means  yet  in 
common  use  as  an  ordinary  compound  name,  if  indeed  it  ought  ever  to  be  so  regarded 
in  the  N.T.     Through  that  name]  Or  ' in  Him.'     Cp.  verse  9,  n. 


THE   ACTS    IV.  281 

people  of  Israel,  that  through  the  name  of  Jesus  the  Anointed, 
the  Nazarene,  whom  yo7i  crucified,  but  whom  God  has  raised 
from  among  the  dead— through  that  name  this  man  stands  here 
before    you   in    perfect   health.       This    Jesus    is    THE  Stone     ii 

TREATED  WITH  CONTEMPT  BY  you  THE  BUILDERS,  BUT  IT 
HAS  BEEN  MADE   THE   CORNERSTONE   (Ps.  Cxviii.   22).      And   in       12 

no  other  is  the  great  salvation  to  be  found  ;  for,  in  fact,  there 
is  no  second  name  under  heaven  that  has  been  given  among 
men  through  which  we  are  to  be  saved." 

The  two  ^^  ^^^y  looked  on  Peter  and  John  so  fearlessly     13 

Apostles  are   outspoken— and  also   discovered   that  they  were 
illiterate  persons,  untrained  in  the  schools — they 
were  surprised  ;  and  now  they  recognized  them  as  having  been 
with  Jesus.     And  seeing  the  man  standing  with  them — the  man     14 
who  had  been  cured — they  had  no   reply  to  make.     So  they     15 
ordered  them  to  withdraw  from  the  Sanhedrin  while  they  con- 
ferred among  themselves.     "What   are   we  to  do  with  these     16 
men  }"  they  asked  one  another ;  "for  the  fact  that  a  remarkable 
miracle  has  been  performed  by  them  is  well  known  throughout 
Jerusalem,  and  we  cannot  deny  it.     But  to  prevent  the  matter     17 
spreading  any  further  among  the  people,  let  us  stop  them  by 
threats  from   speaking    in    future    in  this   name  to   any  one 
whatever."     So  they  recalled  the  apostles,  and  ordered  them     18 
altogether  to  give  up  speaking  or  teaching  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
But  Peter  and  John  replied,  "Judge  whether  it  is  right  in  God's     19 
sight  to  listen  to  you  instead  of  listening  to  God.     As  for  us,     20 
what  we  have  seen  and  heard  we  cannot  help  speaking  about." 
The  Court  added  further  threats  and  then  let  them  go,  being     2 1 
quite  unable  to  find  any  way  of  punishing  them  on  account  of 
the  people,  because  all  gave  God  the  glory  for  the  thing  that  had 

T2.  The  great  salvation]  The  cure  of  all  spiritual  maladies.  It  is,  in  the  Greek, 
the  same  noun  or  the  cognate  verb  that  is  used  at  the  end  of  verse  9,  at  the  end 
of  this  verse,  and  in  this  phrase  ;  as  well  as  in  Matt.  i.  21. 

13.  Peter  &^c.]  Lit.  '  Peter's  freedom  of  speech  and  John's.'  See  Phil.  i.  2,  n. 
Nozu  they  recognized]  One  after  another  (imperfect  tense)  they  recalled  tlie  ap- 
pearance, and  perhaps  the  features,  of  the  two  whom  they  had  seen  with  the 
Nazarene. 

16.  Miracle]  Lit.  'sign.'  By  them]  Or  possibly  '  through  them,' if  we  can  believe 
that  the  Sadducees  would  recognize  the  apostles  as  "the  accredited  agents  of  a 
higher  power"  (Hackett). 

17.  The  matter]  Lit.  'it.'  They  use  a  pronoun,  being  unwilling  to  mention  the 
unquestionable  miracle  (and  the  teaching  inevitably  associated  with  it)  if  they  can 
possibly  avoid  doing  so.  /«  this  name]  A  name  which  they  hated  so  much  that 
they  would  not  utter  it,  unless  obliged,  as  iramediately  below.     Cp.  Luke  x.  37,  n. 

18.  "  Speaking,  in  private  conversation  :  teaching,  in  public  discourse  "  (Bengel). 

19.  Judge]  '  Judge  ye  '  at  the  end  of  the  clause,  although  that  is  the  order  of  tlie 
words  in  the  original,  lends  an  emphasis  to  the  pronoun  which  is  not  warranted  by 
the  Greek. 


282  THE    ACTS    IV. 

happened.     For  the  man  was  over  forty  years  of  age  on  whem     22 
this  miracle  of  restoration  to  health  had  been  performed. 

After  their  release  the  two  apostles  went  to  their     23 
prays  for      friends,  and  told  them  all  that  the  High  Priests 
Courage.     ^^^  Elders  had  said.     And  they,  upon  hearing  the     24 
story,  all  lifted  up  their  voices  to  God  and  said,  "  O  Sovereign 
Lord,  it  is  Thou  who  didst  make  heaven  and  earth  and  sea, 
and  all  that  is  in  them,  and  didst  say  through  the  Holy  Spirit     25 
by  the  lips  of  our  forefather  David,  Thy  servant, 

'  Why  have  the  nations  stamped  and  raged, 
And  the  peoples  formed  futile  plans? 
The  kings  of  the  earth  came  near,  26 

And  the  rulers  assembled  together 
Against  the  Lord  and  against  His  Anointed' 

(Ps.  ii.  I,  2). 
They   did  indeed  assemble    in    this    city  in  hostility  to    Thy     27 
holy  Servant  Jesus  whom   Thou  hadst  anointed — Herod  and 
Pontius  Pilate  with  the  Gentiles  and  also  the  tribes  of  Israel — 
to  do  all  that  Thy  power  and  Thy  will  had  predetermined  should     28 
be  done.     And  now,  Lord,  listen  to  their  threats,  and  enable     29 
Thy  servants  to  proclaim  Thy  Message  with  fearless  courage, 
whilst  Thou  stretchest  out  Thine  arm  to  cure  men,  and  to  give     30 
signs  and  marvels   through   the  name   of  Thy  holy    Servant 
Jesus." 
_.     „         ^       When  they  had  prayed,  the  place  in  which  they     31 

The  Request  ,,-,111,  j      11 

is  immediately  were  assembled  shook,  and  they  were,  one  and  all, 
granted.       ^[^^^  ^^j^^  ^-^^  p^^^y  Spirit,  and  proceeded  to  tell 

God's  Message  with  boldness. 

Among   all  those  who  had  embraced  the  faith     32 

brotheH^^Love  tl^^re  was  but  one  heart  and  soul,  so  that  none  of 

of  the         them  claimed  any  of  his  possessions  as  his  own, 

but  everything  they  had  was  common  property  ; 

while  the  apostles  with  great  force  of  conviction  delivered  their     33 

testimony  as  to  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  great 

24.  All]  Lit.  'with  one  mind.' 

25.  Th7-ough  the  Holy  SpMt  by  the  lips  of  our  forefather  DavldX  v.l.  '  through 
the"iips  of  David.'  The  Greek  here  on  which  most  modern  critics  are  agreed  is  un- 
translatable. Tischendorf,  Meyer  and  Scrivener  reject  it.  Stamped  and  raged] 
Lit.  '  pawed  the  ground  '  (or  perhaps  '  snorted ')  like  restive  horses. 

26.  Earth]  Or  'land.'  Kings  of  the  earth]  Here  denotes  the  rulers  of 
Palestine. 

27.  In  this  city]  V.L.  omits,     l^ribcs]  Lit.  '  peoples,'  alludmg  to  verse  25. 

28.  Fewer]  Lit.  'arm.'     S&c  Aorisi  \.  2. 

29.  Listen  to]  Lit.  '  look  upon.'     The  same  Greek  word  occurs  Luke  i.  25. 

3e.  Whilst  Thou  stretchest  out]  Or  '  by  Thy  stretching  out.'  Se7vant]  or  '  Child. 
See  iii.  13,  n.      It  is  the  same  word  as  inverses  25,  27  ;  iii.  26. 


THE   ACTS   IV,-V.  283 

grace  was  upon  them  all.     And,  in  fact,  there  was  not  a  needy     34 
man  among  them,  for    all    who  were    possessors  of   lands   or 
houses  sold  them,  and  brought  the  money  which  they  realised, 
and  gave  it  to  the  apostles,  and  distribution  was  made  to  every     35 
one  according  to  his  wants.     In   this  way  Joseph,  whom  the     36 
apostles  gave  the  name  of  Bar-Nabas— signifying  '  Son  of  En- 
couragement'—a  Levite,  a  native  of  Cyprus,  sold  a  farm  which     37 
he  had,  and  brought  the  money  and  gave  it  to  the  apostles. 
Falsehood  There  was    a    man    of   the    name  of    Ananias     i    1 

terribly       who,  with  his   wife  Sapphira,  sold  some  property 

but,  with  her  full  knowledge    and    consent,  dis-     2 
honestly  kept  back  part  of  the  price  which  he  received  for  it, 
though    he    brought    the    rest   and   gave   it   to   the    apostles, 
"  Ananias,"  said   Peter,   "  why  has  Satan  taken    possession  of    3 
your  heart,  that  you  should  try  to  deceive  the  Holy  Spirit  and 
dishonestly  keep  back  part  of  the  price  paid  you  for  this  land  ? 
While  it  remained  unsold,  was  not  the  land  your  own  ?  and     4 
when  sold,  was  it  not  at   your  own  disposal  .'*     How  is  it  that 
you  have  cherished  this  design  in  your  heart  ?     It  is  not  to  men 
you  have  told  this  lie,  but  to  God."     Upon  hearing  these  words     5 
Ananias  fell  down  dead,  and  all  who  heard  the   words  were 
awe-struck.     The  younger  men.  however,  rose,   and  wrapping     6 
the  body  up,  carried  it  out  and  buried  it. 

34.  A//]  In  the  Hebrew  sense,  by  no  means  implying  absolute  universalitJ^  In 
the  present  case  we  know  that  Mark's  mother  did  not  sell  her  house,  xii.  12.  So/d 
.  .  brjug/'ic]  These  and  all  the  verbs  in  verses  32-35  are  in  the  imperfect  tense.  The 
sales  did  not  all  take  place  simultaneously  and  once  for  all. 

35.  37-  Gave  it  to  the  apostles\  Lit.  '  laid  it  at  the  feet  of  the  apostles.' 

36.  Encoura^eynent]  The  primary  meaning  of  this  noun,  as  well  as  the  verb  from 
which  it  is  derived  (which  occur,  in  all,  about  134  times  in  the  N.T.),  is  that  of  'call- 
ing to  one's  side,'  as  an  officer  heading  his  troops,  or  a  leader  in  any  hazardous 
enterprise,  may  call  his  followers  to  keep  close  to  him.  By  both  word  and  example 
he  rouses  the  sluggish  and  cheers  the  disheartened.  Hence  the  words  may  sig.nify  (r) 
both  exhortation  and  comfort  ;  the  latter  of  these  ideas,  apart  from  the  former,  being 
often  expressed  by  a  different  word  in  Greek  (John  xi.  19,  31).  To  convey  this  double 
sense  in  English  the  most  appropriate  words  appear  to  be  '  encourage  '  and  '  encour- 
agement.' But  (2)  a  mother,  too,  may  call  her  weeping  child  to  her  side,  and  the 
element  of  cheer  may  predominate  (2  Cor.  i.  3-7).  (3)  The  thought  of  danger, 
suffering  or  sorrow,  being  dropped,  these  words  often  widen  their  significance  into 
the  more  general  one  of  'entreating,'  '  beseeching,' '  earnestly  requesting '  (Matt.  viii. 

37.  A  native  0/  Cyprus]  See  xviii.  2,  n.  A  /arm]  Or  '  an  estate.'  A  '  field  ' 
erroneously  suggests  a  few  acres  of  ground  surrounded  by  a  hedge. 

1.  Ananias]  Perhaps  more  correctly  '  Hanaiiias.' 

2.  Dishonestly  kept  back]  "  The  person  defrauded  is  God  "  (Wordsworth).  The 
word  also  occurs  in  Titus  ii.  10. 

3    Has  Satan  taken]  i.e.  'have  you  allowed  Satan  to  take.' 

4.  Cherished]  Lit.  '  placed.'  It  is  Jiot  to  men  dr'c.]  i.e.,  'your  attempt  to  deceive 
us  men  is  nothing  in  comparison  with  your  idle  attempt  to  deceive  God.'  But  the 
order  of  the  words  (the  negative  being  connected  with  '  lied,'  not  with  'men'), 
though  this  is  not  a  decisive  argument,  suggests  as  possibly  the  preferable  render- 
ing, '  in  men's  estimation  this  was  not  a  lie,  but  God  judges  otherwise.'  It  may  be 
that  Ananias  acted  the  lie  without  speaking  it. 


284  THE   ACTS  V, 

About  three  hours  had  passed,  when  his  wife  came  in,  know-     7 
ing  nothing  of  what  had  happened.     Peter  at  once  questioned     8 
her.     "  Tell  me,"  he  said,  "  whether  you  sold  the  land  for  so 
much."     "  Yes,"  she    replied,   "  for  so  much."     "  How  was  it,"     9 
replied  Peter,  "  that  you  two  agreed  to  try  an  experiment  upon 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?    The  men  who  have  buried  your  hus- 
band are  already  at  the  door,  and  they  will  carry  you  out." 
Instantly  she  fell  down  dead  at  his  feet,  and  the  young  men     lo 
came  in   and  found  her  dead.     So  they  carried  her  out  and 
buried  her  by  her  husband's  side.     This  incident  struck  terror     ii 
into  the  whole  church,  and  into  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard 
of  it. 

Many  signs  and  marvels  continued  to  be  done     I2 
'^Mi'racles!''    among  the  people  by  the  apostles  ;  and  by  com- 
mon consent  they  all  met  in   Solomon's  Portico. 
But  none  of  the  others  dared  to  attach  themselves  to  them.     13 
Yet  the  people  held  them  in  high  honour — and  more  and  more     14 
believers  in  the   Lord  joined  them,   including  great  numbers 
both  of  men  and  women — so  that  they  would  even  bring  out     15 
their  sick  friends  into  the  streets  and  lay  them  on  light  couches 
or  mats,  in  order  that  when  Peter  came  by,  at  least  his  shadow 
might  fall  on  one  or  other  of  them.     The  inhabitants,  too,  of     16 
the  towns  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem  came   in  crowds, 
bringing  sick  persons  and  some  who  were  harassed  by  foul 
spirits,  and  they  were  cured,  one  and  all. 

This  roused  the   High  Priest.     He  and  all  his     17 
T^fri^cuTousiy  party— the  sect  of  the  Sadducees— were  filled  with 
released  from  angry  jealousy  and  laid  hands  upon  the  apostles,     18 
and  put  them  into  the  public  jail.     But  during  the     19 
night  an  angel  of  the  Lord  opened  the  prison  doors  and  brought 
them  out,  and  said,  "  Go  and  stand  in  the  Temple,  and  go  on     20 

8.  Questioned']  Lit.    'answered.'     Cp.  Matt.  xii.  38,  n. 

9.  To  try  an  experiment  ripon\  ''  To  test  the  omniscience  of  the  Spirit,  then 
visibly  dwelling  in  tlie  apostles  and  the  Church,  was  in  the  highest  sense  to  tempt 
the  Spirit  of  God  "  (Alford).     See  Matt.  iv.  7,  n.      The  men\  Lit.  '  the  feet  of  those.' 

ID.  Came  in  ami]  Or  perhaps  '  when  they  came  in.'     So  Alford. 

13.  None  of  the  others  ^'c]  The  meaning  seems  to  be  either  (i)  that  none  of  the 
Jewish  rulers  had  the  courage  to  avow  themselves  Christians — cp.  John  ix.  22  ;  xii. 
42  ;  (2)  that  no  unbeliever  ventured  to  intrude  on  these  gatlierings  ;  or  (3)  that  so 
great  was  the  respect  and  awe  inspired  by  the  apostles  that  ordinary  Christians 
held  aloof  from  them.     But  the  last-named  explanation  is  an  unlikely  one. 

15.  Would  briii^  out  .  .  would  lay]  The  tense  implies  repeated  or  habitual 
action.     Their  sick  friends]  \,\t.  '  the  sick.' 

16.  Came  .  .  were  cured]  The  tense  is  the  imperfect,  and  implies  that  this  went 
on  for  some  time. 

20.  This  Message  0/ Life]  Lit.  '  the  words  of  this  life.'  "  Among  the  Hebrews 
the  adjective  often  agrees  with  the  latter  noun  of  two  "  (Bengel).  Cp.  xiii.  26  ; 
John  vi.  68. 


THE   ACTS   V.  285 

proclaiming  to  the  people  all  this  Message  of  Life."      Having     21 
received  that  command  they  went   into  the  Temple  just  before 
daybreak  and  began  to  teach. 

So  when  the  High  Priest  and  his  party  came, 
TelJhTrn^th'e    and  had  called  together  the  Sanhedrin  as  well  as 

Temple        ^11  the  elders  of  the  descendants  of  Israel,  they 

sent  to  the  jail  to  fetch    the  apostles.      But  the     22 
officers  went  and  could  not  find  them  in  the  prison  ;  so  they 
came  back  and  brought  word,  saying,  "The  jail  we  found  quite     23 
safely  locked,  and  the  warders  were  on  guard  at  the  doors,  but 
upon  going  in  we  found  no  one  there."     When  the  commander     24 
of  the   Temple  Guards  ^nd  the   High  Priests  heard  this  state- 
ment, they  were  utterly  at  a  loss  with  regard  to  it,  wondering 
what  would  happen  next.     And  some  one  came  and   brought     25 
them  word,  saying,  "  The  men  you  put  in  prison  are  actually  in 
the  Temple,  standing  there,  teaching  the  people." 

Peter  again        Upon  this  the  commander  went  with  the  officers,     26 
testifies  to  the  and    brought    the   apostles  ;    but    without    using 
violence,  for  they  were  afraid  of  being  stoned  by 
the  people.     So  they  brought  them   and   made  them   stand  in     27 
front  of  the  Sanhedrin.     And  then  the  High  Priest  questioned 
them.     "  We  strictly  forbad  you   to  teach  in   that  name — did     28 
we  not  ? "  he  said  ;  "  and  see  !  you  have  filled  Jerusalem  with 
your  teaching,  and  are  trying  to  make  us  responsible  for  that 
man's  death."      Peter  and  the  other  apostles  replied  :    "  We     29 
must  obey  God  in  preference  to  man.     The   God  of  our  fore-     30 
fathers  has  raised  Jesus  to  life,  whom  you  crucfied  and  put  to 
death.     God  has  exalted  Him  to  His  right  hand  as  chief  Leader     31 
and  as  Saviour,  to  ^ve    Israel  repentance  and  forgiveness  of 
sins.     And  we  are  witnesses  as  to  these  things,  and  so  is  the     32 
Holy  Spirit  which  God  has  given  to  those  who  obey  Him." 

Infuriated    at   getting    this    answer,  they  were  disposed  to     ^^ 

21.  Elders'l  Lit.  'Eldership'  or  'Senate.'  The  word  here  employed  occurs  no- 
where else  in  the  N.T.,  though  it  is  found  more  than  twenty  times  in  the  LXX. 
Descendants]  Lit.  '  sons,'  here  and  elsewhere,  when  followed  by  '  of  Israel.' 

23.    Upon goins;  in\  Lit.  'having  opened  '  (the  doors). 

25.  Actually]  Lit   '  behold.'     Cp.  Matt.  viii.  24,  n. 

27.  In- front  oJ~\  Lit.  '  in.'     See  iv.  7,  n. 

30.  Raised  to  life\  Lit.  '  raised  up.  The  verb  occurs  in  x.  40  ;  xiii.  37  ;  i  Cor. 
vi.  14,  and  nearly  80  other  passages,  in  most  of  which  it  is  in  the  passive.  Others 
explain  the  word  as  meaning  '  sent  into  the  world  ;  '  so  in  xiii.  22  ;  Matt.  xi.  11. 

31.  To  His  right  hand]  Or  'with  His  mighty  hand.'  Cp.  ii.  33,  n.  Chief 
Leader]  Not  '  a  Prince,  to  whom  you  owe  obedience '  (Alford),  a  meaning  which 
this  word  never  bears.     See  Heb.  xii.  2,  n. 

33.  I n/j(riated]  Lit.  '  sawn  asunder.'  The  word  occurs  here  and  in  vii.  54.  IFere 
disposed]  v.L.  '  consulted  together.' 


286  THE   ACTS   V.-VI. 

Gamaliel  urges  ^^'^^  ^^^  apostles.     But  a  Pharisee  of  the  name  of    34 

the  Sanhedrin  Gamaliel,  a  teacher  of  the  Law,  held  in  honour  by 

to  be  cautious.      ,,     ,  ,  -  ,  .  ,  , 

all  the  people,  rose  from  his  seat  and  requested 

that  they  ^hould  be  sent  outside  the  court  for  a  few  minutes. 

"  Israelites,"  he  said,  "  be  careful  what  you  are  about  to  do  in     35 

^4ealing  with  these  men.     Years  ago  Theudas  appeared,  pro-     36 

fessing  to  be  a  person  of  importance,  and  a  body  of  men,  some 

four  hundred  in   number,  joined  him.     He  was  killed,  and  all 

his  followers  were  dispersed  and  annihilated.     After  him,   at     37 

the  time  of  the  Census,  came  Judas,  the  Galilaean,  and  was  the 

leader  in  a  revolt.     He  too  perished,  and  all  his  followers  were 

scattered.     And  now  I  tell  you  to  hold  aloof  from  these  men     38 

and  leave  them  alone — for  if  this  scheme  or  work  is  of  human 

origin,  it   will  come  to   nothing  ;  but  if  it  is  really  from  God,     3.9 

you  will  be  powerless  to  put  them  down — lest  perhaps  you  find 

yourselves  to  be  actually  fighting  against  God." 

His  advice  carried  conviction.     So  they  called     40 

Tlischarged^    the  apostles  in,  and — after  flogging  them—  ordered 

them  not  to  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  then 

let  them  go.      They,   therefore,   left  the   Sanhedrin  and   went     41 

their  way,  rejoicing  that  they  had  been  deemed  worthy  to  suffer 

disgrace  on  behalf  of  the  NAME  ;  but  they  did  not  desist  from     42 

teaching  every  day,  in  the  Temple  or  in  private  houses,   and 

telling  the  Good  News  about  Jesus,  the  Christ. 

r>u      I.      About  this  time,  as  the  number  of  the  disciples     i   I 

Seven  Church  '  ^  ^ 

Officers  was  increasing,  complaints  were  made  by  the  Greek- 
appom  e  .  speaking  Jews  against  the  Hebrews  because  their 
widows  were  habitually  overlooked  in  the  daily  ministration. 
So  the  Twelve  called  together  the  general  body  of  the  disciples  2 
and  said,  "  It  does  not  seem  fitting  that  we  apostles  should 
neglect    God's   message    and   minister   at   tables.     Therefore,     3 

34.    T/iey]  Lit.  '  the  fellows,'  '  the  men.'     v. L.  '  the  apostles.' 

40.  Fio^^In^']  This  would  be  the  Jewish  'forty  stripes  save  one,'  not  the  Roman 
scourging  (with  the  horribile JJagelhiui)  which  our  Lord  suffered.  See  Deut.  xxv. 
g,  3  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  24. 

41.  Left  the  SanheJrin]  Lit. '  went  from  the  face  of  the  Sanhedrin.'  See  xii.  24,  n. 
RejoiciHg]  Cp.  the  Lord's  beatitudes  (Matt.  v.  10-12).  The  NAME]  Uf  Jesus. 
Cp.  Lev.  xxiv.  II,  16;  3  John  7. 

1.  The  Greek-speaking  J ews\  Lit.  'the  Hellenists.'  Hebrews]  When  used  as  here 
in  opposition  to  Hellenists,  this  word  denotes  the  Jews  of  Palestine,  who  spoke 
Aramaic. 

1,2,4.  The  two  words  'ministration'  and  'minister'  are  derivatives  of  the  one 
which  we  have  anglicized  into  '  deacon,'  and  hence  the  officials  named  below  are 
commonly  called  'the  seven  deacons.'  The  term  'deacon'  itself  had  not  yet 
acquired  its  distinctive  sense. 

2.  Fitting-]  Lit.  'pleasing.'  IVe  apostles]  Lit.  simply  '  we.'  Minister  at  tables^ 
Or  more  freely  '  wait  at  table,'  i.e.  aticuJ  to  business  matters. 


THE   ACTS   VI.-VII.  287 

brethren,  pick  out  from  among  yourselves  seven  men  of  good 

repute,  full  of  the  Spirit,  and  of  wisdom,  and   we  will  appoint 

them  to  undertake  this  duty  ;  but,  as  for  us,  we  will  devote  our-     4 

selves  to  prayer  and  to  the   delivery  of  the    Message."     The     5 

suggestion  met  with  general  approval,  and  they  selected  Stephen, 

a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the   Holy   Spirit,  Philip,  Prochorus, 

Nicanor,  Timon,  Parmenas,  and  Nicolas,  a  proselyte  of  Antioch. 

These  men  they  brought  to  the  apostles,  and,  after  prayer,  they     6 

laid  their  hands  upon  them. 

„     .  .  _  Meanwhile  God's  Message  continued  to  spread     7 

Rapid  Growth  .     ,  ,  -,..*'.,.,  ,       ^  ' 

of  the  Church,  and  the  number  of  the  disciples  in  Jerusalem  very 

greatly  increased,  and  ver)'  many   priests  obeyed 
the  faith.     And    Stephen,  full  of  grace   and  power,  performed     8 
great  marvels  and  signs  among  the  people. 

But  some  members  of  the  so-called  '  Synagogue     9 
arres^ted!^     of  the  Freed-men,"  together  with  some  Cyrenaeans, 

Alexandrians,  Cilicians  and  Asians,  were  roused  to 
encounter  Stephen  in  debate.    They  were  quite  unable,  however,     10 
to  resist  the  wisdom  and  the  Spirit  with  which  he  spoke.     Then     11 
they  privately  put  forward  men  who  declared,  "  We  have  heard 
him  speak  blasphemous  things  against  Moses  and  against  God;" 
and  in  this  way  they  excited  the   people,  the  elders,  and   the     12 
scribes.    At  length  they  came  upon  him,  seized  him  with  violence, 
and  took  him  before  the  Sanhedrin.     Here  they  brought  forward     13 
false  witnesses  who  declared,  "This  fellow  is  incessantly  speak- 
ing against  the  Holy  Place  and  the    Law.     For  we  have  heard     14 
him  say  that  Jesus,  the  Nazarene,  will  pull  this  place  down  to 
the  ground  and  will  change  the  customs  which  Moses  handed 
down  to  us." 

At  once  the  eyes  of  all  who  were  sittins:  in  the     i; 

The  High  .  o  j 

Priest  Sanhedrin  were  fastened  on  him,  and  they  saw  his 

questions  him.  ^^^^  looking  just  like  the  face  of  an  angel.  Then     i   r 
the  High  Priest  asked  him,  "  Are  these  statements  true?" 

Stephen  replied,  "  Sirs — brethren  and  fathers  — listen  to  me.     2 

4.  Delivery]  Lit.  'ministration.' 

7.  Ve7y  many  priests]  "  4289  priests  returned  from  Babylon  (Ezra  ii.  36-59),  and 
the  number  would  probably  have  much  increased  since  then  "  (Alford). 

9.  Asians]  Not  'Asiatics,'  which  would  convey  a  widely  different  sense. 
See  ii.  9,  n. 

12.  Before]  Lit.  '  in.' 

14.  This  place]  The  Temple  with  its  courts.  "The  Sanhedrin,  usually  assembled 
under  the  presidency  of  the  High  Priest,  sat  in  the  cliamber  sailed  Gazitli,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Temple." 

2.  God  Most  Glorious]  Lit.  '  the  God  of  Glory,'  a  common  Hebraism.  ''  In  the 
Hebrew  language  there  is  a  waut  of  adjectives  in  proportion  to  the  substantives  " 
(Gesenius).     Alford,  who  manifests  a  strange  reluctance  to  recognize  the  frequent 


288  THE   ACTS   VII. 

Stephen's  God  Most  Glorious  appeared  to  our  forefather 
Revfew^^of  the  Abraham  when  he  was  living  in  Mesopotamia,  be- 

Nation's        fore  he  settled  in  Haran,  and  said  to  him,  *  Leave     3 
'*  °'^^'        your  country  and  your  relatives,  and  come  into 
whatever  land  I  point  out  to  you  '  (Gen.  xii.  i).     Thereupon  he     4 
left  Chaldaea  and  settled  in  Haran  till  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  when  God  caused  him  to  remove  into  this  country  where 
you  now  live.     But  he  gave  him  no  inheritance  in  it,  no,  not  a     5 
single  square  yard  of  ground  (Deut.  ii.  5) ;  and  yet  He  promised 
to  bestow  the  land  as  a  permanent  possession  on  him  and  his 
posterity  after  him— and  promised  this  at  a  time  when  Abraham 
was  childless  (Gen.  xvii.  8).     And  God  declared  that  Abraham's     6 
posterity  should  for  four  hundred  years  make  their  home  in  a 
country  not  their  own,   and  be   reduced   to    slavery   and   be 
oppressed.     'And  the  nation,  whichever  it   is,  that   enslaves     7 
them,  I  will  judge,'  said  God  ;  'and  afterwards  they  shall  come 
out'  (Gen.  xv.  13,  14),  'and  they  shall  worship  Me  in  this  place' 
(Exod.  iii.  12).     Then  He  gave  him  the  covenant  of  circumcision     8 
(Gen.  xvii.  10),  and  under  this  covenant  he  became  the  father  of 
Isaac — whom  he  circumcised  on  the  eighth  day  (Gen.  xxi.  4). 
Isaac  became  the  father  of  Jacob,  and  Jacob  became  the  father 
of  the  twelve  Patriarchs. 

"  The  Patriarchs  were  jealous  of  Joseph  and  sold  him  into    9 
slavery  in  Egypt  (Gen.  xxxvii.  11,  28)  ;  but  God  was  with  him 
(Gen.  xxxix.  2,  21)  and  delivered  him  from  all  his  afflictions,  and     10 
gave  him  favour  and  wisdom  when  he  stood  before  Pharaoh, 
king  of  Egypt,  who  appointed  him  governor  over  Egypt  and  all 
the  royal  household  (Gen.  xli.  37,  40,  43,  55  ;    Ps.  cv.  21).      But     11 
there   came   a    famine  throughout   the   whole   of  Egypt    and 
Canaan— and  great  distress — so  that  our  forefathers  could  find 
no  food  (Gen.  xli.  54).     When,  however,  Jacob  heard  that  there     12 
was   wheat   to  be  had,   he  sent    our    forefathers   into   Egypt 
(Gen.  xlii.  i)  ;  that  was  the  first  time.     On  their  second  visit     13 
Joseph  made  himself  known  to  his  brothers   (Gen.  xlv.  4),  and 
Pharaoh  was  informed  of  Joseph's  parentage.  Then  Joseph  sent     14 
and  invited   his  father  Jacob  and  all   his   family,  numbering 
seventy-five  persons  (Gen.  xlv.  9  ;  xlvi.  27),  to  come  to  him,  and     15 

occurrence  of  Hebraisms  in  the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  explains  thus—"  the 
God  of  (i.e.  who  possesses  and  manifests    Himself  by)  Glory,  i.e.  the  Shechinah." 

4.  Vou]  Not  '  we,'  Stephen  being  probably  a  Hellenist. 

5.  Square yard\  Lit.  'as  much  as  a  man  can  step  across.' 

14.  Seventy  Jive]  Instead  of  the  five  less  of  the  original  Hebrew.  So  in  the  LXX., 
Gen.  xlvi.  27.  "  Steplien,  as  a  Hellenistic  Jew,  naturally  accepted  the  number  which 
he  found  in  the  Greek  version  "  (Plumptre). 


THE    ACTS    VIL  289 

Jacob  went  down  into  Egypt  (Gen.  xlvi.  5).     There  he  died,  and 
so  did  our  forefathers  (Gen.  xlix.  33  ;  Exod.  i.  6),  and  they  were     16 
taken  to  Shechem  and  were  laid  in   the  tomb  which  Abraham 
had  bought  from  the  sons  of  Hamor  at  Shechem  for    a  sum   of 
money  paid  in  silver  (Gen.  1.  13  ;  Josh,  xxiv,  32). 

"But  as  the  time  drew  near  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise     17 
which  God  had  made  to  Abraham,  the  people  became  many  times 
more  numerous  in  Egypt,  until  there  arose  a  foreign  king  over     18 
Egypt    who   knew    nothing    of    Joseph    (Exod.    i.    7,   8).     He     19 
adopted  a  crafty  policy  towards  our  race,  and  oppressed  our 
forefathers,  making  them  cast  out   their  infants   so  that  they 
might  not  be  permitted  to  live  (Exod.  i.  10,  22).     At  this  time     20 
Moses  was  born — a  wonderfully  beautiful  child    (Exod.  ii.  2)  ; 
and  for  three  months  he  was  cared  for  in  his  father's  house.    At     21 
length  he  was  cast  out,  but  Pharaoh's  daughter  adopted  him,  and 
brought  him  up  as  her  own   son  (Exod.  ii.  5,  10).     So  Moses     22 
was  educated  in  all  the  science  of  the  Egyptians,  and  possessed 
great  influence  through  his  eloquence  and  his  achievements. 

"And  when  he  was  just  forty  years  old,  it  occurred  to  him  to     23 
visit  his  brethren  the  descendants  of  Israel.     Seeing  one  of  them     24 
wrongfully  treated  he  took  his  part,  and  secured  justice  for  the 
sufferer   by   striking  down   the    Egyptian.     He    supposed    his     25 
brethren  to   be   aware    that    by  him    God    was   sending   them 
deliverance;  this,  however,  they  did  not  understand.     The  next     26 
day,  also,  he  came  and  found  two  of  them   fighting,  and    he 
endeavoured  to  make  peace  between  them.    '  Sirs,'  he  said,  '  you 
are   brothers:  why  are  you  wronging  one  another?'     But  the     27 
man  who  was  doing  the  wrong  resented  his  interference,  and 
asked,   '  Who    appointed  you    magistrate  and  judge  over  us  ? 
Do  you  mean  to  kill  me  as  you  killed  the  Egyptian  yesterday  ?'     28 
Alarmed  at  this  question,  Moses  fled  from  the  country  and  went     29 
to  live  in  the  land  of  Midian  (Exod.  ii.  1 1-15).     There  he  became 
the  father  of  two  sons. 

'  But  at  the  end  of  forty  years  there  appeared  to  him  in  the     30 
desert  of  Mount  Sinai  an  angel  in  the  middle  of  a  flame  of  fire 
in  a  bush.     When  Moses  saw  this  he   wondered  at  the  sight  ;     31 

16.  ShecJiem\  "  In  the  time  of  Jerome  the  tombs  of  the  twelve  Patriarchs  were 
shown  at  Shechem"  (Plumptre).  Abraham  had  bought]  Probably  a  Samaritan 
tradition.     For  'at  Shechem'  v.L.  has  '  the  father  (or,  the  son)  of  Sliechem.' 

19.  Be  permitted  to  live]  The  same  verb  is  used  in  Exo  1.  i    17,  LXK. 

20.  Wonderfully  beautiful]  Lit.  '  beautiful  to  God,'  a  Hebraism.  So  in  Jonah  iii.  3, 
Nineveh  is  described  as  (literally)  "a  city  great  to  God." 

24.   The  sufferer]  Lit.  '  him  who  was  being  oppressed.' 
27.  Resented  his  interference]  Or  'pushed  him  away.' 

u 


290  THE   ACTS    VII. 

but  on  his  going  up  to  look  further,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  was 
heard,  saying-,  '  I  am  the  God  of  your  forefathers,  the  God  of    32 
Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob.'     Quaking  with  fear  Moses 
did  not  dare  gaze.     '  Take  off  your  shoes,'  said  the  Lord,  '  for     33 
the  spot  on  which  you  are  standing  is  holy  ground.     I  have  seen,     34 
yes,  I  have  seen  the  oppression  of  My  people  who  are  in  Egypt 
and  have  heard  their  groans  :  and  I  have  come  down  to  deliver 
them.     And  now  I  will  send  you  to  Egypt'  (Exod.  iii.  10). 

"  The  Moses  whom  they  rejected,  asking  him, '  Who  appointed     35 
you  magistrate   and  judge?' — that  same  Moses  we  find  God 
sending  as  a  magistrate  and  a  deliverer  by  the  help  of  the  angel 
who  appeared  to  him  in  the  bush.     This  was  he  who  brought     36 
them  out,  after  performing  marvels  and  signs  in  Egypt  and  at 
the  Red  Sea,  and  in  the  desert  for  forty   years.     This  is  the     37 
Moses  who  said  to  the  descendants  of  Israel,  '  GOD  will  RAISE 
UP  A  Prophet  for  you,  from  among  your   brethren, 
JUST  AS  He  raised  me  up'  (Deut.  xviii.  15,18).     This  is  he     38 
who   was  among    the    Congregation    in    the   desert,   together 
with    the    angel    who    spoke    to    him    on    Mount    Sinai    and 
with  our  forefathers,  who  received  living  utterances  to   hand 
on  to  us. 

"Our  forefathers,   however,   would  not  submit  to  him,  but     39 
spurned  his  authority  and  in  their  hearts  turned  back  to  Egypt. 
They  said  to  Aaron,  '  Make  gods  for  us,  to  march  in  front  of  us  ;     40 
for  as  for  this  Moses  who  brought  us  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
we  do  not  know  what  has  become  of  him '  (Exod.  xxxii.  1-8). 
Moreover  they  made  a  calf  at  that  time,  and  offered  a  sacrifice     41 
to  the  idol  and  kept  rejoicing  in  the  gods  which  their  own  hands 
had  made.     So  God  turned  from  them  and  gave  them  up  to  the     42 
worship  of  the  Host  of  Heaven,  as  it  is  written  in  the  Book  of 
the  Prophets, 

34.  I  7vin  semi]  Lit.  (according  to  all  the  best  MSS.)  '  let  Me  send.' 

35.  IVeJind  God senciing]  Lit.  'God  has  sent  '  It  is  the  perfect  tense  :  'him,  we 
see  in  the  sacred  narrative,  God  has  sent.'  See  Aorist  vii.  8.  Deliverer]  Lit. 
'redeemer,'  '  ransomer.' 

36.  After  performing]  Or  simply'  performing.' 

37.  v.L.  adds  'to  him  yon  must  listen.' 

38.  Congregation]  Tiie  word  here  used  by  Luke  ('  ecclesia')  means  in  the  LXX.  the 
congregation  or  'assembly  '  of  all  Israel,  as  in  Deut.  xviii.  16.  There  are  as  many  as 
70  passages  in  all.  Elsewhere  in  the  N.T.  it  is  translated  '  church.'  Ever-living]  Lit. 
'living.'  Cp.  I  Peter  i  23,  24.  The  sense  'life-giving'  is  not  in  the  word,  thougli 
suggested  by  it.  See  Rom.  viii.  3;  Gal.  iii.  21.  Utterances]  i.e.  God's  utterances. 
The  same  word  is  found  in  Rom.  iii.  2  ;  Heb.  v.  12;  i  Pet.  iv.  11,     To  us]  v.L.  '  to  you.' 

40.  Gods]  Or  'a  God.'  '  Elohim,'  the  Hebrew  word  for  'God,'  is  plural  in  form, 
ihe/>luralis  excellentiae. 

42.  Offi-red  yi/^"]  The  '  Me '  in  the  Greek  is  not  emphatic.  The  emphasis  is  on 
'  victini.s,'  etc. 


43 


THE    ACTS   VII.  291 

'  Were  they  victims  and  sacrifices  which  you  offered 

Me, 
Forty  years  in  the  desert,  O  House  of  Israel  ? 
Yes,  you  lifted  up  Moloch's  Tent 
And  the  Star  of  the  god  Rephan— 
The   images   which   you   made   in   order  to  worship 

THEM  ; 

And  I  will  remove  you  beyond  Babylon'  (Amos  v.  25-27). 
"  Our  forefathers  had  the  Tent  of  the  Testimony  in  the  desert,     44 
built  as  He  who  spoke  to  Moses  had  instructed  him  to  make  it 
in  imitation  of  the  model  which  he  had  seen.     That  Tent  was     45 
bequeathed  to  the  next  generation  of  our  forefathers.     Under 
Joshua  they   brought    it    with  them   when    they    were    taking 
possession  of   the  land  of  the  Gentiles,  whom  God  drove  out 
before  them.     So  it  continued  till  David's  time.     David  obtained     46 
favour  with  God,  and  asked  leave  to  provide  a  dwelling-place 
for  the  God  of  Jacob.     But  it  was  Solomon  who  built  a  house     47 
for   Him.     Yet   the    Most    High   does  not   dwell  in  buildings     48 
erected  by  men's  hands  ;  but,  as  the  Prophet  declares, 
'  The  sky  is  My  throne,  ♦     49 

And  earth  is  the  footstool  for  My  feet. 

What  kind  of   house  will  you   build  for  Me,  says 
the  Lord, 

Or  what  resting  place  shall  I  have  ? 

Did  not  My  hand  form  this  universe?'  (Isa. Ixvi.  i,  2).     50 
"  O  stiff-necked  men,  uncircumcised  in  heart  and     5 1 

^resembfed^     ears,  you  also  are   continually  at  strife  with  the 

their  Fore-     Holy    Spirit — just    as    your    forefathers     were, 
fathers.        ,.,,  •   ,       r    i        tC       , 

Which  ot  the   Prophets  did   not  your  forefathers     52 

persecute  ?     Yes,  they  killed  those  who  announced  beforehand 

the  advent  of  the  righteous  One,  whose  betrayers  and  murderers 

you  have  now  become — you  who  received  the  Law  given  through     53 

angels,  and  yet  have  not  obeyed  it." 

43.  Ves]  Lit.  '  and.'  So  in  Hebrew  the  common  word  for  '  and  '  is  rendered  '  yea  ' 
in  Job  V.  19  ;  Prov.  vi.  i6 ;  xxx.  i8,  29  ;  Amos  i.  3.  6,  9,  11.  Lifted  u/]  i.e.  'as 
mock  heave-offerings  to  insult  Me.'  Moloch's  Tent]  So  there  was  a  sacred  Tent  in 
the  camps  of  the  Carthaginian  army. 

44.  The  Tent  0/  the  Testimony^  i.e.  the  Tent  which  contained  '  the  Ark  of  the 
Testimony '  (Exod.  xl.  20) — the  Law  of  the  Ten  Commandments — which  so  long  as 
they  preserved  it  and  obeyed  it,  bore  witness  to  the  presence  of  God  and  to  His 
gracious  promises.  '  Promise,'  for  wliich  the  Hebrew  language  has  no  separate  and 
distinct  word,  is  probably  the  leading  thought  where  '  testimonies '  occurs  so  frequently 
in  Ps.  cxix. 

51.  At  strife]  The  same  word  is  used  in  Num.  xxvii.  14,  LXX. 
53.  Given  througJi\  Lit.  '  ordinances  of.'    Cp.  Gal.  iii.  19. 


292  THE   ACTS   VII.-VIII. 

As  they  listened  to  these  words,  they  became     54 
stmied"to      infuriated  and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  him.     But     55 
Death.         ^^^^^  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  looking  up  to  Heaven, 
Stephen  saw  the  glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  at   God's 
right  hand.     "  I  can  see  Heaven  wide  open,"  he  said,  "and  the     56 
Son  of  Man  standing  at  God's  right  hand."     Upon  this,  with     57 
a  loud  outcry  they  stopped  their  ears,  rushed  upon  Stephen  in 
a   body,   dragged   him  out   of  the  city,    and   stoned   him,    the     58 
witnesses  throwing  off  their  outer  garments  and  giving  them 
into   the  care  of  a  young  man  called   Saul.     So  they   stoned     59 
Stephen,  while  he  prayed,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit."  Then     60 
risin^'  on  his  knees  he  cried  aloud,  "  Lord,  do  not  reckon  this 
sin  against  them  ; "  and  with  these  words  he  died.     And  Saul 
fully  approved  of  his  murder. 

At   this   time   a   great    persecution    broke    out     i   Q 

Believers  per-  111.    ti  ju  *.  ^^ 

secuted  and    against  the  church   at  Jerusalem,  and  all  except 
scattered.      ^^^^  apostles  were  scattered  throughout  Judaea  and 
Samaria.     A  party  of  devout  men,  however,  buried  Stephen,  and     2 
made  loud  lamentation  over  him.      But  Saul  cruelly  harassed     3 
Uie  church.     He  went  into  house  after  house,  and  dragging  off 
both  men  and  women,  threw  them  into  prison. 

The  Church  in  Judaea  and  Samaria, 

Those,  however,  who  were  scattered  abroad  went     4 

Philip  S  '  '  T  1  ^  1    TvT  r 

Preaching  and  from  place  to  place  spreadmg  the  Good  News  or 

Miracles.       Q^^^^'g  Message  ;  while  Philip  went  down  to  the  city     5 
of  Samaria  and  proclaimed   Christ    there.     Crowds  of  people     6 
with  one  accord  gave  attention  to  what  they  heard  from  him, 
listening,  and  witnessing  the  signs  which  he  did.      For,  with  a     7 

55.  Fui/]  Lit.  'being  full,'  the  same  verb  as  in  viii.  18,  where  see  note.  Stephen^ 
Lit.  '  he.'  Saiv\  Perhaps  with  the  inner  spiritual  eye.  The  vision  was  manifestly 
witiiheld  from  the  bystanders.     Cp.  ix.  7  ;  INIatt.  xxiv.  30,  n. 

56.  /  can  see\  Lit.  '  1  see.' 

58.  59.  Stoned  him]  It  seems  impossible  to  convey  in  a  concise  form  in  English  the 
full  force  of  the  tense  (imperfect)  here  employed,  as  indicating  the  protracted  horrors 
of  the  cruel  act. 

59.  While  he  prayed]  Lit.  '  calling  on '  (the  Lord).  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit]  Cp.  '  Father,  to  Thy  hands  I  entrust  my  spirit '  (Luke  xxiii.  46). 

60.  Lord,  do  not  reckon  &!^c.]  Cp.  '  Father,  forgive  them'  (Luke  xxiii.  34);  and 
contrast  '  Lord,  look  on  it,  and  require  it' (2  Chron.  xxiv.  22).  Died]  Lit.  'fell 
asleep.' 

1.  y4//]  "  All  the  teachers"  (Bengel). 

2.  Devout]  This  adjective  and  the  derivative  noun  and  verb  occur  seven  times  in 
the  writings  of  Luke  and  in  Hebrews.  The  earlier  meaning  of  simple  '  fear  '  is  found 
in  Hebrews  ;  but  in  the  third  Gospel  and  the  Acts  the  word  is  limited  to  the  fear  of 
God.  Buried]  The  word,  which  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  N.T.,  implies  the  wrap- 
ping up  (v.  6)  of  the  body  in  the  garments,   and  the  carrying  it  to  the  tomb. 


THE   ACTS   VIII.  293 

loud,  cry,  foul  spirits  came  out  of  many  possessed  by  them,  and 
many  paralytics  and  lame  persons  were  restored  to  health.   And     8 
there  was  great  joy  in  that  city. 

Now  for  some  time  past  there  had  been  a  man     9 
Magian.^      named  Simon  living  there,  who  had  been  practising 
magic  and  astonishing  the  Samaritans,  pretending 
that  he  was  more  than  human.     To  him  people  of  all  classes      10 
paid  attention,  declaring  "  This  man  is  the  Power  of  God,  known 
as  the  great  Power."      His  influence  over  them  arose  from  their     11 
having  been,  for  a  long  time,  bewildered  by  his  sorceries.     But     12 
when  Philip  began  to  tell  the  Good  News  about  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  about  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ  and  they  embraced  the 
faith,  they  were  baptized,  men  and  women  alike.      Simon  him-     13 
self  also  believed,  and  after  being  baptized  remained  in  close 
attendance  on  Phil-ip,  and  was  full  of  amazement  at  seeing  such 
signs  and  such  great  miracles  performed. 

Peter  and         When  the  apostles  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  the     14 
John  visit      Samaritans  had   accepted   God's    Message,   they 

Samaria.  „  1    t    1  •    •       1  rr-i  1 

sent  Peter  and  John  to  visit  them.     They,  when     15 
they  came  down,  prayed  for  them  that  they  might  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit  :  for  He  had  not  as  yet  fallen  upon  any  of  them  :     16 
they  had  only  been  baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Then  the  apostles  placed  their  hands  upon   them,   and  they     17 
received  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  iviagian        When,  however,  Simon  saw  that  it  was  through     18 
is  sternly      the  laying  on  of  the  apostles'  hands  that  the  Spirit 

was  bestowed,  he  offered  them  money.     "  Give  me     19 
too,"  he  said,  "  that  power,  so  that  every  one  on  whom  I  place 
my  hands  will  receive  the  Holy  Spirit."     "  Perish  your  money     20 
and  yourself,"  replied  Peter,  "  because  you  have  imagined  that 
you  can  obtain  God's  free  gift  with  money  !     No  part  or  lot  have     21 

9.   The  SnmaritansX  Not  the  people  of  the  city  only.     See  Olshausen. 

12.  They  were  baptized]  Or  '  they  got  themselves  baptized.'  Cp.  xxii.  i6.  The 
tense  (imperfect)  indicates,  not  that  the  baptism  was  prolonged  or  repeated  in  the 
individual  case,  but  that  a  great  number  of  men  and  women  came,  one  after  another, 
to  be  baptized. 

13.  Believed]  i.e.  he  ceased  to  be  indifferent  or  hostile,  and  professing  sympathy 
with  the  Gospel  Message  had  himself  enrolled  as  a  disciple  and  adherent — a  learner 
in  Christ's  school ! 

14.  John]  Not  hereafter  mentioned  in  this  book. 

16.  Had  been  baptized]  Lit.  'were  having-been  baptized  '  (like  the  Latin  '  bapti- 
zatl  erant').  Some,  misled  by  derivation,  imagine  that  the  word  here  used  for  '  were  ' 
properly  indicates  original  condition.  But  it  is  plain  that  the  original  condition  of 
these  Samat-itans  was  that  they  were  unbapiized,.     Into  the  name]  Or  '  unto  the  name.' 

17.  Placed  .  .  received^  Imperfect  tenses,  implying  oft-repeated  action.  Cp. 
John  XX.  23,  n. 

2T.  No  part  or  lot]  "  No  part  by  purchase,  no  lot  gratuitously  "  (Bengel).  Matter] 
Lit.  '  word  ; '  a  Hebraism. 


294  THE    ACTS    VIII. 

you  in  this  matter,  for  your  heart  is  not  right   in  God's  sight. 
Repent,  therefore,  of  this  wickedness  of  yours,  and  pray  to  the     22 
Lord,  in  the  hope  that  the  purpose  which  is  in  your  heart  may 
perhaps  be  forgiven  you.      For  I  perceive  that  you  have  fallen     23 
into  the  bitterest  bondage  of  unrighteousness."    wSimon  answered,     24 
"  Pray,  both  of  you,  to  the  Lord  for  me,  that  nothing  of  what 
you  have  said  may  come  upon  me." 

Philip  and  ^^  ^^^^  apostles,  after  giving  a  solemn  charge     25 

the  pious      and  delivering  the  Lord's  Message,  travelled  back 
to  Jerusalem,  making  known  the  Good  News  also 
in  many  of  the  Samaritan  villages.     And  an  angel  of  the  Lord     26 
said  to  Philip,  "Rise  and  proceed  south  to  the  road  that  runs 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza  crossing  the  desert."     Upon  this     27 
he  rose  and  went.      Now,  as  it  happened,  an  Ethiopian  eunuch 
who  was  in  a  position  of  high  authority  with  Candace,  queen  of 
the  Ethiopians,  as  her  treasurer,  had  visited  Jerusalem  to  wor- 
ship there,  and  was  now  on  his  way  home  ;  and  as  he  sat  in  his     28 
chariot  he  was  reading  the  Prophet  Isaiah.     Then   the  Spirit     29 
said  to  Philip,  "  Go  and  enter  that  chariot."      So  Philip  ran  up     30 
and  heard  the  eunuch  reading  the  Prophet  Isaiah.     "  Do  you 
understand  what  you  are  reading?"  he  asked.     "  Why,  how  can     31 
I,"  rephed  the  eunuch,  "unless  some  one  explains  it  to  me?" 
And  he  earnestly  invited  Philip  to  come  up  and  sit  with  him. 
The  passage  of  Scripture  which  he  was  reading  was  this  :  32 

"Like  a  sheep  He  was  led  to  slaughter. 

And  just  as  a  lamb  before  its  shearer  is  dumb 

So  He  opened  not  His  mouth. 

In  His  humiliation  justice  was  denied  Him.  33 

22.  Repent  of\  Lit.  '  repent '  (and  turn)  '  from  '  Cp.  2  Cor.  xii.  21 ;  Heb.  vi.  1 ; 
Rev.  ii.  21.  In  the  hope  that]  Lit.  'if  (or.  whetlier)  therefore.'  The  e.vact  sense 
seems  to  be,  "  Find  out  by  prayer  whether,  the  offence  being  so  rank  and  therefore 
the  possibility  of  pardon  so  doubtful,  the  sin  can  nevertheless  be  forgiven."  Else- 
where the  expression  occurs  only  in  xvii.  27  ;  Mark  xi.  13.  Purpose^  The  word 
occurs  only  here  in  the  N.T.  The  purpose  was  no  doubt  that  of  making  money  out 
of  the  spiritual  gift. 

23.  H ave  fallen  into\  Lit.  '  are  into.'  The  literal  rendering  of  the  rest  of  the  verse 
(as  in  the  A.V.)  exhibits  the  figure  of  speech  '  hendiadys.' 

26.  South]  Or  possibly  '  towards  noon.'  The  road  .  .  crossing  the  desert] 
"  There  were  several  ways  leading  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza  "  (Robinson).  Crossing 
the  desert]  Or  '  a  town  which  is  desert  ; '  the  reference  in  that  case  being  to  the  more 
ancient  of  the  two  towns  which  bore  the  name  of  Gaza. 

27.  As  it  ha/>/>ened]  Lit.  'behold.' 

28.  Reading  ^^c.]  Whether  in  the  Hebrew  or  the  Greek  Version  (the  LXX.)  is  not 
stated.  It  is  still  a  custom  with  the  Orientals,  even  when  reading  to  themselves,  to 
read  aloud. 

29.  Enter  that]  Lit.  'join  yourself  to  this.' 

30.  Do  you]  Or  '  Yes,  but  you  do  not  .  .  do  you  ?  ' 

33.  IVho  will  &'c.]  Or  perhaps  '  Who  shall  declare  His  duration  ?  '  Although  He  is 
cut  off  as  man,  yet  He  is  the  Son  of  the  Eternal. 


THE   ACTS    VIII.-IX.  295 

Who  will  make  known  His  posterity? 

For  He  is  destroyed  from  among  men"  (Isa.  liii.  7,  8). 

"  Pray,   of    whom  is  the    Prophet    speaking  ? "  inquired  the     34 
eunuch  ;  "of  himself  or  of  some  one  else?"    Then  Philip  began     35 
to  speak,  and,  commencing  with  that  same  portion  of  Scripture, 
told  him  the  Good  News  about  Jesus. 

So  they  proceeded  on  their  way  till  they  came     36 

tizes'^himl''     ^o  some  water  ;  and  the  eunuch  exclaimed,  "  See, 
here  is  water  ;    what  is  there  to  prevent  my  being 
baptized?"     So  he  stopped   the  chariot;  and  both  of  them —     38 
Philip  and  the  eunuch — wejit  down  into  the  water,  and  Philip 
baptized  him.     But  no  sooner  had  they  come  up  out  of  the  water     39 
than  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  Philip  away,  and  the  eunuch 
did  not  see  him  again.      With  a  glad   heart  he  resumed  his 
journey  ;  but   Philip  found  himself  at  Ashdod.     Then  visiting     40 
town  after  town  he  everywhere  made  known  the  Good  News 
until  he  reached  Caesarea. 

Saul  of  Tarsus      ^°^^  Saul,  whose  every  breath  was  a  threat  of     i    < 
is  suddenly     destruction  for  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  went  to 

the    High    Priest   and   begged   from   him    letters     2 
addressed  to  the  synagogues  at  Damascus,  in  order  that  if  he 
found  any  believers  there,  either  men  or  women,  he  might  bring* 
them  in  chains  to  Jerusalem.     But  on  the  journey  as  he  was     3 
getting  near   Damascus,  suddenly  there  flashed  round  him  a 
light  from  heaven  ;    and  falling  to  the  ground  he  heard  a  voice     4 
which  said  to  him,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  are  you  persecuting  Me  ? " 
"  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?"  he  asked.     "  I  am  Jesus,  whom  you  are     5 
persecuting,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  rise  and  go  to  the  city,  and     6 

35.  Began  &^c.]  Lit.  'opened  his  mouth.'  "  Imperfect  Hebraism  ;  i.e.  it  was  not 
peculiar  to  the  Hebrews  or  Hellenistic  writers,  but  most  common  to  them  "(Hackctt). 

37.  V. L.  inserts  a  verse  here.  "  You  may,"  said  Philip,  "  if  you  believe  with  all 
your  heart."     "  I  believe,"  he  replied,  "  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God." 

39.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  &'c.\  The  Codex  Alexandrinus  has  the  v.l.  '  the  Holy 
Spirit  fell  on  the  eunuch,  and  an  angel  of  the  Lord  caught  Philip  away.' 

40.  Ashdod\  Lit.  '  Azotus.'  Cp.  Josh,  xi,  22;  xiii.  3  ;  xv.  46,47  ;  i  Sam.  v.  \-^  ; 
2  Chron.  xxvi.  6  ;  Neh.  iv.  7  ;  xiii.  24  ;  Jer,  xxv.  20  ;  xlvii.  5 ;  Amos  i.  8  ;  Zeph.  ii.  4  ; 
Zech.  ix.  6  ;  i  Mace.  v.  18  ;  x.  84. 

2.  Any  believers  there~\  Lit.  '  Any  persons  who  were  of  the  new  Way.'  Cp.  xix. 
9,  23  ;  xxii.  4,  22.  As  a  cla.ss  name,  'believers'  (first  in  x.  45),  was  perhaps  not 
yet  in  common  and  recognised  use,  nor  '  holy  ones  '  (first  in  this  chapter,  verses  13, 
32),  nor  '  brethren  '  (first  in  verse  30),  and  still  less  '  Christians  '  (xi.  26).     Cp.  xi.  30,  n. 

4.  Saul,  Saul]  Notice  the  impressiveness  gained,  as  so  often  in  Hebrew,  'oy  the 
repetition  of  the  word.  Cp.  "Abraham,  Abraham"  (Gen.  xxii.  11)  ;  "Babylon  is 
fallen,  is  fallen"  (Rev.  xiv.  8  ;  xviii.  2)  ;  "  Crucify  him,  crucify  him  "  (Luke  xxiii. 
21)  ;  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem"  (Luke  xiii., 34)  ;  "  Lord,  Lord"  (Matt.  xxv.  n  ; 
Luke  xiii.  25);  "Martha,  Martha"  (Luke  x.  41);  "Master,  Master"  (Luke  viii. 
24);  "Moses,  Moses"  (Exod.  iii.  4);  "My  God,  my  God "  (Matt,  xxvii.  46); 
"  Samuel,  Samuel  '   (i  Sam.  iii.  10)  ;   "  Simon,  Simon  "  (Luke  xxii.  31). 

6.  But  rise\  v.l.  '  you  are  finding  it  painful  to  kick  against  the  ox-goad.     And 


296  THE    ACTS    IX. 

you  will  be  told  what  you  are  to  do."     Meanwhile  the  men  who     7 
travelled  with  Saul  were  standing  dumb  with  amazement,  hear- 
ing a  sound,  but  seeing  no  one.     Then  he  rose  from  the  ground,     8 
but  when  he  had  opened  his  eyes,  he  could  not  see,  and  they  led 
him  by  the  arm  and  brought  him  to  Damascus.      And  for  two     9 
days  he  remained  without  sight,  and  did  not  eat  or  drink  any- 
thing. 

Now  at  Damascus  there  was  a  disciple  of  the  name  of  Ananias.     10 
The  Lord  spoke  to  him  in  a  vision,  saying,  "  Ananias  ! "     He 
answered,  "  I  am  here,  Lord."     "  Rise,"  said  the  Lord,  ''  and  go     1 1 
to  Straight  Street,  and  inquire  at  the  house  of  Judas  for  a  man 
called  Saul,  from  Tarsus,  for  he  is  actually  praying.     He  has     12 
seen  a  man  called  Ananias  come  and  lay  his  hands  upon  him  so 
that  he  may  recover  his  sight."     Ananias  answered,  "  Lord,  I     13 
have  heard  about  that  man  from  many,  and  I  have  heard  of  the 
great  mischief  he  has  done  to  Thy  people  in  Jerusalem  ;    and     14. 
here  he  is  authorized  by  the  High  Priests  to  arrest  all  who  call 
upon  Thy  name."     The  Lord  replied,  "  Go  ;    he  is  a  chosen  in-     15 
strument  of  Mine  to  carry  My  name  to  the  Gentiles  and  to  kings 
and  to  the  descendants  of  Israel.     For  I  will  let  him  know  the     16 
great  sufferings  which  he  must  pass  through  for  My  sake." 

So  Ananias  went  and  entered  the  house  ;  and,  laying  his  two     17 
hands  upon   Saul,  said,  "  Saul,  brother,  the  Lord — -even  Jesus 
who  appeared  to  you  on  your  journey — has  sent  me,  that  you 
may  recover  your  sight  and  be  filled  with  the   Holy   Spirit." 
Instantly  there  dropped  from  his  eyes  what  seemed  to  be  scales,     18 
and  he  could  see  once  more.      Upon  this  he  rose  and  received 
baptism  ;  after  which  he  took  food  and  regained  his  strength.         19 
Then  he  remained  some  little  time  with  the  dis- 
"t  Damascus    ^iples  at  Damascus.     And  in  the  synagogues  he     20 
began   at  once  to  proclaim  Jesus  as  the  Son  of 
God  ;  and  his  hearers  were  all  amazed,  and  began  to  ask  one     21 

he,  trembling  and   amazed,  said,  Lord,  what  dost  Thou  wish  me  to  do?   And  the 
Lord  said  to  him,  Rise.' 

7.  Sound]  Or  'voice.'     See  ii.  6,  n.;   xxii.  9. 

8.  Had  opened]  The  tense  (perfect)  implies  '  although  they  remained  wide  open.' 
Arm]  Or  '  hand.' 

9.  For  two  days]  Lit.  '  for  three  days.'  The  blindness  lasted  the  latter  part  of  the 
first  day,  the  whole  of  the  second,  and  the  morning  of  the  third.  Cp.  x.  30,  n.  ; 
Luke  ii.  46,  n. 

12.  Come  and  lay]  More  exact  than  '  coming  and  laying.'     Cp.  Luke  x.  18,  n. 

13.  People]  Lit.  'saints  '  or  '  holy  ones.' 

15.   Instrument]  See  Mark  xi.  16,  n.      To  the  Gentiles]  Lit.  '  before  nations.' 
19.  Sovte  little  time]  Lit.  '  some  days.' 

21.  Tried  to  exterminate]  Lit.  'laid  waste  '  or  'destroyed.'  Came]  Lit.  'had 
come.' 


THE    ACTS    IX.  297 

another,  "  Is  not  this  the  man  who  at  Jerusalem  tried  to  exter- 
minate those  who  called  upon  that  Name,  and  came  here  on 
purpose  to  carry  them  off  in  chains  to  the  High  Priests  ?"  Saul,  22 
however,  gained  more  and  more  influence,  and  as  for  the  Jews 
living  at  Damascus  he  bewildered  them  with  his  proofs  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ, 

At  length  the  Jews  plotted  to  kill  Saul  ;  but  in-  23,  24 
kiil'sauV      formation  of  their  intention  was  given  to  him.   They 
even  watched  the  gates,  day  and  night,  in  order  to 
murder  him  ;  but  his  disciples  took  him  by  night  and  let  him     25 
down  through  the  wall,  lowering  him  in  a  hamper. 

So  he  came   to   Jerusalem    and   made    several      26 
JerSslfer^     attempts  to  associate  with  the  disciples,  but  they 
Caesarea,      were  all  afraid  of  him,  being  in  doubt  as  to  whether 

he  himself  was  a  disciple.     Barnabas,   however,     27 
came  to  his  assistance.     He  brought  Saul  to  the  apostles,  and 
related  to  them  how,  on  his  journey,  he  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
that  the  Lord  had  spoken  to  him,  and  how  at  Damascus  he  had 
fearlessly  taught  in  the  nam2  of  Jesus.     Henceforth  Saul  was     28 
one  of  them,  going  in  and  out  of  the  city,  and  speaking  fearlessly 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.     And  he  often  talked  with  the  Hellen-     29 
ists  and  had  discussions  with  them.     But  they  kept  trying  to 
take  his  life.     On  learning  this,  the  brethren  brought  him  down     30 
to  Caesarea,  and  then  sent  him  by  sea  to  Tarsus. 

The  church,  however,  throughout  the  whole  of    31 
greatly        Judaea,  Galilee  and  Samaria,  had  peace  and  was 
prospers.       spiritually  built  up  ;  and  grew  in  numbers,  living 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  receiving  encouragement  from  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Now  Peter,  as  he  went  to  town  after  town,  came     32 

Arnglsitufd.  do^^'^    ^^so    ^°    ^^^'^    people  at  Lud.     There    he     33 

found  a  man  of  the  name  of  Aeneas,  who.for  eight 
years  had  kept  his  bed,  through  being  paralysed.     Peter  said  to     34 
him,  "  Aeneas,  Jesus  Christ  cures  you  :  rise  and  make  your  own 

22.  Gained  .  .  influence]  Or  '  grew  stronger  and  stronger.' 

23.  At  length]  More  lit.  '  but  when  a  large  sum  total  of  days  was  forming.' 

25.    Throjigh  the  ivall]  i.R.  '  through  an  opening  in  the  wall."      Cp.  2  Cor.  xi.  33. 
Hamper]  See  Matt.  xv.  37,  n.  _  ^ 

30.  Sent  hint  by  sea]  Lit.  '  sent  him  out.'     He  would  disembark  at  Seleuceia,  go 
up  to  Antioch,  and  then  proceed  by  land  to  Tarsus. 

31.  Living]  Lit.    'walking.'      Receiving  encouragement  from]  Lit.    'in   the  en.- 
couragQment  of.'     Encouragement]  Or  '  consolation.'     Cp.  iv.  37,  n. 

32.  GocVs people]  Lit.  '  the  saints'  or  '  the  holy  ones  ' 

33.  Bed]  Lit.  '  mat.' 

34.  Make]  Lit.  '  spread  out  flat.' 


298  THE   ACTS    IX. -X. 

bed."     He  at  once  rose  to  his  feet.      And  all  the  people  of  Lud     35 
and  Sharon  saw  him  ;  and  they  turned  to  the  Lord. 

.,  ,  ^   ,  Among-   the   disciples   at    Jaffa   was   a    woman     "^6 

At  Jaffa  he  °    .  ,  ,  "^ 

brings  back    called  Tabitha,  or,  as  the  name  may  be  translated, 
Dorcas  to  Life.  ^  Dq.crs.'     Her   hfe    was    wholly  devoted  to    the 
good  and  charitable   actions  which  she  was  constantly  doing. 
But,  as  it  happened,  just  at  that  time  she  was  taken  ill  and  died.     37 
After   washing  her  body  they  laid    it  out  in  a  room  upstairs. 
Lud,  however,  being  near  Jaffa,  the  disciples,  who  had  heard     38 
that  Peter  was  at  J  a  fa,  sent  two  men  to  him  with  an  urgent 
request  that  he  would  come  across  to  them  without  delay.      So     39 
Peter  rose  and  went  with  them.       On  his  arrival  they  took  him 
upstairs,  and  the  widow  women  all  came  and  stood  by  his  side, 
weeping  and  showing  him  the  underclothing  and  cloaks  and 
garments  of  all  kinds  which  Dorcas  used  to  make  while  she  was 
still  with  them.     Peter,  however,  putting  every  one  out  of  the     40 
room,  knelt  down  and  prayed,  and  then  turning  to  the  body,  he 
said,  "  Tabitha,  rise."     Dorcas  at  once  opened  her  eyes,  and, 
seeing  Peter,  sat  up.     Then,  giving  her  his  hand,  he  raised  her     41 
to  her  feet  and,  calling  God's  people  and  the  widow  women,  he 
gave  her  back  to  them  alive.     This   incident    became  known     42 
throughout  Jaffa,  and  many  believed  in  the  Lord  ;  and  Peter     43 
remained  for  a  considerable  time  at  Jaffa,  staying  at  the  house 
of  a  man  called  Simon,  a  tanner. 

Now  a  captain  of  the  Italian  Regiment,  named     i 
bring^a       Cornelius,  was  quartered  at   Caesarea.      He  was     2 

Message  to     religious  and  God-fearing — and  so  was  every  mem- 
Cornelius.  °  o  j 

ber  of  his  household.     He  was  also  liberal  in  his 

charities  to  the  people,  and  continually  offered  prayer  to  God. 

About  three  o'clock  one  afternoon  he  had  a  vision,  and  dis-     3 

tinctly  saw  an  angel  of  God  enter  his  house,  who  called  him  by 

name,  s?iying,  "  Cornelius  !  "      Looking  steadily   at   him,    and     4 

being   much   alarmed,   he   said,    "What   do   you   want,   Sir.?" 

He  replied,  "  Your   prayers  and   charities    have   gone    up  and 

have  been  recorded  before  God.     And  now  send  to  Jaffa  and     5 

fetch    Simon,    surnamed    Peter.      He    is    staying    as    a   guest     6 

with  Simon,  a  tanner,   who   has   a  house   close   to  the   sea." 

36.  Dorcas]  i.e.  *  gazelle,'  this  being  the  English  both  of  the  Aramaic  tabitha.  and 
of  the  Greek  dorkas.     Her  life  loas  luJiolly  devoted  to'\  Lit.  '  she  was  full  of 

41.  Gave  her  back]  Lit.  '  presented  her.' 

42.  Belie7>ed]  i.e.  "became  believers.'     See  Aorist  \\.  6. 

3.  Enter]  Not  'entering.'     Cp.  ix.  12.     His  house]  Lit.  'to  him.' 

4.  iVhatdo  you  -want  ?]  Lit.  '  What  is  it  ?  ' 

6.  v.L.  adds  '  He  will  tell  you  what  you  ought  to  do.' 


THE    ACTS    X.  299 

So  when  tlie  angel  who  had  been  speaking  to  him  was  gone,     7 

Cornehus  called  two  of  his  servants  and  a  God-fearing  soldier 

who    was    in    constant   attendance  on    him,  and    after  telling     8 

them  everything  he  sent  them  to  Jaffa. 

....  The  next  day,  while  they  were  still  on  their  jour-     9 

Peter's  Vision.  ,  •"      .  ■'      ,  -,  -^ 

ney  and  were  gettmg  near  the  town,  about  noon 

Peter  went  up  on  the  house-top  to   pray.      He    had  become     10 
unusually  hungry  and  wished  for  food  ;  but  while  they  were  pre- 
paring it,   he  fell  into  a  trance.     The  sky  had  opened  to  his     11 
view,  and  what  seemed  to  be  an  enormous  sail  was  descending, 
being  let  down  to  the  earth  by  ropes  at  the  four  corners.     In  it     12 
were  all  kinds  of  quadrupeds,  reptiles  and  birds,  and  a  voice      13 
came  to  him  which  said,  "  Rise,  Peter,  kill  and  eat."     "  On  no     14 
account,  Lord,"  he  replied  ;    "  for  I  have  never  yet  eaten  any- 
thing unholy  and  impure."     Again  a  second  time  a  voice  was     15 
heard  which  said,  "  What  God  has  purified,  you  must  not  regard 
as  unholy."     This  was  said  three  times,  and  immediately  the     16 
sail  was  drawn  up  out  of  sight. 

Arrival  of  the       While   Peter  was   greatly  perplexed  as  to  the     17 
Servants  of    meaning  of  the  vision  which  he  had  seen,  just  then 
orne  lus.      ^^^^  ^^^    ^^^^    ^^    Cornelius,    having  by   inquiry 
found  out  Simon's  house,  had  come  to  the  door  and  had  called     18 
the  servant,  and  were  asking,  "  Is  Simon,  surnamed  Peter,  stay- 
ing here.?"     And  Peter  was  still  earnestly  thinking  over  the     19 
vision,  when  the  Spirit  said  to  him,   "  Three   men    are   now 
inquiring  for  you.     Rise,  go  down,  and  go   with  them   without     20 
any  misgivings  ;  for  it  is  I   who  have  sent  them  to  you."     So     21 
Peter  went  down  and  said  to  the  men,  "  I  am  the  Simon  you 
are  inquiring  for  :  what  is  the  reason  of  your  coming  .?"     They     22 
replied,  "  Cornelius,  a  captain,  an  upright  and  God-fearing  man, 
of  whom  the  whole  Jewish  nation  speaks  well,  has  been  divinely 
instructed  by  a  holy  angel  to  send  for  you  to   his  house  and 
listen  to  what  you  have  to    say."     Accordingly   Peter  invited     23 
them  in,  and  gave  them  a  lodging. 

...  The  next  day  he  set  out  with  them,  some  of  the 

Peter  with  ■'  ' 

Cornelius  at  brethren  from  Jaffa  gomg  with  him,  and  the  day     24 

Caesarea.      after  that  they  reached  Caesarea.     There  Cornelius 

7.  Servants]  Lit.   '  men  of  the  house,' meaning  usually  '  house-slaves.' 

12.  A// kinds  of]  Lit.  simply  '  all  the.'     The  derivative   adjective  which  means 

'all  kinds  of  in  classical  Greek  is  not  used  in  the  N.T.  :  the  simple  '  all 'doing  duty  in 

its  place.     Cp.  i  Pet.  i.  15  (A.V.). 

16.    Was  said]  Lit.  '  took  place.'     Out  0/ sight]  Lit.  'into  the  sky.' 

19.    Three]  Another  reading  omits  this  word,  and  a  third  reading  has  *  two.' 


300  THE  ACTS  X. 

was  awaiting  their  arrival,  and  had  invited  all  his  relatives  and 
intimate  friends  to  be  present.     When  Peter  entered  the  house,     25 
Cornelius  met  him,  and  threw  himself  at  his  feet  to  do  him  hom- 
age.    But  Peter  lifted  him  up.     "  Stand  up,"  he  said  :  "  I  myself    26 
also  am  but  a  man."     So  Peter  went  in  and  conversed  with  him,     27 
and  found  a  large  company  assembled.     He  said  to  them,  "  You     28 
know  better  than  most  that  a  Jew  is  strictly  forbidden  to  associ- 
ate with  a  Gentile  or  visit  him  ;  but  God  has  taught  me  to  call 
no  one  unholy  or  unclean.     So  for  this  reason,  when  sent  for,  I     29 
came  without  raising  any  objection.     I  therefore  ask  why  you 
sent  for  me."     Then  Cornelius  said,  "  It  is  just  three  days  ago,     30 
reckoning  up  to  this  hour,  that  I  was  offering  evening  prayer  in 
my  house,  when  suddenly  a  man  in  shining  raiment  stood  in 
front  of  me,  who  said,  'Cornelias,  your  prayer  has  been  heard,     31 
and  your  charities  have  been  put  on  record  before  God.     Send     32 
therefore  to  Jaffa,  and  invite  Simon,  surnamed  Peter,  to  come 
here.     He  is  staying  as  a  guest  in  the  house  of  Simon,  a  tanner, 
close  to  the  sea.'     Immediately,  therefore,  I  sent  to  you,  and  I     33 
thank  you  heartily  for  having  come.     That  is  why  all   of  us  are 
now  assembled  here  in  God's  presence,  to  listen  to  what  the  Lord 
has  commanded  you  to  say." 

Then  Peter  began  to  speak.     "  I  clearly  see,"  he     34 
Speech        Said,  "  that   God  makes   no  distinctions  between 

one  man    and  another  ;  but  that  in  every  nation     35 
those  who  fear  Him  and  live  good  lives  are  acceptable  to  Him. 

28.  You  better  than  7nost]  Lit.  an  emphatic  '  yoii.'_  Cp.  verse  37.  Ts  strictly 
forbidd-  h]   By  ilie  usa^e  of  the  nation,  not  by  the  IXIosaic  Law. 

30.  Three  days]  Lit.  '  four  days.'  The  details  given  in  this  chapter  show  that  the 
interval,  when  stated  in  idiomatic  English,  was  three  days.  Supposing  (in  order  to 
make  this  clear)  that  the  angel  appeared  to  Cornelius  on  the  .Sabbath  (Saturday), 
the  messengers,  starting  the  same  evening  and  doubtless  sympathizing  with  their 
master's  eager  haste,  completed  their  forced  march  of  34  miles  by  about  i.o  p.m. 
on  the  Sund:iy  (verse  9).  The  remainder  of  that  day,  and  the  night  following,  they 
rested  and  enjoyed  Peter's  hospitality  (verse  23).  With  him  and  six  other  Christian 
Jews  in  then-  company,  they  set  out  on  the  Monday,  probably  early  in  the 
morning,  on  their  return  journey  (verse  23)  ;  and  on  the  Tuesday  (verse  24) 
about  3.0  or  4.0  p.m.,  the  party  reached  the  centurion's  quarters.  This  interval  from 
Saturday  evening  to  Tuesday  afternoon,  according  to  the  Greek,  Roman  and 
Hebrew  mode  of  reckoning,  is  four  days,  both  the  first  and  the  last  of  the  days  being 
inchided.  We  English  are  mathematically  more  correct  in  calling  it  three  days.  So 
what  the  French  call  fifteen  days  (quinze  jours)  we  more  accurately  name  a  fort- 
night (fonrteeu  nights).  Cp.  Luke  li.  46,  n.  Offering  evenitts; prayer\  Lit.  '  pray- 
ing the  ninth' (hour),  i.e.  '  during  '  that  hour;  not  necessarily  implying  that  the 
whole  hour  was  spent  in  prayer.  'At  the  ninth  hour  '  (A.V.)  meaning,  in  modern 
phrase,  '  when  the  clock  struck  three,'  is  inexact.  The  real  time  was  between  three 
and  four  o'clock.     Cp.  John  iv.  52.     v.l.  inserts  '  fasting  and'  before  'offering.' 

32.  V.L    adds  '  He,  when  he  comes,  will  speak  to  you.' 

33.  /  thank  you  heartily]  Lit.  '  you  have  done  well.'  Cp.  Matt  xvii.  4.  ;  Phil, 
iv.  14.  (I'he  classical  scholar  may  also  compare  Plato,  Plioed.  iv.  ;  Steph. 
p.  60,  C). 

34.  God  makes  no  distinctions^  See  Luke  xx.  21,  n. 


THE   ACTS   X.  301 

The  Message  which  He  sent  to  the  descendants  of  Israel,  when     36 
He  announced  the  Good  News  of  peace  through  Jesus  Christ 
-^He  is  Lord  of  all — that   Message  you  cannot  but  know;  the     37 
story,  I  mean,  which  has  spread  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  Judaea,  beginning  in  Galilee  after  the  baptism  which  John 
proclaimed.     It  tells  how  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with     38 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  power,  so  that   He  went  about  every- 
where doing  acts  of  kindness,  and  curing  all  who  were  crushed 
by  the  power  of  the  devil — for  God  was  with  Jesus. 

"And  we  are   witnesses  as  to  all  that  He  did  both  in  the     39 
country  of  the  Jews  and  at  Jerusalem.     But  they  even  put  Him 
to  death,  by  crucifixion.     That  same  Jesus  God  raised  to  life  on     40 
the  third  day,  and  permitted  Him  to  appear  unmistakably,  not     41 
to  all  the  people,  but  to   witnesses — men  previously  chosen  by 
God — namely,  to  us,  who  ate  and  drank  with  Him  after  He  rose 
from  the  dead.     And  He  has  commanded  us  to  preach  to  the     42 
people    and  solemnly  declare  that  this  is    He    who  has   been 
appointed  by  God  to  be  the  Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead. 
To  Him  all  the  Prophets  bear  witness,  and  testify  that  through     43 
His  name  all  who  believe  in  Him  receive  the  forgiveness  of 
their  sins." 

While  Peter  was  speaking  these  words,  the  Holy     44 
ceive  the^  iHoiy  Spirit  fell  on  all  who  were  listening  to  the  Mes- 

Spiritand      sa.ge  ;  and  all  the  Jewish  believers  who  had  come     45 

Baptism.  .  . 

with  Peter  were  astonished  that  on  the  Gentiles 
also  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out.     For  they  heard     46 
them  speaking  in  tongues  and  extolling  the  majesty  of  God. 
Then  Peter  said,  "  Can  any  one  forbid  the  use   of  water,  and     47 
object  to  these  persons  being  baptized — men  who  have  received 
the  Holy   Spirit  just  as  we  did  ?  "     And  he  directed  that  they     48 

37.  y'ou  cannot  but\  Not  'you  yourselves.'  Lit.  an  emphatic  '  you  ; '  you,  i.e. 
as  men  religiously  disposed,  living  in  Judaea,  and  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Roman 
provincial  government  ;  you  perhaps  best  of  all  men. 

38.  Anointed]  Thus  making  Him  the  Anointed  One,  the  Christ,  the  Messiah. 
Holy  Spirit  and  .  .  power]  Or  (hendiadys),  '  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. '  Cp. 
viii.  23. 

39.  By  crucifixion]  Lit.  'hanging'  Him  'on  wood.'  Cp.  xvi.  24.  'Tree'  in 
modern  English  conveys  an  altogether  wrong  sense. 

42.  The  livitig]  A  special  reference  may  be  intended  to  those  who  were  alive  at 
the  time  Peter  spoke.  If  so  the  word  shows  that  he  expected  Christ  to  return  as 
King  and  Judge  within  the  lifetime  of  that  generation.  Cp.  Matt.  x.  23  ;  xvi.  28  ; 
xxiv.  34. 

43.  Believe]  Or  '  trust.' 

44.  Was  s/'eaking]  Lit.  '  was  still  speaking.' 

45.  Jewish]  Or  '  circumcised.' 

46.  Said]  Lit.  '  answered.'     Cp.  Matt.  xii.   38,  n. 

48.  That  they  should  be]  Lit.  'them  to  be.'  He  directed"]  To  whom  was  the 
work  assigned  ?     Not  to  the  new  converts  :  (i)  because   the  'them'  would  in  that 


302  THE    ACTS   X.-XI. 

should  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.     Then  they 
begged  him  to  remain  with  them  for  a  time. 

Now  the  apostles,  and  the  brethren  in  various     i 
sured.    His    parts  of  Judaea,  heard  that  the  Gentiles  also  had 
Defence.      received  God's  Message  ;  and  when  Peter  returned     2 
to  Jerusalem,  the  champions  of  circumcision  found  fault  with 
him,     ''You  went  into  the  houses  of  heathen  men,"  they  said,     3 
"and  you  ate  with  them."     Peter,  however,  explained  the  whole     4 
matter  to  them  from  the  beginning.     "  While  I  was  in  the  town     5 
of  Jaffa,  offering  prayer,"  he  said,  "  in  a  trance  I  saw  a  vision. 
There  descended  what  seemed  to  be  an  enormous  sail,  being 
let  down  from  the  sky  by  ropes  at  the  four  corners,  and  it  came 
close  to  me.     Fixing  my  eyes  on  it,  I  examined  it  closely,  and     6 
saw  various  kinds  of  quadrupeds,  wild  beasts,  reptiles  and  birds. 
I  also  heard  a  voice  saying  to  me,  '  Rise,  Peter,   kill  and  eat.'     7 
*0n  no  account.  Lord,'  I  replied,  'for  nothing  unholy  or  impure     8 
has  ever  gone  into  my  mouth.'     But  a  voice  answered,  speaking     9 
a  second  time  from  the  sky,  '  What  God  has  purified,  you  must 
not  regard  as  unholy.'     This  was  said  three  times,  and  then     10 
everything  was  drawn  up  again  out  of  sight. 

"Now  at  that  very  moment  three  men  came  to  the  house     11 
where  we  were,  having  been  sent  from  Caesareato  find  me  ;  and     12 
the  Spirit  told  me  to  accompany  them  without  any  misgivings. 
There  also  went  with  me  these  six  brethren  who  are  now  present, 
and  we  reached  the   centurion's  house.     Then  he  described  to     13 
us  how  he  had  seen  the  angel  come  and  enter  his  house  and 
say,  '  Send  to  Jaffa  and  fetch  Simon,  surnamed  Peter  :  he  will     14 
teach  you  truths  by  which  you  and  all  your  family  will  be  saved.'     1 5 
And  no  sooner  had  1  begun  to  speak  than  the  Holy  Spirit  fell 
upon  them,  just  as  He  fell  upon  us  at  the  first.     Then  I  remem-      16 
bered  the  Lord's  words,  how  He  used  to  say,  *John  baptized 
with  water,  but  you  shall  be  baptized  in  the  Holy  Spirit.'     If     17 
therefore  God  gave  them  the  same  gift  as  He  gave  us  when  we 

case  be  in  the  dative  case,  and  it  is  not ;  and  (2)  because,  if  the  verb  was  intended  to 
express  '  to  get  themselves  baptized'  it  would  probably  be  in  the  middle  voice,  as  in 
xxii.  16.  The  injunction  was  therefore  probably  addressed  to  the  six  Jewish  disciples 
who  had  accompanied  Peter  from  Jaffa. 

I.  In  various  parts  of  \  Or  'throughout.'     Cp.  xiii.  i  ;  Luke  viii.  39  ;  xv.  14. 

12.  IVitlwut  any  misgivings^  Or  possibly  '  making  no  distinction.'  The  verb  is 
the  same  as  in  x.  20,  and  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  a  totally  different  sense  can 
have  been  intended,  in  spite  of  the  difference  of  voice  (active  instead  of  middle).  It  is 
more  likely  that  (as  in  other  instances)  Peter's  Greek  was  faulty.  Centurion  s\  Lit. 
'  man's.' 

13.  The  angel]  The  article  shows  that  Peter's  hearers  were  already  acquainted 
-with  the  outline  of  the  story.      Enter]   Lit.  '  stand  in.' 

17.  Same]   Lit.  'equal.'     First]  Ses  Aorist  v'l.  6. 


THE   ACTS  XL  303 

first  believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  why,  who  was  I  to  be 
able  to  thwart  God  ?  "  jg 

This  statement  of  Peter's  silenced  his  opponents  ;  they 
extolled  the  goodness  of  God,  and  said,  "  So,  then,  to  the  Gen- 
tiles also  God  has  given  the  repentance  which  leads  to  Life." 

The  Church  in  Antioch. 

Those,  however,  who  had  been  driven  in  various     19 
tile  Church"'  directions  by   the  persecution  which  broke  out  on 

account  of  Stephen  made  their  way  to  Phoenicia, 
Cyprus  and  Antioch,  delivering  the  Message  to  none  but  Jews. 
But  some  of  them  were  Cyprians  and  Cyrenaeans,  who,  on  com-  20 
ing  to  Antioch,  spoke  to  the  Greeks  also  and  told  them  the 
Good  News  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  power  of  the  21 
Lord  was  with  them,  and  there  were  a  vast  number  who  believed 
and  turned  to  the  Lord. 

When  tidings    of  this    reached  the  ears   of  the     22 
^^J'^Antlolh."*  church  at  Jerusalem,  they  sent  Barnabas  as  far  as 

Antioch.     On  getting  there  he  was  delighted  to  see     23 
the  grace  which  God  had  bestowed  ;  and  he  encouraged  them 
all  to  remain,  with  fixed  resolve,  faithful  to  the  Lord.     For  he     24 
was  a  good  man,  and  was  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of  faith  ; 
and  the  number  of  believers  in  the  Lord  greatly  increased. 

Then  Barnabas  paid  a  visit  to  Tarsus  to  try  to     25 
from  jfrsl^s"'  ftnd  Saul.     He   succeeded,  and   brought  him    to     26 

Antioch  ;  and  for  a  whole  year  they  joined  in  the 
meetings  of  the  church,  and  taught  a  large  number  of  people. 
And  it  was  at  Antioch  that  the  disciples  first  received  the  name 
of '  Christians.' 

Relief  for  the       ^^  ^^^^  ^^"^^  certain  prophets  came  down  from     27 
poor  Christ-    Jerusalem    to    Antioch,    one    of    whom,    named     28 
ians  in  Judaea,  ^g^b^g,  being  instructed  by  the  Spirit,  publicly 
predicted  the  speedy  coming  of  a  great  famine  throughout  the 
world.     (It  came  in  the  reign  of  Claudius.)     So  the  disciples     29 
decided  to  send  relief,  every  one  in  proportion  to  his  means,  to 
the  brethren  living  in  Judaea.     This  they  did,  forwarding  their     30 
contributions  to  the  elders  by  Barnabas  and  Saul. 

20.  Greeks]  v.  l.   'Hellenists;'  i.e.  Greek-speaking  Jews. 

21.  Power]  Lit.  'hand'  or  '  arm.'     See  Aorist  \.  2. 
23.  Encouraged]  Or  '  besought.'     See  iv.  37,  n. 

27.  77iat]  Lit.  'this.' 

28.  Publicly]  Lit.  '  standing  up  '  (in  the  assembly). 

30.  ELUr.\  The  'deacons'  mentioned  in  ch.  vi.     But  there  is  no  evidence  that 


304  THE   ACTS   XII. 

dames  Now,  about   that    time,   King    Herod    arrested     i   " 

beheaded.     Certain   members  of  the   church,  in  order   to  ill- 
imprfs^oned.     ^^^^^  them  ;    and  James,  John  s  brother,   he   be-     2 
headed.     Finding  that  this  gratified  the  Jews,  he     3 
proceeded  to  seize  Peter  also  ;  these   being   the  days   of  Un- 
leavened Bread.  He  had  hrni  arrested  and  lodged  in  jail,  hand-     4 
ing  him  over  to  the  care  of  sixteen  soldiers  ;  and  intended  after 
the  Passover  to  bring  him  out  again  to  the  people.     So  Peter     5 
was  kept  in  prison  ;  but  long  and  fervent  prayer  was  offered  to 
God  by  the  church  on  his  behalf. 

.     .       ,  Now  when   Herod  was  on  the  point   of  taking     6 

An  Angel  ...  .    ,  *^ 

rescues  Peter,  him  out  of  prison,  that  very  night  Peter  was  asleep 
between  two  soldiers,  bound  with  two  chains,  and 
guards  were  on  duty  outside  the  door.     Suddenly  an  angel  of    7 
the  Lord  stood  by  him,  and   a  light    shone  in   the   cell  ;  and 
striking  Peter  on  the  side  he  woke  him  and  said,  "Rise  quickly." 
Instantly  the  chains  dropped  off  his  wrists.   "  Fasten  your  belt,"     8 
said  the  angel,  "  and  tie  on  your  sandals."     He  did  so.     Then 
the  angel  said,  "  Throw  your  cloak  round  you,  and  follow  me." 
So   Peter  went  out,  following  him,  yet  could  not   believe  that     9 
what  the  angel  was  doing  was  real,  but  supposed  that  he  saw  a 
vision.     And  passing  through  the  first  ward  and  the   second,     10 
they  came  to  the  iron  gate  leading  into  the  city.     This  opened 
to  them  of  itself ;  and  going  out  they  passed  on  through  one  of 
the  streets,  and  then  suddenly  the  angel  left  him.    Peter  coming     11 
to  himself  said,  *'  Now  I  know  for  certain  that  the  Lord  has  sent 
His  angel  and  has  rescued  me  from  the  power   of  Herod  and 
from  all  that  the  Jewish  people  were  anticipating." 

.  So  after  thinking  things  over,  he  went  to  the     12 

and  Joy  of  the  housc    of   Mary,   the  mother  of  John  surnamed 
Church.       Mark,  where    a    large    number  of    people    were 
assembled  praying.     When  he   knocked  at  the  wicket   in  the     13 
door,  a  maidservant  named  Rhoda  came  to  answer  the  knock  ; 
and  recognizing  Peter's  voice,  for  very  joy  she  did  not  open  the     14 
door,  but  ran  in  and  told  them  that  Peter  was  standing  there. 

the  word  '  deacon '  was  used  as  yet  for  a  special  cla->s  of  Church  officers.  Cp. 
ix.  2,  11. 

4.  Sixteen\  Lit.  '  four  parties  of  four  each.' 

6.  Guards]  The  other  two  men  of  the  four  then  on  duty.  On  duty]  Lit.  '  keeping 
I  heir  watch.' 

10.  Tke  first  ward  and  the  second]  Apparently  parts  of  the  prison,  which  Peter 
had  to  pass  in  succession,  where  the  two  other  soldiers  of  the  quaternion — called 
'guards' in  verse  6 — were  separately  posted,  and  were  doubtless  asleep.  Between 
'going  out '  and  'they  passed'  Codex  Bezae  inserts  'and  going  down  the  seven 
steps.  ■ 


THE   ACTS   XII.-XIII. 


305 


"You  are  mad,"  they  said;   but  she  strenuously  maintained     15 
that  it  was  true.     "  It  is  his  guardian  angel,"  they  said.     Mean-     16 
while  Peter  went   on  knocking,  until  at  last  they  opened  the 
door  and  saw  that  it  was  really  he,  and  were  filled  with  amaze- 
ment.    But  he  motioned  with   his  hand  for  silence,  and  then     17 
described  to  them  how  the  Lord  had  brought  him  out  of  the 
prison.     "  Tell  all  this  to  James  and  the  brethren,"  he   added. 
Then  he  left  them,  and  went  to  another  place. 

The  two  When  morning  came,  there  was  no  little  com-     18 

Sentries       motion    among    the    soldiers,  as    to  what   could 

executed.      possibly  have  become  of  Peter.     And  when  Herod     19 
had  had  him  searched  for  and  could  not  tind  him,  after  sharply 
questioning  the  guards  he  ordered  them  away  to  execution.     He 
then  went  down  from  Judaea  to  Caesarea  and  remained  there. 

Herod's  ^°^^  ^^^  people  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  had  incurred     20 

dreadful       Herod's  violent  displeasure.     So  they  sent  a  large 
deputation  to  wait  on  him  ;  and  having  secured 
the  good  will  of  Blastus,  his  treasurer,  they  begged  the  king  to 
be  friendly    with  them  again,  because    their  country  was   de- 
pendent on  his  for  its  food  supply.     So,  on  an  appointed  day,     21 
Herod,  having  arrayed  himself  in  royal  robes,  took  his  seat  on 
the  tribunal,  and  was  haranguing  them  ;    and  the  assembled     22 
people  kept  shouting,  "  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a 
man  !  "     Instantly  an  angel  of  the  Lord  struck  him,  because  he     23 
had  not  given  the  glory  to  God,  and  being  eaten  up  by  worms, 
he  died. 

But  God's    Message    prospered,  and    converts     24 

and"sa!l?      ^^'^^'^  multiplied.  And  Barnabas  and  Saul  returned     25 

return  to      from  Jerusalem,  having  discharged  their  mission, 
and   they   brought    with     them    John,    surnamed 
Mark. 
T-.  Now    there    were    at    Antioch,  in   the   church     i  1 

They  are  or-  '  J 

dained  as  there  —  as  prophets  and  teachers  —  Barnabas, 
Missionaries.  Symeon  surnamed  'the  black,'  Lucius  the  Cyren- 
aean,  Manaen  (who  was  Herod  the  Tetrarch's  foster-brother), 

13.  Rhoda]  Or  '  Rose  ; '  a  feminine  form  (as  alone  suitable  for  a  woman's  name)  of 
the  neuter  noun  rhodon,  a  rose.     Cp.  Matt.  xvi.  18. 

15.  Guardian  aHgel\  Lit.  'angel.' 

20.  Tn  be  friendly  with  them  again\  Lit.  '  for  peace  ; '  being  apprehensive,  if  not 
of  actual  war,  at  least  of  hostility  in  commercial  matters. 

23.  Josephus  states  that  Herod  died  after  five  days  of  agony  {Antiquities  xix.  8). 

I.  In  the  church]  Lit.  'throughout  the  church'  (cp.  xi.  i)  ;  an  easily  intelligible 
expression  if  we  suppose  the  'church'  to  signify  the  entire  body  of  believers  in 
the  city,  and  that  they  were  wont  to  meet  for  worship  in  private  houses  (xviii.  7) 


3o6  THE   ACTS   XIII. 

and  Saul.     While  they  were  worshipping  the  Lord  and  fasting,     2 
the    Holy    Spirit    said,     "  Set    apart   for    Me,    now   at   once, 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  for  the  work  to  which  I  have  called  them." 
So,  after  fasting  and  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  they     3 
let  them  go. 

First  Missionary  Tour  of  Barnabas  and  Saul, 

They  therefore,  being  thus  sent  out  by  the  Holy     4 
'        Spirit,  went  down   to  Seleuceia,  and  from  there 
sailed  to   Cyprus.      Having  reached    Salamis,  they    began  to     5 
announce  God's  Message  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews.     And 
they  had  John  as  their  assistant. 

When  they  had  gone  through  the  whole  length     6 
^and' E^y^maL"^  of  the  island  as  far  as  Paphos,  they  there  met  with 
a  Jewish  magician  and  false  prophet,  Bar-Jesus 
by  name,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  Proconsul  Sergius  Paulus.     7 
The  Proconsul   was  a  man  of  keen  intelligence.     He  sent  for 
Barnabas    and    Saul   and   asked   to   be   told    God's    Message. 
But  Elymas  (or  '  the  Magician,'  for  such  is  the  meaning  of  the     8 
name)  opposed  them,  endeavouring  to  prevent  the   Proconsul 
accepting  the  faith.     Then  Saul,  who  is  also  called  Paul,  was     9 
filled  with  the   Holy  Spirit,  and,  fixing  his  eyes  on  Elymas, 
said,  "You  who  are   full  of  every  kind  of  craftiness  and   un-     10 
scrupulous  cunning — you  son  of  the  devil  and  foe  to  all  that 
is   right— will   you   never  cease   to    misrepresent  the   straight 
paths  of  the  Lord  ?     The  Lord's  hand  is  now  upon  you,  and  you     1 1 
will  be  blind  for  a  time  and  unable  to  see  the  light  of  day." 
Instantly  there  fell  upon  him  a  mist,  and  a  darkness,  and,  as 
he  walked  about,  he  begged  people  to  lead  him  by  the  hand. 
Then    the   Proconsul,    seeing   what   had   happened,   believed,     12 
being  struck  with  amazement  at  the  teaching  of  the  Lord. 

in  distinct  and  scattered  congregations,  each  probably  with  its  own  leader. 
Svmeon]  Or  '  Simon.'  Cp.  xv.  14.  Possibly  the  man  who  bore  the  cross  for  Jesus. 
IV/io  was  Herod  the  Tetrarch's  foster-brother]  Or  'who  had  been  Herod  the 
Tetrarch's  companion  in  liis  boyhood.' 

4.  Do7un]  Seleuceia  being  on  tlie  sea-coast,  the  port  of  Antioch. 

5.  Assistant]  '"  For  the  administration  of  baptism"  (Alford).     Cp.  xix.  22,  n. 

6.  Bar-Jesiis]  i.e.  'son  of  Joshua.' 

8.  Elymas']  Either  an  Arabic  word,  meaning  '  the  wise  man,'  or  an  Aramaic 
word  meaning  '  the  mighty  man.'  Prevent  .  .  accepting  the  faith]  Lit.  'turn 
aside  .  .  from  the  faith.' 

10  To  misrepresent  <5r=c.]  Lit.  '  to  distort '  (in  your  representations  to  those  who 
wiil  listen  to  you)  'the  Lord's  straight  paths' (i.e.  the  paths  of  faith  and  holiness 
in  which  He  bids  us  walk). 

11.  By  the  hand]  Or  '  by  the  arm.'     See  Matt.  xii.  10,  n.  ;  Acts  ix.  8  ;  xii.  7. 

12.  The  teaching  of  the  Lord]  i.e.  either  the  teaching  concerning  the  Lord 
Jesus,  or  that  which  emanated  from  Him. 


THE    ACTS    XIIT.  307 

,  ,  From  Paphos,  Paul  and  his  party  put  out  to  sea     13 

Pisidian       and  sailed  to   Perga  in  Pamphylia.     John,  how- 
Antioch.       ever,  left  them  and  returned  to   Jerusalem.     But     14 
they  themselves,  pissing  through  from   Perga,  came  to  Antioch 
in  Pisidia. 

Here  on  the  Sabbath  day  they  went  into  the 

Paul's  great  ,  ,  \r  ^  ^■  <- 

Speech  to  the  Synagogue  and  sat  down.     After  the  readmg  of     15 

AntToc^*        the   Law  and  the  Prophets,  the  wardens  of   the 
Synagogue  sent  woid  to  them,  "  Brethren,  if  you 
have  anything  encouraging  to  say  to  the  people,   speak."     So     16 
Paul   rose,    and    motioning    with   his   hand   for    silence,    said, 
"  Israelites,  and  you  others  who  fear  God,  pay  attention  to  me. 
The   God  of  this  people  of  Israel  chose  our  forefathers,  and     17 
made  the  people  great  during  their  stay  in  Egypt,  until  with 
wondrous  power  He  brought  them    out   from   that  land.     For     18 
a  period  of  about  forty  years,  He  fed  them  like  a  nurse  in  the 
desert.     Then,  after  overthrowing  seven  nations  in  the  land  of     19 
Canaan,   He  divided  that  country  among   them  as   their    in- 
heritance for  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  years  ;  and  after-     20 
wards  He  gave  them  judges  down  to  the  time  of  the  prophet 
Samuel.     Next  they  asked  for  a  king,  and  God  gave  them  Saul     21 
the  son   of  Kish,  a  Benjamite,  who  reigned  forty  years.     After     22 
removing  him.  He  raised  up  David  to  be  their  king,  to  whom 
He  also  bore  witness  when  He  said,   '  I  have  found   David  the 
son  of  Jesse,  a  man  I   love,  who  will  obey  all  My  commands.' 
It  is  from  among  David's  descendants  that  God,  in  fulfilment     23 
of  His  promise,  has  brought  a  Saviour  to  Israel,  even  Jesus. 
Before  tiie  coming  of  Jesus,  John  had  proclaimed  to  all  the     24 
people  of  Israel  a  baptism  of  repentance.     But  John,   towards     25 
the  end  of  his  career,  repeatedly  asked  the  people,  '  What  do 
you  suppose  me  to  be  ?     I   am  not  the  Christ.     But  there  is 
One  coming  after  me  whose  shoe  I   am   not  worthy  to  untie.' 

"  Brethren,  descendants  of  the  family  of  Abraham,  and  all     26 
among  you  who  fear  God,  to  us  has  the  announcement  of  this 
salvation  been  sent.     For  those   who   live    at  Jerusalem,  and     27 
their  rulers,  by  the  judgement  they  pronounced  on  Jesus  have 
actually  fulfilled  the  predictions  of  the  Prophets  which  are  read 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  through  ignorance  of  those  predictions 


17.  ]Voniirous  power]  Lit.    'uplifted  arm.' 

18.  Fed]  Lit.  '  carried.'     v.L.  '  bore  patiently  with  their  perverseiiess.' 

27.   By  the  Judgeinent  they  pronounced]  Lit,,    'having  judgeJ,"   the   verb    being 
used  absolutely,  as  in  John  v.  30  ;  viii.  50  ;  i  Pet,  ii    23. 


3o8  THE   ACTS   XIII. 

and  of  Him.     Without  having  found  Him  guilty  of  any  capital     28 
offence  they  urged  Pilate  to  have  Him  put  to  death  ;  and  when     29 
they  had  carried  out  everything  which  had  been  written  about 
Him,  they  took  Him  down  from  the  cross  and  laid   Him  in 
a  tomb. 

"But  God   raised  Him  from  the   dead.      And  after  a  few  30,  31 
days  He  appeared  to  the  people  who  had  gone  up  with  Him 
from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem  and  are  now  His  witnesses  to  the 
Jews.     And  we  bring  you  the  Good  News  about  the  promise     32 
made  to  our  forefathers,  that  God  has  amply  fulfilled  it  to  our     33 
children  in  raising  up  Jesus  ;  as  it  is  also  written  in  the  second 
Psalm,  *  Thou  art  My  Son  :  to-day  I  have  become  Thy 
Father'  (Ps.  ii.  7).     And  as  to  His  having  raised  Him  from     34 
among  the  dead,  never  again  to  be  in  the  position  of  one  soon 
to  return  to  decay.  He  speaks  thus  :  '  I  will  give  YOU  THE 

holy  and  TRUSTWORTHY  PROMISES  MADE  TO  DaVID'  (Isa.  Iv. 

3)  ;  because  in  another  Psalm  also  He  says,  '  THOU  WILT  not     35 
GIVE  UP  Thy  holy  One  to  undergo  decay'  (Ps.  xvi.  10). 
For  David,  after  having  been  useful  to  his  own  generation  in     36 
accordance  with  God's  purpose,  did  fall  asleep,  was  gathered 
to  his  forefathers,  and  did  undergo  decay  ;  but  He  whom  God     2)1 
raised  to  life  underwent  no  decay, 

"  Understand   therefore,  brethren,  that  through  this  Jesus  38,  39 
forgiveness  of  sins  is  announced  to  you  ;  and  in  Him  every 
believer  is  absolved  from  all  offences,  from  which  you  could 
not  be  absolved  under  the  Law  of  Moses.     Beware,  then,  lest     40 
what  iS  spoken  in  the  Prophets    should   come  true  of  you  : 
•Behold,  you  despisers,  be  astonished  and  perish,  be-    41 

CAUSE  I  AM  carrying  ON  A  WORK  IN  YOUR  TIME— A  WORK 
WHICH  YOU  WILL  UTTERLY  REFUSE  TO  BELIEVE,  THOUGH  IT 
BE   FULLY   DECLARED   TO   YOU'"   (Hab.  i.  5). 

As  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  leaving  the  syna-     42 
The  People  are  ,  ,  ,      ,  11,, 

deeply  im-      gogue,  the  people  earnestly  begged  to    have  all 

pressed.      ^j^jg  repeated  to  them  on  the  following  Sabbath  ; 
and,  when  the  congregation  had  broken  up,  many  oi'  the  Jews     43 

29.  Cross\  Lit.  '  timber.'     Cp.  x.  39. 

33.  Raising  up\  Either  '  from  the  dead'  as  in  verse  34,  or  as  the  same  verb  is 
employed  in  verse  22  and  vii.  37.     The  second  Psalm]  v.l.  '  the  first  Psalm.' 

34.  Speaks]  See  Aorist  vii.  8. 

35.  G27'e  uf>]  Lit.  'give.'  This  is  one  of  the  many  Hebraisms  of  the  N.T.  The 
Hebrew  verb  for  '  to  give,'  even  in  its  simplest  forms,  is  translated  in  56  different 
ways  in  the  Greek  of  the  LXX. 

36.  After  having  been  useful  &=€.]  Or  '  after  having  in  his  own  life-time  served 
God's  purpose.' 

42.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were]  Or  '  the  congregation  was.'     v  l.  '  the  Jews  were. ' 


THE    ACTS    XIII.-XIV.  309 

and  of  the  devout  converts  from  heathenism  continued  with 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  who  talked  to  them  and  urged  them  to 
hold  fast  to  the  grace  of  God. 

On  the  next  Sabbath  almost  the  whole  popu-     44 
opposed?the    lation  of  the  city  came  together  to  hear  the  Lord's 
tothe*Gentnes  Message.      Seeing   the   crowds,   the   Jews,   filled     45 

with  angry  jealousy,  opposed  Paul's  statements 
and  abused  him.  Then,  throwing  off  all  reserve,  Paul  and  46 
Barnabas  said,  "  We  were  bound  to  proclaim  God's  Message 
to  you  first  ;  but  since  you  spurn  it  and  judge  yourselves  to  be 
unworthy  of  the  Life  of  the  ages — well,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles. 
For  such  is  the  Lord's  command  to  us.  '  I  HAVE  placed  47 
Thee,'  He  says  of  Christ,  '  as  a  light  to  the  Gentiles, 

IN  ORDER  that  THOU  MAYEST  BE  A  SAVIOUR  AS  FAR  AS 
THE    REMOTEST    PARTS    OF   THE    EARTH'"    (Isa.  xlix.  6).      The      48 

Gentiles  listened  with  delight  and  extolled  the  Lord's  Message  ; 
and  all  who  were  appointed  to  the  Life  of  the  ages  believed. 

So  the    Lord's    Message   spread    through    the     49 

Persecution        ,,         ,..  ^  ,x  •     r,  ,, 

drives  them  to  whole   district.      But    the    Jews    influenced    the     50 

iconmm.  gentlewomen  of  rank  who  worshipped  with  them, 
and  also  the  leading  men  in  the  city,  and  stirred  up  persecution 
against  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  drove  them  beyond  their 
frontier.  But  they  shook  off  the  dust  from  their  feet  as  a  51 
protest  against  them  and  came  to  Iconium  ;  and  as  for  the 
disciples,  they  were  more  and  more  filled  with  joy  and  with 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

At  Iconium  the  apostles  went  together  to  the     114- 
escJpe  from   Jewish  synagogue  and  preached,  with    the    result 
**^L  caonia  *°  ^^^^  ^  ^^^^^  number  both  of  Jews  and  Greeks  be- 
lieved.    But  the  Jews  who  had  refused  obedience     2 
stirred  up  the  Gentiles  and  embittered  their  minds  against  the 
brethren.     Yet  Paul  and  Barnabas  remained  there  for  a  con-     3 
siderable  time,  speaking  freely  and  relying  on  the  Lord,  while 
He  bore  witness  to  the  Message  of  His   grace  by  permitting 
signs  and  marvels  to  be  done  by  them.     At  length  the  people    4 

46.  0/  the  ages\  Greek  '  aeoniau.'     See  Matt,  xviii.  8,  n. 

51.  More  and  more]  Implied  in  the  tense  (imperfect)  of  the  verb. 

r.    l^ogether]  Or  'in  the  same  way.' 

2.  Had]  See  Aorisi  x.  2,  p.  33.  Obedience]  Or  possibly  '  belief;'  if  (as  the  A.V 
translators  seem  to  have  supposed)  the  distinction  between  apeitheo  and  apisteo  was 
disregarded  by  the  writers  of  the  N.T.  But  the  Lord's  Message  is  authoritative  : 
to  refuse  to  believe  is  to  disobey. 

4.  Split  into  parties]  The  Greek  indicates  their  act  of  dividing  themselves,  not 
the  condition  consequent  on  that  act,  as  '  were  divided '  would  imply. 


310  THE    ACTS    XIV. 

of  the  city  split  into  parties,  some  siding  with  the   Jews   and 
some  with   the  apostles.     And  when  a  hostile  movement  was     5 
made  by  both  Gentiles  and  Jews,  with   the  sanction  of  their 
magistrates,  to  maltreat  and   stone    them,  the  apostles,   after     6 
thinking  the  matter  over,  made  their  escape  into  the  Lycaonian 
towns  of  Lystra  and    Derbe,  and  the  neighbouring  country  ;     7 
and  there  they  continued  to  tell  the  Good  News. 

Now    a    man  who    had    no   power  in  his  feet     8 
A  lame  Man    ^^^q^  to  sit  in  the  Streets  of  Lystra.       He  had  been 

cured  at  •' 

Lystra.    The   lame  from  his  birth  and  had  never  walked.     After     9 

®^"  ■        this  man  had  listened  to  one  of  Paul's  sermons, 
the  apostle,  looking  steadily  at  him  and  perceiving  that  he  had 
faith  to  be  cured,  said  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Stand   upright   upon     10 
your  feet  !  "     So  he  sprang  up  and  began  to  walk  about.    Tlien     1 1 
the  crowds,  seeing  what  Paul  had  done,  rent  the  air  with  tiieir 
shouts  in  the  Lycaonian  language,  "  The  gods  have  assumed 
human  form  and  have  come  down  to  us."  They  called  Barnabas     12 
'Zeus,'  and  Paul,    as  being  the    principal  speaker,   'Hermes,'     13 
and  the  priest  of  Zeus — the  temple  of  Zeus  being  at  the  entrance 
to  the  city — brought  bullocks  and  garlands  to  the  gates,  and  in 
company  with  the  crowd  was  intending  to  offer  sacrifices  to  them. 
But  the  apostles,  Barnabas  and  Paul,  heard  of  it  ;  and  tearing     14 
their  clothes  they  rushed  out  into  the  middle  of  the  crowd,  ex- 
claiming, "  Sirs,  why  are  you  doing  all  this  ?      We  also  are  but     15 
men,  with  natures  kindred  to  your  own  ;  and  we  bring  you  the 
Good  News  that  you  are  to  turn  from  these  unreal  things  to 
worship  the  ever-living  God,  the  Creator  of  earth  and  sky  and 
sea  and  of  everything  that  is  in  them.     In  times  gone  by  He     16 
allowed  all  the  nations  to  go  their  own  ways  ;  and  yet  by  His     17 
beneficence  He  has  not  left  His  existence  unattested — His  bene- 
ficence, I  mean,  in  sending  you  rain  from  heaven  and  fruitful 
seasons,    satisfying   your    hearts    with     food    and   joyfulness." 
Even  with  words  like  these  they  had  difficulty  in  stopping  the     18 
thronging  crowd  from  offering  sacrifices  to  them. 

But  now  a  party  of  Jews  came  from  Antioch     19 

Paul  stoned.   ^^^  Iconium,  and,  having  won    over    the  crowd. 

The  Apostles     ,  ,     U       ,  ,      ,  ,     ,  .  r      , 

retrace  their  they  Stoned    Paul   and   dragged   him   out   of  the 
Steps.         town,  believing  him  to  ba  dead.      When,  however,     20 

8.  Had  never  walked]  See  Aorist  viii.  i,  p.  28. 

9.  After  .  .  had  listened]  v.L.  'While  .  .  was  listenine;.' 

13.    The  gates]  i.e.  of  the  city.     The  Greek  word  in  the  plural  can  hardly  have 
been  applicable  to  the  entrance  to  a  house. 
15.   ^'a'^^res]  Lit.  'feelings.* 


THE    ACTS    XIV.-XV.  311 

the  disciples  had  coiiecled   round  him,  he  rose  and  went  back 

into  the  town.     The  next  day  he  went  with  Barnabas  to  Derbe  ; 

and   after   proclaiming  the    Good    News    to    the  people  there     21 

and  gaining  a  large  number   of  converts,  they  retraced  their 

steps   to    Lystra,    Iconium,    and    Antioch.       Everywhere  they     22 

strengthened  the  disciples    by  encouraging    them  to  hold  fast 

to   the  faith,  and  warned  them  saying,    "It   is  through  many 

afflictions  that  we  must  make    our  way  into  the  Kingdom  of 

God."      And  in  every  church,    after    prayer  and  fasting,  they     23 

selected  elders  by  show  of  hands,  and  commended  them  to  the 

Lord  on  whom  their  faith  rested. 

Then  passing  through   Pisidia  they  came  into     24 
They  make       ^  ,     ,.  ,       <-  ,,•  ,      \r 

a  Stay  in       Pamphvlia  ;    and    after    telhng    the    Message  at     25 

Antioch.       perga  they  came  down  to  Attaleia.     Thence  they     26 
sailed  to  Antioch,  where  they  had  previously  been  commended 
to  the  grace  of  God  in  connexion  with  the  work  which  they 
had  now  completed.     Upon  their  arrival  they  called  the  church     27 
together  and  proceeded  to  report  in  detail  all  that  God,  work- 
ing with  them,  had  done,  and    how  He    had    opened    for  the 
Gentiles  the  door  of  faith.     And  they  remained  a  considerable     28 
time  at  Antioch  with  the  disciples. 

But  certain  persons  who  had  come  down  from     i 
ChHrtians     Judaea   tried    to    convince    the    brethren,  saying, 
and  the  Law    "Unless  you  are  circumcised  in  accordance  with 

of  Moses.  ,        , ,         .  ,  1  „       T^ 

the  Mosaic  custom,  you  cannot  be  saved. '  Be-  2 
tween  these  new  comers  and  Paul  and  Barnabas  there  was  no 
little  disagreement  and  controversy,  until  at  last  it  was  decided 
that  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  some  other  brethren  should  go 
up  to  consult  the  apostles  and  elders  at  Jerusalem  on  this 
matter.  So  they  set  out,  being  accompanied  for  a  short  dis-  3 
tance  by  some  other  members  of  the  church  ;  and  as  they 
passed  through  Phoenicia  and  Samaria,  they  told  the  whole 
story  of  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  and  inspired  all  the 
brethren  with  great  joy. 

23.  Selected]  i.e.  'caused  to  be  selected,'  themselves  presiding  at  the  meeting. 
By  show  0/  hands]  The  verb  itself  (lit.  '  hand-stretch  ')  implies  this,  and  it  is  the 
meaning  perhaps  universally  in  the  classical  writers,  both  of  the  simple  verb  and  of 
its  compounds.  One  of  those  compounds  is  found  in  x.  41,  where  the  notion  of  an 
uplifted  hand  is  hardly  admissible  ;  but  in  2  Cor.  viii.  19,  the  only  other  place  in  the 
N.T.  where  the  verb  occurs,  there  is  no  necessity  for  understanding  it  in  any  other 
than  its  usual  sense.  And  so  in  The  Teaching  of  the  Apostles^  ch.  15,  "  Elect 
therefore  by  show  of  hands  bishops  and  deacons  for  yourselves,  men  worthy  of  the 
Lord."  1  hat  the  ancients,  like  ourselves,  stretched  out  the  arm  upwards  in  voting, 
not  horizontally  as  in  imposition  of  hands,  is  evident  from  Xenophon,  Anabasis  iii. 
2,  33.  The  use  of  the  word  in  later  Ecclesiastical  writers  is  not  decisive  of  its  mean- 
ing here. 


312  THE   ACTS    XV. 

Upon  their  arrival  in  Jeiusalem  they  were  cordially  received  4 
by  the  church,  the  apostles,  and  the  elders  ;  and  they  reported 
in  detail  all  that  God,  working  with  them,  had  done.  But  certain  5 
men  who  had  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees  but  were 
now  believers,  stood  up  in  the  assembly,  and  said,  "  Yes,  they 
ought  to  be  circumcised  and  ordered  to  keep  the  Law  of 
Moses." 

Then  the  apostles  and  elders  met  to  consider     6 
'jfrusarJm"  the  matter  ;  and  after  there  had  been  a  long  dis-     7 
Peter's        cussion  Peter  rose  to  his  feet.     "  It  is  within  your 
^^^'^  '       own  knowledge,"  he   said,  "that   God   originally 
made  choice  among  you  that  from  my  lips  the  Gentiles  were  to 
hear  the  Message  of  the  Good  News  and  believe.     And  God,     8 
who  knows  all  hearts,  gave  His  testimony  in  their  favour  by  be- 
stowing the  Holy  Spirit  on  them  just  as  He  did  on  us  ;  and  He     9 
made  no  difference  between  us  and   them,  in  that  He  cleansed 
their  hearts  by  their  faith.     Now  therefore  why  try  an  experi-     10 
ment  upon  God,  by  laying  on  the  necks  of  these  disciples  a 
yoke  which  neither  our  forefathers  nor  we  have  been  able  to 
bear?     On  the  contrary  we  believe  that  it  is  by  the  grace  of  the     11 
Lord  Jesus  that  we,  as  well  as  they,  shall  be  saved." 

Then  the  whole  assembly  remained  silent  while     12 
AStatementby    ...  ,  ,  ,       ,        t^      1 

Paul  and       they    listened    to    the   statement    made    by    Paul 

Barnabas.  ^^^^  Barnabas  as  to  all  the  signs  and  marvels 
that  God  had  done  among  the  Gentiles  through  their  instru- 
mentality. 

When  they  had  finished  speaking,  James  said,     13 

The  Advice  of  a  Brethren,  listen  to  me.    Symeon  has  related  how     14 
James.  '' 

God  first  looked  graciously  on  the  Gentiles  to  take 

from  among  them  a  People  to  be  called  by  His  name.     And     15 

this  is  in  harmony  with  the  language  of  the  Prophets,  which 

says  : 

4.  T/ie  el-iers]  No  mention  is  made  of  either  bishops  or  deacons,  both  being 
included  under  the  one  name  '  elders." 

6.  flatter]  Lit.  'word.'     One  of  Luke's  many  Hebraisms. 

7.  Your  ozvn  knortjledgc\  The  '  your'  is  emphatic  ;  '  you  certainly  know  whether 
others  do  or  not.'  Cp.  x.  37  and  note.  Originally]  Lit.  '  from  days  of  the  begin- 
ning' (of  proclaiming  the  Good  News  to  the  Gentiles,  about  fifteen  years  before  tiiis 
time). 

10.  By  laying]  Lit.  'to  lay,'  a  Hebraistic  use  of  the  infinitive.    Cp.  Luke  i.  54,  d. 

12.  Remained  silent]  See  Aorist  vi.  6,  p.  20,  n.,  the  last  line  of  which,  however, 
is  an  error. 

14.  Sy}neon]  Cp.  2  Pet.  i.  i.  It  was  no  doubt  Peter's  original  Hebrew  name  ;  for 
which  his  parents  or  himself  chose  to  substitute  at  a  later  time  the  Latin  '  .Simo(n)'^ 
a  word  01  like  form,  though  totally  different  in  derivation  and  meaning.  Cp. 
xiii.  7,  9. 


THE    ACTS   XV.  313 

'"Afterwards    I   will    return,   and  will    rebuild     16 
David's  fallen  tent  : 
Its  ruins   I  will   rebuild,  and    I  will   set    it  up 

AGAIN  ; 

In  order  that  the  rest  of  mankind  may  earnestly    17 

seek  the  Lord- 
Even  all  the   nations  which    are   called   by  My 

name," 
Says  the  Lord  who  has  been  making  these  things 

KNOWN    from   ages    LONG    PAST'    (AmoS  ix.   II,  12).  l8 

"  My  judgement,  therefore,  is  against  inflicting  unexpected  an-     19 
noyance  on  those  of  the  Gentiles  who  are  turning  to  God.     Yet     20 
let  us  send  them  written  instructions  to  abstain  from  things 
polluted  by   connexion  with   idolatry,    from   fornication,    from 
meat  killed  by  strangling,  and  from   blood.     For  Moses  from     21 
the  earliest  times  has  had  his  preachers   in  every  town,  being 
read,  as  he  is,    Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  in  the  various  syna- 
gogues." 

.  ,   ,^     ^  Thereupon  it  was  decided  by  the  apostles  and     22 

A  Letter  to  '^  J  r 

the  Gentile     elders.  With  the  approval  of  the  whole  church,  to 

c  urc  es.      ^hoose  suitable  persons  from  among  themselves 

and  send  them  to  Antioch  with   Paul  and   Barnabas.     Judas, 

called  Bar-Sabbas,  and  Silas,  leading  men  among  the  brethren, 

were  selected,  and  they  took  with  them  the  following  letter  :  23 

"  The  apostles  and  the  elder  brethren  send  greeting  to  the 
Gentile  brethren  throughout  Antioch,  Syria  and  Cilicia.  As  we  24 
have  been  informed  that  certain  persons  who  have  gone  out  from 
among  us  have  disturbed  you  by  their  teaching  and  have  un- 
settled your  minds,  without  having  received  any  such  instruc- 
tions from  us  ;  we  have  unanimously  decided  to  select  certain     25 

16.  up  again]  See  iv.  9,  n. 

17.  JV/io  has  been  making]  Lit.  'making,' — one  word  only.  This  Greek,  if  it 
occurred  in  a  classical  author,  would  be  incapable  of  being  rendered  by  a  relative, 
but  we  have  here  a  literal  translation  of  the  Hebrew  in  which  the  simple  participle 
may  be  used.     On  the  tense  ('  has  been  making ')  see  Aorist  iii.  2,  3. 

18.  From  ages  long  past]  Lit.  'from  (the)  age.'  The  expression  occurs  only  in 
one  other  place,  Luke  i.  70,  where  the  thought  is  the  same. 

ig.  Unexpected]  The  same  prefix  (for  it  is  a  compound  verb  in  the  Greek)  is  used 
to  signify  '  unawares,'  '  privily,"  stealthily,'  '  insidiously,'  in  Luke  xx.  20  ;  Gal.  ii.  4  ; 
2  Pet.  ii.  I ;  Jude  4  ;  Judges  xvi.  16  (LXX.,  Alex.).  To  God]  Lit.  '  to  the  (true) 
God.' 

20.  Things  polhited]  See  verse  29.     '  Pollution  '  is  an  inexact  rendering. 

21.  The  earliest  times]  Lit.  'the  generations  of  the  beginning '  (of  the  Mosaic 
legislation),  a  sense  which  evidently  must  not  be  pressed.  Cp.  verse  7,  n.  Hasfiad] 
See  Aorist  iii.  2,  3. 

25.  Unanii7iously]  Lit.  '  having  become  unanimous,'  implying  diversity  of  opinion 
at  first,  and  serious  discussion.  Some  follow  tlje  Vulgate  in  understanding  oneness  of 
place  to  be  intended,  but  neither  the  usage  of  the  word  elsewhere  (ui  ten  passages  in 


314  THE    ACTS    XV. 

men  and  send  them  to   you  in  company  with   our  dear  friends 
Barnabas  and  Paul,  who  have  endangered  their  very  Hves  for     26 
the  sake  of  our  Lord  Jesus   Christ.     We  have  therefore  sent     27 
Judas  and  Sihis,  who   are  themselves   bringing  you   the  same 
message  by  word  of  mouth.     For  it  has   seemed  good   to  the     28 
Holy  Spirit  and  to  us  to  lay  upon  you  no  burden  heavier  than 
these  necessary  requirements — You  must  abstain  from  things     29 
sacrificed  to  idols,  from  blood,  from  things  strangled,  and  from 
fornication.     Keep  yourselves  clear  of  these  things,  and  it  will 
be  well  with  you.     Farewell." 

They,  therefore,  having  been  solemnly  sent,  came  down  to     30 
Antioch,  where   they  called  together  the  whole  assembly  and 
delivered  the  letter.     The  people  read  it,  and  were  dehghted     31 
with  the  comfort  it  brought  them.     And  Judas  and  Silas,  being     32 
themselves  also  prophets,  gave  them  a  long  and  cheering  ad- 
dress, and  strengthened  them  in  the  faith.  After  spending  some     2;^ 
time   there   they    received    an   affectionate   farewell   from    the 
brethren  to  return  to  those  who  had  sent  them.      But  Paul  and     35 
Barnabas   stayed  at  Antioch,  teaching  and,  in  company  with 
many  others,  telling  the  Good  News  of  the  Lord's  Message. 

St.  Paul's  Second  Missionary  Tour, 

After  a  while  Paul  said   to  Barnabas,  "  Suppose     36 
'  1»iace^of   ^  ^^'s  ^"^o^v  revisit  the  brethren  in  the  various  towns 
Barnabas,      j^  which  we  have  made  known  the  Lord's  Message 
— to  see  whether  they  are  prospering."    Barnabas,  however,  was     37 
bent  on  taking  with  them  John,  whose   other  name  was  Mark, 
while  Paul  deemed  it  undesirable  to  have  as  their  companion     38 
one  who  had  deserted  them  in  Pamphylia  and  had  not  gone  on 
with  them  to  the  work.     So  there  arose  a  serious  disagreement     39 
between  them,  which  resulted  in  their  parting  from  one  another, 
Barnabas  taking  Mark  and  setting  sail  for  Cyprus.     But  Paul     40 
chose  Silas  as  his  travelling  companion  and  set  out,  after  being 
commended  by  the  brethren  to  the  grace  of  the  Lord  ;  and  he     41 
passed  through  Syria  and  Cilicia,  strengthening  the  churches. 

the  Acts  and  one  in  Romans)  sanctions  this  sense,  nor  does  the  etymology  favour  it. 
In  English  it  might  be  roughly  represented  by  '  same-miiided-ly.' 

31.  Kead\  No  doubt,  as  was  the  custom  in  the  assemblies  of  the  people  at  Athens, 
some  authorized  individual  read  the  document  aloud,  while  the  rest  of  the  people 
present  listened.     Cheering]  See  iv.  37,  n. 

32.  Prophets]  The  prediction  of  fuiure  events  was  but  one  function  of  a  prophet, 
who  was  primarily  a  speaker  for  God  reoei\  iiig  from  Him  a  message  to  deliver  to 
others.     Cp.  especially  Exod.  iv.  16.     Them]  Lit.  'the  brethren.' 

34.  v.L.  inserts,  '  But  Silas  thought  proper  to  remain  there  still.' 


THE   ACTS   XVI.  315 

_..      ^.     .  .  He   also   came    lo    Derbe    and    to    Lystra,     At     i 

Timothy  joins  ,         ^  ,  ,.      .    ,        ^.  ,        / 

thc-m  at  Lystra  he  found  a  disciple,  Timothy  byname — 
Lystra.  ^^^^  ^^.^  ^^  ^  Christian  Jewess,  though  he  had  a 
Greek  father.  Timothy  was  well  spoken  of  by  the  brethren  at  2 
Lystra  and  Iconium,  and  Paul  desiring  that  he  should  accom-  3 
pany  him  on  his  journey,  took  him  and  circumcised  him  on 
account  of  the  Jews  in  those  parts,  for  they  all  knew  that  his 
father  was  a  Greek. 

As  they  journeyed  on  from  town  to  town,  they  handed  to  the     4 
brethren  for  their  observance   the  decisions    which  had    been 
arrived  at  by  the  apostles  and  elders  at  Jerusalem.     So   the     5 
churches  went  on  gaining  a  stronger  faith  and  growing  in  num- 
bers from  day  to  day. 

Then  Paul  and  his  companions  passed  through     6 
Galat^a^Troas.  Phrygia  and  Galatia,  having  been   forbidden  by 
the   Holy  Spirit  to  proclaim  the   Message  in  the 
province  of  Asia.     When  they  reached  the  frontier  of  Mysia,     7 
they  were  about  to  enter  Bithynia,  but  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  would 
not  permit  this.     So  passing  along  Mysia  they  came  to  Troas.        8 
An  Ad  eai  Here,  one  night,  Paul  saw  a  vision  :  there  was     9 

from  a  Macedonian  who  was  standing,  entreating  him 

and  saying,  "  Come  over  into  Macedonia  and  help 
us."     So  when  he  had  seen  the  vision,  we  immediately  looked     10 
out  for  an  opportunity  of  passing  on  into    Macedonia,   confi- 
dently inferring  that  God  had  called  us  to  proclaim  the  Good 
News  to  the  people  there. 

Accordingly  we  put  out  to  sea  from  Troas,  and     1 1 
Phhipp^.*      ^^^  ^  straight  course  to   Samothrace.     The  next 

day  we  came  to  Neapolis,  and  thence  to  Philippi,     12 
which  is  a  city  of  Macedonia,  the  first  in   its  district,  a  Roman 
colony  ;  and  there  we  stayed  some  little  time. 

On  the  Sabbath  we  went  beyond  the  city  gate  to     13 
^of  Lyd1a°"     ^^^  riverside  «where  we  had  reason  to  believe  that 
there   was  a  place   for  prayer  ;  and  sitting  down 

1.  A  Christian  J ewess\  Lit.  *a  woman,  a  believing  Jewess." 

6.  Paul  and  his  co7y.i>anions\  Lit.  'they.'  Phrygia  and  Galatia]  Lit.  'the 
Phrygian  and  Galaiian  land.'  Almost  ail  the  names  of  countries  in  Greek  are 
adjectives  followed  by  "  land  "  expressed  or  understood. 

8.  Passing  alofig]  Or  'passing  by,'  '  neglecting'  so  far  as  their  work  of  preaching 
was  concerned.  Troas]  Here  apparently  the  town.  See  2  Cor.  ii.  12,  n.  The 
Troad,  as  a  territory,  was  not  at  this  period  a  part  of  My^ia,  and  was  accessible  to 
travellers  from  Phrygia  who  might  leave  Mysia  on  their  left  without  entering  it. 
Thus  tlie  passing  by  may  be  understood  in  both  senses  above  slated. 

12.  Which,  is  <^c.\  Or  '  which  is  a  ve;y  important  city  in  the  Province  of 
Macedonia  ; '   or  perhaps  '  which  is  the    first  city  (the  traveller  arrives  at)  in  iliat 


3i6  THE    ACTS   XVI. 

we  talked  with  the  women  who  had  come  together.  Among  our  14 
hearers  was  one  named  Lydia,  a  dealer  in  purple  goods.  She 
belonged  to  the  city  of  Thyateira,  and  was  a  worshipper  of  the 
true  God.  The  Lord  opened  her  heart,  so  that  she  gave 
attention  to  what  Paul  was  saying.  When  she  and  her  house-  15 
hold  had  been  baptized,  she  urged  us,  saying,  "  If  in  your 
judgement  I  am  a  believer  in  the  Lord,  come  and  stay  at  my 
house  ; "  and  she  made  us  go. 

^         ^  One  day  as  we  were  on  our  way  to  the  place  of     16 

Cure  of  a  \  ,         ,    •        j  .      1      • 

mad  prayer,  a  slave  girl  met  us  who  claimed  to  be  in- 

SlaveGirl.  gpifg^i  ^nd  was  accustomed  to  bring  her  owners 
large  profits  by  telling  fortunes.  She  kept  following  close  17 
behind  Paul  and  the  rest  of  us,  crying  aloud,  "These  men  are 
the  bondservants  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  are  proclaiming 
to  you  the  way  of  salvation."  This  she  persisted  in  for  a  con-  18 
siderable  time,  until  Paul,  wearied  out,  turned  round  and  said 
to  the  spirit,  "I  command  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
come  out  of  her."     And  it  came  out  immediately. 

But  when  her  owners  saw  that  their  hopes  of     19 
Silas         gain  were  gone,  they  seized  Paul  and  Silas  and 

arreste  .      dragged  them  off  to  the  magistrates  in  the  public 
square.     Then  they  brought   them   before   the   praetors,  and     20 
said,  "  These  men  are  creating  a  great  disturbance  in  our  city. 
They  are  Jews,  and  are  teaching  customs  which  we,  as  Romans,     21 
are  not  permitted  to  adopt  or  practise."     The  crowd,  too,  joined     22 
in  the  outcry  against  them,  till  at  length  the  praetors  ordered 
them  to  be  stripped  and  beaten  with  rods  ;  and  after  severely     23 
flogging  them  they  threw  them  into  jail  and  bade  the  jailer  keep 
them  safely.     He,  having  received  an  order  like  that,  lodged     24 
them  in  the  inner  prison,  and  secured  their  feet  in  the  stocks. 

division  of  Macedonia.'  But  there  seems  to  be  no  way  of  rendering  the  clause  not 
open  to  some  objection.  The  chief  town  of  Macedonia  as  a  whole  was  not  Philippi 
but  Thessalonica  ;  and  the  chief  town  of  Macedonia  Prima  was  Amphipolis. 

14.  0/  the  true  God]  Lit.  'of  the  God;'  expressed  in  the  Greek  here  and  in 
xviii.  7,  though  not  in  xiii.  43,  50  ;  xvii.  4,  17. 

15.  In  your  jutfgement  I  am\  Lit.  *  if  you  have  judged  me,  and  still  judge  me,  to 
be.'     In  the  Greek  it  is  the  perfect  tense.     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

16.  Claimed  to  be  inspired]  Lie.  '  had  a  spirit,  a  Python.' 

18.  For  a  considerable  time]  Lit.  'for  many  days,'  meaning  probably  what  we 
should  express  by  'for  some  weeks.'  Wearied  out]  Or  '  deeply  grieved.'  hnine- 
diately]  Or  '  that  very  instant.'  The  Greek  word  commonly  rendered  by  our  word 
'hour'  and  etymologically  identical  with  it,  is  yet  by  no  means  equivalent  to  it  in 
meaning,  except  when  used  of  the  12  (or  24)  divisions  of  the  day,  and  it  is  not 
absolutely  equivalent  even  then. 

19.  Alagistrates]  Their  proper  title  was  '  duumviri,'  but  they  often  assumed  the 
higher  rank  of  praetors,  to  which  they  had  no  right,  although  Luke  concedes  it  to 
them  five  times  in  this  chapter. 

22.  Joined  in  the  outcry]  Or  'rose  as  one  man.'     Ordered]  The  tense  (imperfect) 


THE   ACTS   XVI.  317       • 

Conversion         About  midnight   Paul  and    Silas  were  praying     25 
of  their        and  singing  hymns  to  God,  and  the  prisoners  were 
'^^'  ®''"         listening  to  them,  when  suddenly  there  was  stich  a     26 
violent  shock  of  earthquake  that  the  prison  shook  to  its  found- 
ations.    Instantly  the  doors  all  flew  open,  and  the  chains  fell  off 
from  every  prisoner.     Starting  up  from  sleep  and  seeing  the     27 
doors  of  the  jail  wide  open,  the  jailer  drew  his  sword  and  was  on 
the  point  of  killing  himself,  supposing  that  the  prisoners  had 
escaped.    But  Paul  shouted  loudly  to  him,  saying,  "  Do  yourself    28 
no   injury  :   we   are   all  here."      Then,    calling   for   lights,    he     29 
sprang  in  and  fell  trembling  at  the  feet  of  Paul  and  Silas  ;  and     30 
bringing  them  out  of  the  prison  he  exclaimed,  "O  sirs,  what 
must  I   do  to  be  saved?"     "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,"  they     31 
replied,  "  and  both  you  and  your  household  will  be  saved."     And     32 
they  told  the  Lord's  Message  to  him  as  well  as  to  all  who  were 
in  his  house.     Then  he  took  them,  even  at  that  time  of  night,     23 
washed  the  blood  and  dirt  from  their  wounds,  and  he  and  all 
his  household  immediately  received  baptism  ;  and  bringing  the     34 
apostles  up  into  his  house,  he  spread  a  meal  for  them,  and  was 
filled  with  gladness,  with  his  whole  household,  his  faith  resting 
on  God. 

The  two  ^"  *^^  morning  the  praetors  sent  their  lictors     35 

Apostles      with  the  order,  "  Release  those  men."    So  the  jailer     36 
release  .      brought  Paul  word,  saying,  "The  praetors  have 
sent  orders  for  you  to  be  released.     Now  therefore  you  can  go, 
and  proceed  on  your  way  in  peace."     But  Paul  said  to  them,     27 
"  After  cruelly    beating    us    in    public,  without   trial,   Roman 
citizens  though  we  are,  they  have  thrown  us  into  prison,  and  are 
they  now  going  to  send  us  away  privately .''     No,  indeed  !     Let 
them  come  in  person  and  fetch  us  out."    This  answer  the  lictors     38 
took  back  to  the  praetors,  who  were  alarmed  when  they  were 
told  that  Paul  and  Silas  were  Roman  citizens.     Accordingly     39 

indicates  protracted  action.  They  kept  hounding  on  the  lictors  to  do  the  cruel  deed 
throughly. 

26.  Fe^^  off]  The  verb  signifies  more  than  the  mere  loosening  of  the  chains.  They 
quite  let  go  their  hold.  Cp.  Heb.  xiii.  5,  where  the  same  verb  is  inadequately 
rendered  '  leave'  in  the  A.V.  and  'fail'  in  the  R.V. 

32.   The  Lord's]  v.l.  'God's.' 

34.  IVtih  his  whole  household]  Grammatically  these  words  may  belong  both  to 
those  which  immediately  precede  and  to  those  which  follow.  (The  classical  student 
may  refer  to  Euripides,  Phoen.  4,  wuh  Paley's  note,  and  to  Horace,  Epistles  i.  ig,  17, 
with  Orelli's  note.)  His  faith  resting  on  God]  Lit.  '  having  believed  on  God  with  a 
continuing  faith.'     All  this  is  implied  by  the  perfect  tense.     Cp.  verse  15. 

36.  Have  sent]  Again  the  Greek  perfect,  for  the  lictors  were  still  standing  there. 
Cp.  verse  15. 

37.  Cruelly  beating]  Lit.  '  flaying.'     No,  indeed]  Or  '  Why,  no  ! ' 
39.  Apologized  to]  Lit.  '  entreated.' 


3t8  the    acts    XVL-XVIL 

they  came  and  apologized  to  them  ;  and  bringing   them   out, 
asked  them  to  leave  the  city.     Then  Paul  and  Silas,  having     40 
come  out  of  the  prison,  went  to  Lydia's  house  ;  and  after  seeing 
the  brethren  and  encouraging  them  they  left  Philippi. 

Then,  passing  through  Amphipolis  and  ApoUonia,     i   1  7 
Paul  preaches    ,  ^  °„,  ,.  ,,  ^,  "^* 

to  the  Jews  at  they    came  to    Thessalonica.     Here  there  was  a 
Thessaionica.   synagogue  of  the  Jews.     Paul— following  his  usual     2 
custom— betook  himself  to  it,  and  for  three  successive  Sabbaths 
reasoned   with   them   from   the  Scriptures,    which    he    clearly     3 
explained,  pointing  out  that  it  had  been  necessary  for  the  Christ 
to  suffer  and  rise   again   from   the   dead,  and  insisting,  "  The 
Jesus  whom  I  am  announcing  to  you  is  the  Christ.''     Some  of  the     4 
people  were  won  over,  and  attached  themselves  to  Paul  and 
Silas,  including  many  God-fearing  Greeks  and  not  a  few  gentle- 
women of  high  rank. 

But  the  jealousy    of  the  Jews  was  aroused,  and     5 

A  serious  callinsf  to  their  aid  some  ill-conditioned  and  idle 
Riot  follows.  «^ 

fellows,  they  got  together  a  riotous  mob  and  filled 

the  city  with  uproar.     They  then  attacked  the  house  of  Jason 

and  searched  for  Paul  and  Silas,  to  bring  them  out  before  the 

assembly  of  the  people.     But  failing  to  find  them,  they  dragged     6 

Jason  and  some  of  the  other  brethren  before  the  magistrates  of 

the  city,  loudly  accusing  them.     "  These  men,"  they  said,  "  who 

have  raised  a  tumult  throughout  the  Empire  have  come  here 

also.     Jason  has  received  them  into  his  house  ;  and  they  all  set     7 

Caesar's  authority  at  defiance,   declaring  that  there  is  another 

Emperor— one  called  Jesus."     Great  was  the  excitement  among     8 

the  crowd  and  among  the  magistrates  of  the  city  when  they 

heard  these  charges.     They  required  Jason  and  the  rest  to  find     9 

substantial  bail,  and  after  that  they  let  them  go. 

The  brethren  at  once  sent  Paul  and  Silas  away     10 

by  night  to  Beroea,  and  they,  on  their  arrival,  went 

to  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews.     The  Jews  in  Beroea  were  of  a     11 

iiobler   disposition  than  those  in    Thessalonica,   for  they  very 

2.  For  three  successive  Sabbaths\  Or  '  for  three  weeks.'  It  was,  .ind  still  is,  the 
custom  of  the  Jews  to  assemble  on  other  days  besides  the  Sabbath.  See  article 
'  Synagogue '  in  Kitto's  Biblical  Cyclopaedia.     On  the  other  hand  cp.  xviii.  4. 

4.  Attached  themselves]  Or  '  were  allotted  by  God.'  God-fearing  Greeks]  Or 
'  Greek  worshippers  '  (of  the  true  God).     See  xiii.  43  ;  xvi.  14. 

6,  8.  Magistrates']  Lit  '  politarchs.'  It  was  only  at  Thessalonica  that  the  magis- 
trates of  the  town  were  so  called.  The  word  is  found  in  an  inscription  on  an  arch 
from  Thessalonica  now  in  the  British  Museum. 

7.  Authority]  Lit.  'enactments.'  Emperor]  Lit.  'King.'  One  called  Jesus]  Lit. 
f-imply  'Jesus.' 

II.   Things  were  as  Paul  stated]  Lit.  '  those  things  were  so.' 


THE   ACTS   XVII.  319 

readily  received  the  Message,  and  day  after  day  searched  tlie 
Scriptures  to  see  whether  things  were  as  Paul  stated.     As  the     12 
result  many  of  them  became  believers,  and  so  did  not  a  few  of 
the  Greeks — gentlewomen  of  good  position  and  men. 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  Jews  of  Thessalonica     13 
learnt  that  God's  Message  had  been  proclaimed  by 
Paul  at  Beroea,  they  came  there  also,  and  incited  the  mob  to 
a  riot.      Then  the  brethren  promptly  sent  Paul  down  to   the     14 
sea-coast,  but  Silas  and  Timothy  remained   behind.      Those     15 
who  were   caring  for   Paul's  safety  went   with  him  as  far  as 
Athens,   and  then    left  him,    taking   a  message   from    him   to 
Silas  and    Timothy    asking   them  to  join  him  as  speedily  as 
possible. 

_,     ,  While  Paul  was  waiting  for  them  at  Athens,  his     16 

with  Jews  and  spirit  was  Stirred  within  him  when  he  noticed  that 

Greeks.        the  city  was  full  of  idols.     So  he  had  discussions     17 
in  the  synagogue  with  the  Jews  and  the  other  worshippers,  and 
in  the  market  place,  day  after  day,  with  those  whom  he  happened 
to  meet  there.     A  few  of  the  Epicurean  and  Stoic  philosophers     18 
also  encountered  him.     Some  of  them  asked,  "  What  has  this 
beggarly  babbler  to  say  ? "     Others  said,  "  His  business  seems  to 
be  to  cry  up  some  foreign  gods  " — because  he  had  been  telling 
the  Good  News  of  Jesus  and  the  Resurrection.     Then  they  took     19 
him  and  brought  him  up  to  the  Areopagus,  asking  him,  "  May  we 
be  told  what  this  new  teaching  of  yours  is  ?    For  the  things  you     20 
are  saying  sound  strange  to  us  ;  we  should  therefore  like  to  be 
told  exactly  what  they  mean."     (For  all  the  Athenians  and  their     21 
foreign  visitors  used  to  devote  their  whole  leisure  to  telling  or 
hearing  about  something  new.) 

13.  Jeius  0/  Tkessalonica\  Lit.  '  Jews  from  Thessalonica,'  the  '  from  '  being  used 
proleptically  with  reference  to  tlie  'came'  in  the  third  clause  of  the  verse.  Had 
been proclai7ned\  '  Was  proclaimed  '  would  more  natural!}'  be  the  equivalent  for  the 
Greek  imperfect,  but  Luke  has  used  the  aorist  here.     See  Aorist  k.  2. 

16.  Was  stirred^  Lit.  '  was  more  and  more  sharpened'  like  a  keen  sword. 

17.  Had  discussions]  Or  '  reasoned.'  See  verse  2,  and  xx.  7.  It  is  one  of  Luke's 
favourite  words.  The  tense  (imperfect)  marks  repeated  and  frequent  action. 
Worshi/>pers\  Cp.  verses  4,  12. 

18.  Philosophers]  The  word  occurs  only_  here  in  the  N.T.  Cp.  i  Cor.  i.  19,  n. 
Encountered]  This  verb  occurs  six  times  in  the  N.T.,  but  only  in  the  writings  of 
Luke.  It  signifies  sometimes  a  conference  with  oneself  or  others  ;  sometimes  a 
hostile  meeting,  as  in  Luke  xiv.  31  ;  sometimes,  as  here,  a  meeting  which  may  prove 
hostile.  Beggarly  babbler]  \At.  'seed-picker,'  'grain-gatherer.'  Resurrection] 
Greek'  Anastasis,'  a  word  which  some  of  them  may  have  supposed  to  be  the  name  of 
a  new  goddess. 

19.  Took]  Not  roughly,  but  courteously  ;  by  the  hand  probably,  or  rather  by  the 
wrist.  See  Aorist  i,  2.  The  '  took' is  the  verb  which  is  used  in  ix.  27  ;  Heb.  ii.  16. 
The  Areopagus]  The  hill,  and  possibly  the  Court  that  bore  that  name.  At  any  rate 
one  member  of  that  Court  was  among  Paul's  hearers,  verse  34. 


320  THE   ACTS   XVII. 

So  Paul,  taking  his  stand  in  the  centre  of  the     22 
"  in  the         Areopagus,  spoke  as  follows  :  "  Men  of  Athens,    I 
Areopagus,     perceive  that  you  are  in  every  respect  remarkably 
religious.     For  as  I  passed  along  and  observed  the  things  you     23 
worship,  I  found  also  an  altar  bearing  the  inscription,  '  TO  AN 
UNKNOWN   GOD.'      The   Being,  therefore,  whom  you,  with- 
out knowing  Him,  revere,  Him  I  now  proclaim  to  you.     GOD     24 
who  made  the  universe  and  everything  in  it — He,  being  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth,  does  not  dwell  in  sanctuaries  built  by  men  ; 
nor  is  He  ministered  to  by  human  hands,  as  though  He  needed     25 
anything — but  He  Himself  gives  to  all  men  life  and  breath  and 
all  things.     He  caused  to  spring  from  one  forefather  people  of    26 
every  race,  for  them  to  live  on  the  whole  surface  of  the  earth, 
and  marked  out  for  them   an  appointed  span  of  life  and  the 
boundaries  of  their  homes  ;  that  they  might  seek  God,  if  perhaps     27 
they  could  grope  for  Him  and  find  Him  ;  yes,  though  He  is  not 
far  from  any  one  of  us.     For  it  is  in  closest  union  with  Him  that     28 
we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  ;  as   in  fact  some  of  the 
poets  in  repute  among  yourselves  have  said,  '  For  we  are  also 
His  offspring.'     Since  then  we  are  God's  offspring,  we  ought  not     29 
to  imagine  that  His  nature  resembles  gold  or  silver  or  marble, 
or  anything  sculptured  by  the  art  and  inventive  faculty  of  man. 
Those  times  of  ignorance  God  viewed  with   indulgence  ;  but     30 
now   He   commands    all    men    everywhere    to    repent,    seeing     31 
that  He  has  appointed  a  day  on  which,  before  long.   He  will 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  a  man  whom  He  has  pre-destined  to  this  work,  and  has 
made  the  fact  certain  to  every  one  by  raising  Him  from  the 
dead." 

When  they  heard  Paul  speak  of  a  resurrection     32 
an°'s*y°mpathy.  of  dead  men,  some  began  to  scoff ;  but  others  said, 

"We   will  hear  you  again  on  that  subject."     So     33 
Paul  went  away  from  them.     A  few,  however,  attached  them-     34 
selves  to  him   and  believed,  among  them  being    Dionysius  a 
member  of  the  Council,  a  gentlewoman  named   Damaris,  and 
some  others. 

22.  Men]  Or  'Gentlemen.'     See  Luke  xiv.  9,  n.     The  same  respectful    style  of 
address  occurs  in  ii.  14,  22  ;  xix  35. 

23.  To  an]  Or  'To  the.'     77?^  i>V/«^]  Lit.  '  What."     ///;«]  Lit.  '  this.' 

26.  He  caused  to  spring]  Lit.  simply  '  He  made.'     Front  one  fort/at  her]  Or  '  from 
one  origin.'     Lit.  'from  one'  simply,  as  in  the  R.V.     v.L.    'from  one  blood.' 

27.  That  they  might  seek]  Lit. '  to  seek.' 

31.    The  world]  Lit.  '  the  inhabited  (earth).'     Throtig^h  the  instrumentality  of]  Ot 
'  in  the  person  of.'     Lit.  'in.' 


THE   ACTS    XVIII.  321 

Corinth  After  this  he  left  Athens  and  came  to    Corinth,     i   ]_Q 

Aquiia  and     Here  he  found  a  Jew,  a  native  of  Pontus,  of  the     2 
name  of  Aquiia.     He  and  his  wife  Priscilla  had 
recently  come  from  Italy  because  of  Claudius's  edict  expelling 
all  the  Jews  from   Rome.     So   Paul  paid   them  a  visit  ;    and     3 
because  he  was  of    the   same    trade— that  of  tent-maker — he 
Iodised  with  them  and  worked  with  them.     But  Sabbath  after     4 
Sabbath  he  preached  in  the  synagogue  and  tried   to  win  over 
both  Jews  and  Greeks. 

Now  at  the  time  when  Silas  and  Timothy  came     5 
Arrival  of  Silas  ^Q^j^  from   Macedonia,  Paul  was  preaching  fer- 

and  Timothy.  '  ,         t  i 

vently  and   was    solemnly  telhng   the   Jews   that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ.      But  upon  their  opposing  him  with  abusive     6 
language,  he  shook  his  clothes  by  way  of  protest,  and  said  to 
them,   "Your  ruin  will  be   upon  your  ov/n  heads.     I  am  not 
responsible  :  in  future  I  will  go  among  the  Gentiles." 

So  he  left  the  place  and  went  to  the  house  of  a     7 
Months'  stay  person   called   Titius  Justus,   a  worshipper  of  the 
in  Corinth.     ^^^^^    (^^^       j^jg    house    was    next    door  to    the 

synagogue.     And   Crispus,  the  Warden  of  the  synagogue,  be-     8 
lieved  in  the  Lord,  and  so  did  all  his  household  ;  and  from 
time  to  time  many  of  the  Corinthians  who  heard  Paul  believed 
and  received  baptism.      And  in  a  vision  by  night  the  Lord  said     9 
to   Paul,   "Dismiss  your  fears:  go  on    speaking,   and   do  not 
give  up.     I  am  with  you,  and  no  one  shall  attack  you  to  injure     10 
you  ;    for    I   have  very  many  people   in   this  city."      So  Paul     1 1 
stayed  at  Corinth  for  a  year  and  six  months,  teaching  among 
them  the  Message  of  God. 

But  when  Gallio  became  Proconsul  of  Greece,     12 
brought  be-    the  Jews  with  one  accord  made  a  dead  set  at  Paul, 
fore  Gallio.     and  brought  him  before  the  court.     "This  man,"     13 
they  said,  "  is  inducing  people  to   offer  unlawful   worship  to 
God."     But  when  Paul  was  about  to  begin  his  defence,  Gallio     14 
said  to  the  Jews,  "  If  it  had  been  some  wrongful  act  or  piece 
of  cunning  knavery  I  might  reasonably  have  listened  to  you 
Jews  ;  but  since  these  are  questions  about  words  and   names     15 

2.  A  native  o/  Pontus]  '  A  man  of  Pontus  by  race '  would  signify  that  by  descent 
he  ijetonged  to  one  of  the  savage  aboiigiiial  tribes  of  that  country,  e.g.  Colchians  or 
Taochians. 

3.  'l'ent-maker\  Cp.  Rom.  xvi.  5.  And  worked]  v.l.  'and  they  worked' 
(together). 

8.  From  time  to  time]  The  latter  part  of  the  verse  with  its  imperfect  tenses  tells 
the  result  of  Paul's  continued  labours,  while  the  '  believed  '  in  the  first  clause  refer-, 
to  the  occariion  on  which  Crispus  and  his  household  were  all  con\eried. 

Y 


322  THE    ACTS   XVITI. 

and  your  Law,  you  yourselves    must    see   to  them  :    I   refuse 
to  be  a  judge  in  such   matters."     So  he  ordered  them  out  of     l6 
court.     Then  the  people   all  set   upon  Sosthenes,  the  Warden     17 
of  the  synagogue,  and  beat  him  severely  in  front  of  the  court. 
Gallio  did  not  concern  himself  in  the  least  about  this. 

After  remaining  a  considerable  time  longer  at     18 
Cae!area,      Corinth,  Paul  took  leave  of  the  brethren  and  set 
Jerusalem,     sail  for  Syria  ;  and  Priscilla  and  Aquila  were  with 
him.       He  had   shaved    his    head   at    Cenchreae, 
because  he  was  bound  by  a  vow.     They  put  in  at   Ephesus,     19 
and  there  Paul  left  his  companions  behind.     As  for  himself,  he 
went  to  the  synagogue  and  had  a  discussion  with   the  Jews. 
When  they  asked  him  to  remain  longer  he  did  not  consent,  but  20, 21 
took  leave  of  them  with  the  promise,  "  I  will  return   to  you, 
God  willing."     So  he  set  sail  from  Ephesus. 

Landing  at  Caesarea,  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem  and  inquired     22 
after  the  welfare  of  the  church,  and  then  went  down  to  Antioch. 

St.  Paul's  Third  Missionary  Tour. 

After  spending  some  time  at  Antioch,  Paul  set     23 
Galatia  and  ^  .   .  .  ,  ,     ,        ^  ^  . 

Phrygia  re-     out  on  a  tour,  visitmg   the  whole  of  Galatia  and 

visited.        Phrygia    in    order,    and    strengthening     all    the 

disciples. 

Apoiios  at  Meanwhile    a    Jew    named    Apollos    came    to     24 

Ephesus  and    Ephesus.     He  was  a  native  of  Alexandria,  a  man 

of  great  learning  and  well  versed  in  the  Scriptures. 

He  had  been  instructed  by  word  of  mouth  in  the  way  of  the     25 

Lord,  and  being  full  of  burning   zeal  he  used  to  speak  and 

teach  accurately  the  facts  about  Jesus,  though  he  knew  of  no 

baptism  but  John's.     He  began  to  speak  boldly  in  the  syna-     26 

gogue,  and   Priscilla  and  Aquila,  after  hearing  him,  took  him 

home  and  explained  God's  way  to  him  yet  more  accurately. 

Then,  as  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  cross  over  into  Greece,     27 

the  brethren  wrote  to  the  disciples  at  Corinth  begging  them  to 

17.  The  synagogue^  Some  would  render  '  a  synagogue,'  supposing  that  there  were 
several  synagogues  at  Corinth  ;  but,  judging  from  verse  4,  this  was  not  the  case. 
Sosthenes  was  most  probably  the  successor  of  Crispus.  Severely]  The  tense  (im- 
perfect) implies  prolonged  action. 

18.  He]  Probably  Paul,  possibly  Aquila. 

19.  had  a  disc7tssion]  Or  'discoursed.'  Apparently  once  only.  The  tense  is 
not  the  imperfect  (as  in  verse  4  ;  xvii.  2,  17),  but  the  aorist. 

24.  A  man  of  great  learnijig]  Or  '  an  eloquent  man. '  But  mere  human  eloquence 
is  spoken  of  in  terms  of  disparagement  by  Paul  in  i  Cor.  ii.  i,  4  ;  and  Luke  was  one 
of  Paul's  pupils. 

26.  Go.Vs  way]  v.l.  '  the  Way;  '  i.e.  the  new  faith. 


THE    ACTS    XVIII.-XIX.  323 

give  him  a  kindly  welcome.      Upon  his  arrival  he   rendered 
valuable  help  to  those  who  through  grace  had  believed  ;  for     28 
he  powerfully  and  in  public  overcame  the  Jews  in  argument, 
proving  to  them  from  the  Scriptures  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 
Disciples  who       During  the  stay   of  Apollos  at   Corinth,   Paul,     i   ]_9 
had  not  the    after  passing  through  the  inland  districts,  came  to 
Holy  Spirit,    ^pj^ggus,  where  he  found  a  few  disciples.     "Did     2 
you  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  when  you  first  believed?"  he  asked 
them.     They  answered,  "  No,  we  did  not  even  hear  that  there 
is  a  Holy  Spirit."     "Into   what  then  were  you  baptized.'*"  he     3 
asked.     "  Into  John's  baptism,"  they  replied.     "John,"  he  said,     4 
"administered  a  baptism  of    repentance,  bidding   the    people 
believe  on  One  who  was  to  come  after  him,  namely,  on  Jesus." 
On  hearing  this,  they  received  baptism  into  the  name  of  the     5 
Lord  Jesus  ;  and   when   Paul  laid  his    hands  upon  them,   the     6 
Holy  Spirit  came  on  them,  and  they  began  to  speak  in   tongues 
and  to  prophesy.     They  numbered  in  all  about  twelve  men.  7 

Afterwards  he  went  into  the  synagogue.     There     8 
Mi'ssfonarv     ^^^  three  months  he  continued  to  preach  fearlessly. 
Centre  for     explaining  in  words  which   carried   conviction  the 

truths  which  concern  the  Kingdom  of  God.  But  9 
some  grew  obstinate  in  unbelief  and  spoke  evil  of  the  new 
faith  before  all  the  congregation  ;  so  Paul  left  them,  and 
taking  with  him  those  who  were  disciples,  held  discussions  daily 
in  Tyrannus's  lecture-hall.  This  went  on  for  two  years,  so  10 
that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Asia,  Jews  as  well 
as  Greeks,  heard  the  Lord's  Message. 

God  also  brought  about  extraordinary  miracles     1 1 
''iviTrades^'^    through  Paul's  instrumentality.     Towels  or  aprons,     12 
for  example,  which  Paul  had  handled  used  to  be 
carried  to  the  sick,  and  they  recovered  from  their  ailments,  or 
the  evil  spirits  left  them. 

2.  Firsi  believed]  See  Aorist  vi.  6,  p.  20. 

3.  Intd\  Or  '  unto.'  Into  w/tat]  As  if  he  had  asked,  "'  But  were  you  not  baptized 
into  the  name  of  the  Holy  Spirit?"  But  they  quite  misunderstood  his  question 
(Matt,  xxviii.  19). 

4.  Of  repentance]  i.e.  either  '  to  the  penitent,'  or  '  to  teach  the  necessity  of 
repentance.' 

6.    To  p7  ophesy]  Cp.  xv.  32,  n. 

9.  The  nezv  fait k]  Lit  'the  Way.'  Taking  with  hi>n]  hit.  'separating,'  'with- 
drawing.' 

10.  Ail]  A  Hebraism,  not  of  course  implying  absolute  universality. 

12.  Towels]  Or 'handkerchiefs.'  The  Greek  word  denotes  a  cloth  used  to  wipe 
off  perspiration.  Cp.  Luke  xix.  20  ;  John  xi.  14  ;  xx.  7.  Or  the  evil  spirits]  Lit. 
'  and  the  evil  spirits  '  'And'  in  this  passage  would  imply  that  the  invalids  were 
also  demoniacs,  in  translating  Greek  'or'  must  at  times  be  substituted  for 
'  and.'  . 


324  THE   ACTS    XIX. 

But   there  were   also    some    wandering   Jewish     13 
The  seven      exorcists   who  undertook  to  invoke  the    name  of 

SonsofSceva. 

Jesus  over  those  who  had  the  evil  spirits,  saying, 

"  I  command  you  by  that  Jesus  whom  Paul  preaches."     There     14 

were  seven  sons  of  one  Sceva,  a  Jew  of  high-priestly  family, 

who  were  doing  this.     The  evil  spirit  answered  them,   "Jesus     15 

I  know  and  Paul  I  have  heard  of,  but  who  are  you?"     And     16 

the  man  in  whom  the  evil  spirit  was  sprang  on  two  of  them, 

over-mastered  them  both,  and  treated  them  with  such  violence, 

that  they  fled  from  the  house  stripped  of  their   clothes    and 

wounded.     All  the  people  of  Ephesus,  Jews  as  well  as  Greeks,     17 

came  to  know  of  this.     There  vvas  wide-spread  terror,  and  they 

began  to  hold  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  high  honour. 

Many  also  of    those   who   believed  came   con-     18 
The  Sorcerers  ^       .       ■'     .  .  ,  1     •  1  1      i 

Books  are      fessmg  Without   reserve  what  their   conduct   had 

burned.       been,  and  not  a  few  of  those  who  had  practised     19 
magical  arts  brought  their  books  together  and  burnt  them  in 
the  presence  of  all.      The  total   value    was  reckoned  up  and 
found  to  be  fifty  thousand  silver  coins.     Thus  mightily  did  the     20 
Lord's  Message  spread  and  triumph  ! 

When   matters    had   reached    this    point,    Paul     21 
^andVVans^^    decided  in  his  own  mind  to  travel  through  Mace- 
donia and  Greece,  and  go  to  Jerusalem.     "  After 
that,"  he  said,  "  I  must  also  see  Rome."     But  he  sent  two  of    22 
his  assistants,  Timothy  and  Erastus,  to   Macedonia,  while  he 
himself  remained  for  a  while  at  Ephesus. 
Demetrius         ^^°^  J"^^   ^^  ^^^^   ^'"^^   there   arose   no   small     23 
creates  an     commotion   about  the    new   faith.      There   was  a     24 
^       '       certain  Demetrius,  a  silversmith,  who  made  mini- 
ature silver  sanctuaries  of  Diana,  a  business    which  brought 
great  gain  to  the  mechanics    in  his    employ.      He  called  his     25 
workmen  together,  and  others  who   were  engaged  in    similar 
trades,    and  said  to   them  :    "  You    men    well   know   that   our 

15.  /  have  heard  of  \  Lit.  '  I  know  of,'  '  I  know  about." 

17.  Began  to  hold  in  high  honour]  Instead  of  reviling. 

18.  Be/iez>ed]  Or  '  had  accepted  the  faith.'     Came]  That  is,  'kept  coming:'  not 
all  at  once. 

19.  Burnt]  A  prolonged  action  :  they  kept  on  supplying  the  flames  with  them. 
50,000  silver  coins]  Possibly  worth  ;^2,ooo,  or  10,000  dollars. 

21.  Mind]  Lit.  'spirit.'     Some  render  'as  guided  by  the   Spirit.' 
<2.  His  assistants]  Lit.    'those  who  assisted  (or,  waited  on)  him.'     This  is  the 
verb  from  which  '  deacon '  is  derived,  but  there  is  no  proof  that   that   word   was  as 
yet  employed  in  the  official  sense.     Cp.  xx.  28,  n.     At  Ephesus]   Lit.    'in  (the  pro- 
vince of)  Asia.'     Cp.  ii.  9,  n. 

23.  The  neiv  faith]  Lit.  'the  way." 

24,  27,  28,  34,  35.   Diana]  PronouiiLed  '  DTa'na.'     Lit.  'Artemi^.' 


THE   ACTS    XIX. 


325 


prosperity  depends  on  this  business  of  ours  ;  and  you  see  and     26 
hear  that  not  at  Ephesus  only  but  throughout  almost  the  whole 
province  of  Asia  this  fellow  Paul  has  led  away  a  vast  number 
of  people  by  inducing  them  to  believe  that  they  are  not  gods 
at  all  that  are  made  by  men's  hands.     There  is  danger,  there-     27 
fore,  not  only  that  this  our  trade  will  become  of  no  account, 
but  also  that  the  temple  of  the  great  goddess  Diana  will  fall 
into  utter  disrepute,  and  that  before  long  she  will  be  actually 
deposed  from  her  majestic  rank — she  who  is  now  worshipped  by 
the  whole  province  of  Asia,  nay,  by  the  whole  world."     After     28 
listening  to  this  harangue,  they  became  furiously  angry    and 
kept  calling  out,  "Great  is  the  Ephesian  Diana  !"     The  riot     29 
and  uproar  spread  through  the  whole  city,  till  at  last  with  one 
accord  they  rushed  into  the  Theatre,  dragging  with  them  Gai'us 
and  Aristarchus,  two  Macedonians  who   were  fellow  travellers 
with  Paul.     Then  Paul  would  have  liked  to  go  in  and  address     30 
the  people,  but  the  disciples  would  not  let  him  do  so.     A  few     31 
of  the  public    officials,   too,  who    were    friendly    to   him,    sent 
repeated    messages   entreating   him    not    to    venture    into   the 
Theatre.      The   people,  meanwhile,  kept    shouting,   some   one     32 
thing  and  some  another  ;  for  the  assembly  was  all  uproar  and 
confusion,  and  the  greater  part  had  no  idea  why  they  had  come 
together.     Then  some  of  the  people  crowded  round  Alexander,     ^^ 
whom  the  Jews  had  pushed  forward  ;  and  Alexander,  motioning 
with  his  hand  to  get  silence,  was  prepared  to  make  a  defence 
to  the  people.     No  sooner,  however,  did  they  see  that  he  was     34 
a  Jew,  than  there  arose  from   them  all  one  roar  of  shouting, 
lasting  about  two  hours.     "  Great  is  the  Ephesian  Diana,"  they 
said. 
A  Protest         ^^   length   the    Recorder   quieted   them    down.     35 
from  the      "  Men  of  Ephesus,"  he  said,   "  who  is  there  of  all 
Recorder,      ^^^nkind  that    needs  to  be  told  that  the   city  of 
Ephesus  is  the  guardian  of  the  temple  of  the  great  Diana  and 
of  the  image  which  fell  down  from  Zeus  ?     These  facts,  then,     36 
lieing  unquestioned,  it    becomes  you   to   maintain    your   self- 

27.  Therefore]  See  Aorist,  p.  55.  Temple\  Not  the  same  word  as  the  'sanc- 
tuaries' of  verse  24.  The  latter  refers  to  small  models  of  the  central  building  only, 
but  this  to  the  entire  sacied  enclosure.     See  Matt.  xxi.  12,  n.  ;  xxiii.  16,  n. 

29.  The  Theatre].  A  vast,  roofless  structure,  accommodating  on  its  rising  circular 
rows  of  marble  seats  more  than  56,700  spectators. 

31.   Public  officials]  Lit.  '  Asiarchs.' 

33.  Soine\  (Jp.  John  vii.  40 ;  xvi.  17 ;  2  John  4.  Crowded  round]  The  word 
seems  also  to  imply  that  they  pressed  him  on  towards  the  stage  that  he  might 
address  them  from  it.  Lit.  'they  together  caused  him  to  go.'  A  snnilar  word  is 
found   in  Mark  v.  24,  31. 


326  THE   ACTS    XIX.-XX. 

control  and   not  act  recklessly.     For  you  have  brought  these     2)7 

men  here,  who  are  neither  robbers  of  temples  nor  blasphemers 

of  our  goddess.      If,  however,   Demetrius  and  the  mechanics     38 

who  support  his  contention  have  a  grievance  against  any  one, 

there  are  assize-days  and  there  are  proconsuls  :  let  the  persons 

interested  accuse  one  another.      But   if  you   desire  anything     39 

further,  it  will  have  to  be  settled  in  the  regular  assembly.     For     40 

in  connexion  with  to-day's  proceedings  there  is  danger  of  our 

being  charged  with  attempted  insurrection,  there  having  been 

no  real  reason  for  this  riot  ;  nor  shall  we  be  able  to  justify  the 

behaviour  of  this  disorderly  mob."     With  these  words  he  dis-     41 

missed  the  assembly. 

„     ....  When   the   uproar    had    ceased,   Paul  sent   for     i   < 

Paul  in  Mace-      ,...,  -,      r  i-jr 

donia,  Greece,  the  disciples  ;  and,  after  speakmg  words  of  encour- 

and  Troas.     agei-,-,ent  to  them,  he  took  his  leave,  and  started 

for  Macedonia.     Passing  through  those  districts  he  encouraged     2 

the  disciples  in  frequent  addresses,  and  then  came  into  Greece, 

and  spent  three  months  there.     The  Jews  having   planned  to     3 

waylay  him  whenever  he  might  be  on  the  point  of  taking  ship 

for  Syria,  he  decided  to  travel  back  by  way  of  Macedonia.     He    4 

was  accompanied  as  far  as  the  province  of  Asia  by  Sopater  the 

Beroean,  the  son  of  Pyrrhus  ;  by  theThessalonians,  Aristarchus 

and  Secundus  ;  by  Gaius  of  Derbe,  and  Timothy  ;  and  by  the 

Asians,  Tychicus  and   Trophimus.     These  brethren  had  gone     5 

on  and  were  waiting  for  us  in  the  Troad  ;  but  we  ourselves  sailed     6 

from  Philippi  after  the  days  of  Unleavened  Bread,  and  five  days 

later  joined  them  in  the  Troad,  where  we  remained  for  a  week. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  had  met     7 
He  restores  ^  '  ' 

Eutychus  to     to  break  bread,  Paul,  who  was  going  away  the  next 
'  ®"  morning,  was  preaching  to  them,  and  prolonged  his 

discourse  till  midnight.     Now  there  were  a  good  many  lamps  in     8 
the  room  upstairs  where  we  all  were,  and  a  youth  of  the  name  of    9 
Eutychus  was  sitting  at  the  window.     This  lad,  gradually  sink- 
ing into  deep  sleep  while  Paul  preached  at  unusual  length,  over- 
come at  last  by  sleep,  fell  from  the  third  story  and  was  taken  up 
dead.     Paul,  however,  went  down,  threw  himself  upon  him,  and     10 

38.  There  are  assjze-days']  Or,  perhaps,  'the  assizes  are  now  going  on.' 

39.  Anything  f Hither']  Any  change  in  the  law,  any  additional  protection  for 
our  religion.     '  Further,'  not  '  other,'  is  what  the  Greek  signifies. 

2.  Greece]  Or  '  Hellas  '  (as  opposed  to  Macedonia),  a  name  used  only  here.  Every- 
where else  in  the  N.T.  Greece  is  called  '  Achaia.' 

8.   Room  tipstairs\  See  i.  13,  n. 

10.  Do  not  be  alartned]  Or  '  do  not  wail '  (as  in  Matt.  ix.  23  ;  Mark  v.  39).  Per- 
haps they  had  begun  to  wail.     Li/e\  Or  '  soul.'     See  Mark  viii.  35. 


THE    ACTS    XX.  327 

folding  him  in  his  arms  said,  "  Do  not  be   alarmed  ;  his  hfe  is 
still  in  him."     Then  he  went  upstairs  again,  broke  bread  and     11 
took  some  food  ;  and  after  a  long  conversation  which  was  con- 
tinued till  daybreak,  at  last  he  parted  from  them.     They  had     12 
taken  the  lad  home  alive,  and  were  greatly  comforted. 

The  rest  of  us  had  already  gone  on  board  a  ship,     1 3 
Paul  at  the  ,  .,    -        ,  .  ,.  , 

Port  of       and  now  we  set   sail  for  Assos,  intendmg  to  take 
Ephesus.       p^^j  Qj^  board  there  ;  for  so  he  had  arranged,  he 
himself  intending  to  go  by  land.     Accordingly,  when  he  met  us     14 
at  Assos,  we  took  him  on  board  and  came  to  Mitylene.     Sailing     15 
from  there,  we  arrived  the  next  day  off  Chios  ;  on  the  next  we 
touched  at  Samos  ;  and  on  the  day  following  reached  Miletus. 
For  Paul's  plan  was  to  sail  past  Ephesus,  so  as  not  to  spend     16 
much  time  in  the  province  of  Asia  ;  since  he  was  very  desirous 
of  being  at  Jerusalem,  if  possible,  on  the  day   of  the  Harvest 
Festival. 

From  Miletus  he  sent  to  Ephesus  for  the  elders     17 
"^Addtets^"    of  the  church  to  come  to  him.     Upon  their  arrival     18 

he  said  to  them,  "  You  elders  well  know,  from  the 
first  day  of  my  setting  foot  in  the  province  of  Asia,  the  kind  of 
life  I  led  among  you  the  whole  time,  serving  the  Lord  in  all     19 
humility,  and  with  tears,  and  amid  trials  which  came  upon  me 
through  the  plotting  of  the  Jews — and  that  I  never  shrank  from     20 
declaring  to  you  anything  that  was  profitable,  or  from  teaching 
you  in  public  and  in  your  homes,  and  urging  upon  both  Jews     21 
and  Greeks  the  necessity  of  turning  to  God  and  of  believing  in 
Jesus  our  Lord. 

"And  now,  impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty,  I  am  on  my  way  to     22 
Jerusalem,  not  knowing  what  will  happen  to  me  there,  except     23 
that  the   Holy   Spirit,  at    town   after  town,   assures   me  that 
imprisonment  and  suffering  are  awaiting  me.     But  even  the  sacri-     2f4 
fice  of  my  life  I  count  as  nothing,  if  only  I  may  finish  my  earthly 
course,  and  be  faithful  to  the  duty  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has 

II.    U/'stairs again\  Lit.  'up  again.'     See  xxii.  13,  n. 

15.  Off  Chios]  Apparently  they  lay  at  anchor  tliere  without  going  ashore.  Samos; 
and]  v.L.  adds  '  after  stopping  at  Trogylliuni.' 

16.  Harvest  F'estivai]\Jit.  'Pentecost." 

17.  Elders]  Called  'elder  brethren, '  xv.  23.     See  verse  28. 

19.  In  .  .  with  .  .  ar/iid]  In  the  Greek  here  the  three  prepositions  are  one  and 
the  same.  (But  its  distinctive  Classical  use—f/ieta  with  the  dative— does  not  occur 
in  the  N.T.)     Tettrs]  v.L.  '  many  tears.' 

21.  Jesus]  v.L.  adds  '  Christ.' 

22.  Impelled  by  a  sense  of  duty]  Lit.  '  bound  in  the  spirit,'  though  in  body  not 
bound  wiili  any  material  chains.     Or  '  led  prisoner  by  the  Holy  Spirit.' 

24.  The  sacrifice  ^^c]  Lit.  'I  bold  my  life  of  no  account  (as)  precious  to  me.' 
Duty]  Lit.  '  service.'  , 


328  THE    ACTS   XX. 

entrusted  to  me  of  proclaiming  as  of  supreme  importance  the 
Good  NtAvs  of  God's  grace. 

"  And  now,  I  know  that  none  of  you  among  whom  I  have  gone     25 
in  and  out  proclaiming  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  will  ever 
see  my  face  again.     Therefore  I  protest  to  you  to-day  that  I  am     26 
not  responsible  for  the  ruin  of  any  one  of  you.     For  I  have  not     27 
shrunk  from  declaring  to  you  God's  whole  truth. 

"Take  heed  to  yourselves  and  to  all  the  flock  among  which     28 
the  Holy  Spirit  has  placed  you  to  take  the  oversight  for  Him 
and  act  as  shepherds  to  God's  church,  which  He  has  bought 
with    His   own   blood.     I    know   that,  when  I   am  gone,  cruel     29 
wolves  will  come  among  you  and  will  not  spare  the  flock  ;  and     30 
that  from  among  your  own  selves  men  will  rise  up  who  will  seek 
with  their  perverse  talk  to  draw  away  the  disciples  after  them. 
Therefore  be  on  the  alert  ;  and  remember  that,  night  and  day,     31 
for  three  years,    I  never  ceased  admonishing  every  one,  even 
with  tears. 

"And  now  I  commend  you  to  God  and  to  the  word  of   His     32 
grace.     He  is  able  to  build  you  up  and  to  give  you  your  inheri- 
tance among  His  people.     No  one's  silver  or  gold  or  clothing     33 
have  I  coveted.     You  yourselves  know  that  these  hands  of  mine     34 
have  provided  for  my  own  necessities  and  for  the  people  with  me. 
In  all  things  I  have  set  you  an  example,  showing  you  that,  by     35 
working  as  I  do,  you  ought  to  help  the   weak,  and  to  bear  in 
mind  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  He  Himself  said,  *  It  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.'" 

Having  thus  spoken,  Paul  knelt  down  and  prayed  with  them     36 
all  ;  and  with  loud  lamentation  they  all  threw  their  arms  round     37 
Paul's  neck,  and  kissed  him  lovingly,  grieved  above  all  things  at     38 
his  having  told  them  that  after  that  day  they  were  not  to  see 
his  face  again.     And  they  went  with  him  to  the  ship. 


27.  Truth]  Lit.  'plan'  or  'counsel.' 

28.  For  Hi»t]  The  voice  (middle)  of  the  verb  here  used  is  never  without  its  special 
significance.  God's  church  .  .  ivith  H  is  own  bloo{\  \.\..  'the  Lord's  church  &c.; ' 
and  It  has  been  plausiljly  suggested  tliat  '  Son'  (in  tlie  Greek)  has  been  omitted  in 
error  from  the  end  of  the  verse — '  with  the  blood  of  His  own  Son.'  Placed  you  .  . 
and  act]  Lit.  "appointed  you  as  bishops  to  act.'  The  elders  of  the  church  at 
Ephesus  (verse  17)  were  also  its  'bishops.'     Cp.  i  Peter  v.  2. 

33.  Have  I  coveted]  '  Did  I  covet '  would  here  be  the  imperfect  tense  in  Greek. 
This  is  the  aorist. 

34.  7  hese  hands  of  mire  Jiave  provided  for]  If  the  'have'  is  omitted  the  words 
represent  the  imperfect,  which  this  is  not.  Ahhough  Paul  miglu  often  have  laboured 
as  a  tent-maker  at  Ephesus,  he  does  not  here  affirm  that  it  was  his  constant 
practice. 

37.  Loinnglv]  See  Matt.  xxvi.  49,  n. 

38.  After  that  day]  Lit.  '  soon.' 


THE    ACTS    XXI.  329 

^  When,  at  last,  we  had  torn  ourselves  away  and     i    t 

H©  rGSurn6S  -^  ^ 

his  Journey  to  had  set  sail,  we  ran  in  a  straight  course  to  Cos  ;  the 
Jerusalem.     ^^^^^  ^^^   ^^   Rhodes,  and  from  there  to   Patara. 
Finding  a  ship  bound  for  Phoenicia,  we  went  on  board  and  put     2 
to  sea.     After  sighting  Cyprus  and  leaving  that  island  on  our     3 
left,  we  continued  our  voyage  to  Syria  and  put  in  at  Tyre  ;  for 
there  the  ship  was  to  unload  her  cargo.     Having  searched  for     4 
the  disciples  and  found  them,  we  stayed  at  Tyre  for  seven  days  ; 
and,  taught  by  the  Spirit,  they  repeatedly  warned  Paul  not  to 
proceed  to  Jerusalem.     When,  however,  our  time  was  up,  we     5 
left  and  went  on  our  way,  all  the  disciples  and  their  wives  and 
children  coming  to  see  us  off.     Then,  after  kneeling  down  on  the 
beach  and  praying,  we  took  leave  of  one  another  ;  and  we  went     6 
on  board,  while  they  returned  home. 

As  for  us,   our  voyage  was  over  when  having     7 
aVcae'^area.    sailed  from  Tyre  we  reached  Ptolemais.     Here  we 
inquired  after  the  welfare  of  the  brethren,  and  re- 
mained a  day  with  them.     On  the  morrow  we  left  Ptolemais  and     8 
went  on  to  Caesarea,  where  we  came  to  the  house  of  Philip  the 
Evangelist,  who  was  one  of  the  seven,  and  stayed  with  him. 

Now  Philip  had  four  unmarried  daughters  who     9 
dk:1s  p\Srs'    ^^^'■^    prophetesses  ;    and   during   our    somewhat     10 
Imprison-      lengthy   stay  a  prophet  of  the  name  of  Agabus 

came   down   from   Judaea.       Coming   to    us    and     11 
taking  off  Paul's  waist-scarf,  he  bound  his  own  feet  and  arms 
with  it,  and  said,  "  Thus  says  the  Holy  Spirit,  '  So  will  the  Jews 
at  Jerusalem  bind  the  owner  of  this  waist-scarf,  and  will  hand 
him  over  to  the  Gentiles.'"      As  soon  as  we  heard  these  words,     12 
both  we  and  the  brethren  at  Caesarea  entreated  Paul  not  to  go 
up  to  Jerusalem.     His  reply  was,  "What  can  you  mean  by  thus     13 
breaking  my  heart  with  your  grief?     Why,  as  for  me,  I  am  ready 
not  only  to  go  and  be  put  in  chains  at  Jerusalem,  but  even  to 
die  there  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus."     So  when  he  was  not     14 
to  be  dissuaded,  we  ceased  remonstrating  with  him  and  said, 
"The  Lord's  will  be  done  !" 

A  few  days  afterwards  we  loaded  our  baggage-     15 
ttle    and    continued    our  journey  to  Jerusalem. 
Some  of  the  disciples  from  Caesarea  also  joined     16 

8.    W^]  v.L.  '  we  who  belonged  to  Paul's  company.'      Went  on]  By  land. 

ID.  During  our  &^c.]  Lit.  '  wliile  we  stayed  on  rather  many  dnys.'  We  must  not 
forget  XX.  16  ;  but  Paul  seems  to  have  reached  '"Judaea  in  good  time  before  the  fes- 
tival, and  haste  was  now  unnecessary  "  (Conybeaie) 

16.  Brought  with  them  Mnason  .  .  at  whose  house  we  were  to  lodge\  Or  possibly, 


Paul  reaches 
Jerusalem. 


ca 


330  THE    ACTS    XXI. 

our  party,  and  brought  with  them  Mnason,  a  Cyprian,  one  of  the 
early  disciples,  at  whose  house  we  were  to  lodge.     At  length  we     17 
reached  Jerusalem,  and  there  the  brethren  gave  us  a  hearty 
welcome. 

Paul  in  Jerusalem, 

.    ,  .      .  On  the  following  day  we  went  with  Paul  to  call     18 

An  interview  °         ■' 

with  James    on  James,  and  all  the  elders  of  the  Church  came 
an    o    ers.     ^\^q      After  exchanging   friendly   greetings,    Paul     19 
told  in  detail  all  that  God  had  done  among  the  Gentiles  through 
his  instrumentality.     And  they,  when  they  had  heard  his  state-     20 
ment,  gave  the  glory  to  God. 

Then  they  said,   "  You  see,  brother,  how  many 

concinat"the  ^^^^  °^  thousands  of  Jews  there  are  among  those 

Jewish         vvho   have   accepted   the   faith,  and    they  are  all 

zealous    upholders  of  the  Law.     Now  what  they     21 
have  been  repeatedly  told  about  you  is  that  you  teach  all  the 
Jews  among  the  Gentiles  to  abandon  Moses,  and  that  you  forbid 
them   to   circumcise  their  children  or  observe  old-established 
customs.     What  then  ought  you  to  do  ?     They  are  sure  to  hear     22 
that  you  have  come  to  Jerusalem  ;  so  do  this  which  we  now  tell     23 
you.     We  have  four  men  here  who  have  a  vow  resting  on  them. 
Associate  with  these  men  and  purify  yourself  with  them,  and     24 
pay  their  expenses  so  that  they  can  shave  their  heads  ;  then 
everybody  will  know  that  there  is  no  truth  in  these  stories  about 
you,  but  that  in  your  own  actions  you  yourself  scrupulously  obey 
the  Law,      But  as  for  the  Gentiles  who  have  accepted  the  faith,     25 
we  have  communicated  to   them    our  decision  that    they   are 
carefully  to  abstain  from  anything  sacrificed  to  an  idol,    from 
blood,  from  what  is  strangled,  and  from  fornication."     So  Paul     26 
associated   with  the  men  ;    and  the  next  day,  having  purified 
himself  with  them,  he  went  into  the  Temple,  giving  every  one  to 
understand  that  the  days  of  their  purification  were  finished,  and 
there   he   remained  until  the   sacrifice  for   each   of  them  was 
offered. 

'  brought  us  to  the  house  of  Mnason  .  .  to  lodge  there.'  But  this  makes  the  intro- 
duction to  Mnason's  lodgings  prior  to  the  arrival  at  Jerusalem,  which  is  not  men- 
tioned till  the  next  verse.     Cp.  verse  8. 

20.  How  7nany  tens  of  thousands^  Or  perhaps  '  what  multitudes,'  the  definite 
numeral  being  used  for  the  indefinite. 

24.  Sc7-upulously  obey\  Lit.  'guard.'     He  only  claimed  exemption  for  Gentiles. 

25.  Between 'decision '  and  'that'  v.L.  inserts  '  that  they  obey  no  such  rule,  but 
only.' 

26.  Havmg  pnrijied  hijnsel/]  Apparently  a  preliminary  ceremonial  cleansing. 
Went  into  eke  Temple]  See  Matt.  xxi.  12,  n.  Every  one]  Especially  the  priests  on 
duty.     Wniif]  See  Num.  vi.  18. 


THE   ACTS    XXL  331 

But  when  the  seven  days  were  nearly  over,  the     27 
blTthe^Mob^    Jews  from  the  province  of  Asia,  having  seen  Paul 
in  the  Temple,  set  about  rousing  the  fury  of  all  the 
people  against  him.     They  laid  hands  on  him,  crying  out,  "  Men     28 
of  Israel,  help  !  help  !     This  is  the  man  who  goes  everywhere 
preaching  to  everybody  against  the  Jewish  people  and  the  Law 
and  this  place.     And  besides,  he  has  even  brought  Gentiles  into 
the  Temple  and  has  desecrated  this  holy  place."     (For  they  had     29 
previously  seen  Trophimus  the  Ephesian  with  him  in  the  city, 
and   imagined   that    Paul  had  brought  him  into  the  Temple.) 
The  excitement  spread  through  the  whole  city,  and  the  people     30 
rushed  in  crowds  to  the  Temple,  and  there  laid  hold  of  Paul  and 
began  to  drag  him  out  ;  and  the  Temple  gates  were  immediately 
closed. 
The  Roman         ^"^  while  they  were  trying  to  kill  Paul,  word  was     31 
Tribune       taken  up  to  the  tribune  in  command  of  the  bat- 

im.    ^^jJQj^^  ^.j^^j.  ^ji  Jerusalem  was  in  a  ferment.     He     32 
instantly  sent   for  a  few  soldiers  and  their  officers  and  came 
down  among  the  people  with  all  speed.     At  the  sight  of  the 
tribune  and  the  troops  they  ceased  beating  Paul.     Then  the     33 
tribune,  making  his   way  to    him,    arrested   him,  and   having 
ordered  him  to  be  secured  with  two  chains  proceeded  to  ask  who 
he   was   and  what  he  had  been  doing.     Some   of  the  crowd     34 
shouted  one  accusation  against  Paul  and  some  another,  until,  as 
the  uproar  made  it  impossible  for  the  truth  to  be  ascertained 
with  certainty,  the  tribune  ordered  him  to  be  brought  into  the 
barracks.     When  Paul  was  going  up  the  steps,  he  had  to  be     35 
carried  by  the  soldiers  because  of  the  violence  of  the  mob  ;  for     36 
the  whole  mass  of  the  people  pressed  on  in  the  rear,  shouting, 
"  Away  with  him  !  " 

When    he   was   about   to    be    taken    into    the     37 
^w"ho  he'fs'."^  barracks,  Paul  said  to  the  tribune,  "  May  I  speak 
to  you.?"     "Do  you  know  Greek.'*"  the   tribune 
asked  ;  "are  you  not  the  Egyptian  who  some  years  ago  excited     38 
the  riot  of  the  four  thousand  cut-throats,  and  led  them  out  into 
the  desert?"     Paul  replied,  "I  am  a  Jew,  belonging  to  Tarsus     39 
in  Cilicia,  and  am  a  citizen  of  no  unimportant  city.     Give  me 
leave,  I  pray  you,  to  speak  to  the  people."     So  with  his  per-     40 
mission  Paul  stood  on  the  steps  and  motioned  with  his  hand  to 
the  people  to  be  quiet  ;  and  when  there  was  perfect  silence  he 
addressed  ihem  in  Hebrew. 

38.  Cut-throats]  Lit.  'dagger-men.' 


332  THE    ACTS    XXII. 

"  Brethren  and  fathers,"  he  said,  "  listen  to  my     i   J 
'"SrJ.wd'Jhe^  defence    which    I    now   make   before  you."     And     2 
Story  of  his     hearincr  him  address  them  in  Hebrew,  they  kept 

Conversion.        ,,      ,  .  ,    ,  ■  j       u  i  t 

all  the  more  quiet  ;  and  he  said  :  "  I  am  a  Jew,     3 
born  at  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  but  brought  up  in  this  city.     I  was 
carefully  trained  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel  in  the  Law  of  our  fore- 
fathers, and,  like  all  of  you  to-day,  was  zealous  for  God.     I  per-     4 
secuted  this  new  sect  even  to  bloodshedding,  binding  both  men 
and  women  and  throwing  them  into  prison  ;  as  the  H  igh  Priest     5 
also  and  all  the  elders  can  bear  me  witness.      It  was,  too,  from 
them  that  I  received  letters  to  the  brethren  at  Damascus,  and 
I  was  already  on  my   way  to   Damascus,   intending  to  bring 
those  also  who  had  fled  there,  in  chains  to  Jerusalem,  to  be 
punished. 

"  But  on  my  way,  when  I  was  now  not  far  from  Damascus,     6 
about  noon  a  sudden  blaze  of  light  from  heaven  shone  round  me. 
I  fell  to  the  ground  and  heard  a  voice  say  to  me,  '  Saul,  Saul,     7 
why   are   you   persecuting    Me?'     'Who   art    thou,    Lord.'"    I     8 
asked.     '  I  am  Jesus,  the  Nazarene,'  He  replied,  '  whom  you  are 
persecuting.'     Now  the  men  who  were  with  me,  though  they     9 
saw  the  light,  did  not  hear  the  words  of  Him  who  spoke  to  me. 
I  asked,  '  What  am  I  to  do,  Lord  ? '     And  the  Lord  said  to  me,      10 
'  Rise,  and  go  into  Damascus.      There  you  shall  be  told  of  all 
that  has  been  appointed  for  you  to  do.'     And  as  I  could  not  see     11 
because  the  light  had  been  so  dazzling,  those  who  were  with  me 
had  to  lead  me  by  the  arm,  and  so  I  came  to  Damascus. 

"And  a  certain  Ananias,  a  pious  man  who  obeyed  the  Law     12 
and  bore  a  good  character  with  all  the  Jews  of  the  city,  came  to     13 
me  and  standing  at  my  side  said,  '  Brother  Saul,  recover  your 
sight.'     I   instantly  regained  my  sight  and  looked  up  at   him. 
Then  he  said,  '  The  God  of  our  forefathers  has  appointed  you  to     14 
know  His  will,  and  to  see  the  righteous  One  and  hear   Him 
speak.     For  you  shall  be  a  witness  for  Him,  to  all  men,  of  what     15 
you   have  seen  and  heard.     And  now   why  delay.?     Rise,  get     16 
yourself  baptized,   and    wash   off  your  sins,   calling  upon   His 
name.' 

9.  IVords]  Lit.  'voice.'  Contrast  ix.  7;  xxvi.  14.  There  the  verb  'to  hear'  is 
followed  by  the  genitive  case,  there  by  the  accusative;  an  important  distinction, 
possibly  siynii'ying  that  they  heard  a  noise,  but  coul^l  not  di>tingui^h  the  words. 

13.  Regained  .  .  looked  up\  I'hat  the  Greek  prefix  in  tliis  verb  lias  the  double 
force  of  '  agani '  and  'up'  is  contended  in  Eph.  iv.  9,  n.  While  Ananias  was  stand- 
ing by  (cp."  verse  20)  Paul  was  probably  silting  cross-legged  on  the  ground. 

15.  Vou  have  seen  and  /lentd]  Both  of  these  verbs  are  perfect  in  English,  but  only 
the  former  in  the  Greek.     For  the  exact  force  of  this  perfect  see  Aoi-ist  vii.  6. 


THE    ACTS    XXII.  333 

"After  my  return  to    Jerusalem,  and   while  praying  in  the     17 
Temple,  I  fell  into  a  trance.     I  saw  Jesus,  and  He  said  to  me,     18 
'  Make  haste  and  leave  Jerusalem  quickly,  because  they  will  not 
accept  your  testimony  about  Me.'    '  Lord,'  I  replied,  '  they  them-     19 
selves    well   know   how   active    I    was   in  imprisoning,  and   in 
flogging  in    synagogue  after  synagogue  those  who   believe  in 
Thee  ;  and  when  they  were  shedding  the  blood  of  Stephen,  Thy     20 
witness,   I    was  standing  by,  fully  approving  of  it,  and  I   held 
the  clothes  of  those  who  were  killing  him.'     'Go,'  He  replied  ;     21 
'  I  will  send  you  to  nations  far  away.' " 

Although  a         Until  they  heard  this  last  statement  the  people     22 
Roman  Citizen  listened  to  Paul,  but  now  with  a  roar  of  disapproval 
ogge  .  ^j^^y  j,j.jg^  Q^j.^  u  js^^^y  ^vj|.}^  such  a  fellow  from  the 

earth  !     He  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  live."      And  when  they     23 
continued  their  furious  shouts,  throwing  their  clothes  into  the 
air  and  flinging  dust  about,  the  tribune    ordered    him    to    be     24 
brought  into  the   barracks,  and  be  examined  by   flogging,  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  reason  why  they  thus  cried  out  against 
him.      But,    when  they  had  tied  him  up  with  the  straps,  Paul     25 
said  to  the  captain  who  stood  by,  "  Does  the  Law  permit  you  to 
flog  a  Roman  citizen — and  one  too  who  is  uncondemned  ?  "     On     26 
hearing  this  question,  the  captain  went  to  report  the  matter  to 
the  tribune.     "  What  are  you  intending  to  do?"  he  said  ;  "  this 
man  is  a  Roman  citizen."     So  the  tribune  came  to  Paul  and     27 
asked  him,  "  Tell  me,  are  you  a  Roman  citizen  ? "     "  Yes,"  he 
said.      "  I  paid  a  large  sum  for  this,"  said  the  tribune.     Paul's     28 
reply  was,  "  But  I  was  born  free."      So  the  men  who  had  been     29 
on  the  point  of  putting  him  under  torture  immediately  left  him. 
And  the  tribune,  too,  was  frightened  when  he  learnt  that  Paul 
was  a  Roman  citizen,  for  he  had  had  him  bound. 

P  ul  brou  ht       ^^^  ^^^^   ^^^'   ^^'^^^^^o   ^°   know  exactly  what     30 
before  the     charge  was  being  brought  against  him  by  the  Jews, 
Sanhedrm.     ^^xq  tribune  ordered  his  chains  to  be  removed  ;  and 

having  sent  word  to  the  High  Priests  and  all  the  Sanhedrin  to 

assemble,  he  brought  Paul  down  and  made  him  stand  before 

them. 

21.   To  nations  far  away]  Or  '  far  away  to  the  Gentiles.' 

25.  JVit/i  the  stra/>s]  Or  perhaps  '  for  the  lash.' 

26.  What  aye-&^c.]  v. l.  '  Be  careful  what  you  are  doing.* 

29.  Under  torture]  The  torture  of  tlie  scourge,  of  the  '  flagellum,'  the  thought  of 
which  makes  one  shudder,  the  horribile  Jlagellum.  Roth  Matthew  and  Mark,  use  a 
Greek  corruption  of  this  Latin  word  when  describing  the  scourging  which  Pilate  in- 
flicted on  Jesus.  Even  the  '  cat '  as  formerly  used  in  our  navy  was  not  so  terrible. 
See  Geikie,  Life  o/ C/uist,  ii.  547,  54S. 


334  THE    ACTS    XXIII. 

Then  Paul,  fixing  a  steady  ^aze  on  the  Sanhedrin,     i   < 
He  protests  .  ,     /,  x^       ,  r    .         •  ,  r       ■,        ^ 

that  he  is      said,  "  Brethren,  it  is  with  a  perfectly  clear  con- 

mnocent.      science  that  I  have  discharged  my  duties  before 
God  up  to  this  day."     On  hearing  this  the  High  Priest  Ananias     2 
ordered  those  who  were  standing  near  Paul  to  strike  him  on  the 
mouth.    "Before  long,"  exclaimed  Paul,  "  God  will  strike  you,  you     3 
white- washed  wall  !  Are  you  sitting  there  to  judge  me  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Law,  and  do  you  yourself  actually  break  the  Law 
by  ordering  me  to  be   struck?"     "Do    you  rail  at  God's   High     4 
Priest?"  cried  the  men  who  stood  by  him.     "I  did  not  know,     5 
brethren,"  replied  Paul,  ''  that  he  was  the  High  Priest ;  for  it  is 
written,  '  Thou  shalt  not  speak  evil  of  a  ruler  of  thy 
people'"  (Exod.  xxii.  28). 

Noticing,  however,  that  the  Sanhedrin  consisted     6 

bet^ween"     partly  of  Sadducees  and  partly  of  Pharisees,  he 
^Sadducees  *^  called  out  loudly  among  them,  "  Brethren,  I  am  a 
Pharisee,  the  son  of  Pharisees  :  it  is  because  of  my 
hope  of  a  resurrection  of  the  dead  that  I  am  on  my  trial." 

These  words  of  his  caused  an  angry  dispute  between   the     7 

Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees,  and  the  assembly  took  different 

sides.     For  the  Sadducees  maintain  that  there  is  no  resurrection,     8 

and  neither  angel  nor  spirit  ;  but  the  Pharisees  acknowledge 

the  existence  of  both.     So  there  arose  a  great  uproar  ;  and  some     9 

of  the  Scribes  belonging  to  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees  sprang  to 

their  feet  and  fiercely  contended,  saying,  "  We  find  no  harm  in 

the  man.     What  if  a  spirit  has  spoken  to  him.,  or  an  angel — !  " 

But  when  the  struggle   was  becoming  violent,     10 
Paul  again        ,  .,  ^       .  ,  t^      ,  ,11 

rescued  by  the  the  tribune,   fearing  that   Paul  would  be  torn  to 

Tribune.      pieces  by  the  people,   ordered   the  troops  to  go 

down  and  take  him  from  among  them  by  force  and  bring  him 

into  the  barracks. 

Jesus  The  following  night  the  Lord  came  and  stood  by     11 

comforts       Paul's  side,  and  said,  "  Be  of  good  courage,  for  as 

Paul.      A   Plot  ,  ,'  r    •.,  r   1       -^  u       .  .    t 

to  kill  the      you  have  borne  faithful  witness  about  me  at  Jeru- 
Apostie.        salem,  so  you  must  also  bear  witness  at  Rome." 
Now  when  daylight  came,  the  Jews  formed  a  conspiracy  and     12 
solemnly  swore   not   to  eat   or  drink  till  they  had  killed   Paul. 
There  were  more  than  forty  of  them  who  bound  themselves  by     13 

3.  God  will  strike  you]  Josephus  (IVars  ii.  17.  8)  records  Ananias's  sad  death. 
6.  Pharisees]  v.l.'  '  of  a  Pliarisee.' 

9.    What  if  ^j^c]  V.L.  '  But  if  a  spirit  or  an  angel  has  spoken  to  him,  let  us  not 
figlu  .(gainst  God.' 


THE   ACTS   XXIII. 


335 


this  oath.     They  went  to  the  High  Priests  and  elders  and  said     14 

to  thein,  "  We  have  bound  ourselves  under  a  heavy  curse  to 

take  no  food  till  we  have  killed  Paul.     Now  therefore  you  and     15 

the  Sanhedrin  should  make  representations  to  the  tribune  for 

him  to  bring  him  down  to  you,  under  the  impression  that  you 

intend  to  inquire  more  minutely  about  him  ;  and  we  are  prepared 

to  assassinate  him  before  he  comes  near  the  place." 

^.    ^,     ^  But  Paul's  sister's   son  heard    of  the  intended     16 

His  Nephew  ,  •  r.      1  •  ^ 

informs  the     attack  upon  him.     So  he  came  and  went  mto  the 

Tribune  of  it.  ^^rracks  and  told  Paul  about  it  ;  and  Paul  called     17 

one  of  the  captains    and  said,  "  Take  this  young  man  to   the 

tribune,  for  he  has  information  to  give  him."     So  he  took  him     18 

and  brought  him  to  the  tribune  and  said,  "  Paul,  the  prisoner, 

called  me  to  him  and  begged  me  to  bring  this  youth  to  you, 

because  he  has  something  to  say  to  you."     Then  the  tribune,     19 

taking  him  by  the  arm,  withdrew  out  of  the  hearing  of  others 

and  asked  him,  "  What  have  you  to  tell  me  ?"     "  The  Jews,"  he     20 

replied,  "  have  agreed  to  request  you  to  bring  Paul  down  to  the 

Sanhedrin  to-morrow  for  the  purpose  of  making  yourself  more 

accurately  acquainted  with  the  case.     I  beg  you  not  to  comply  ;     21 

for  more  than  forty  men  among  them  are  lying  in  wait  for  him, 

who  have  solemnly  vowed  that  they  will  neither  eat  nor  drink  till 

they  hav^e  assassinated  him  ;  and  even  now  they  are  ready,  in 

anticipation  of  receiving  that  promise  from  you."     So  the  tribune     22 

sent  the  youth  home,  cautioning  him.     "  Do  not  let  any  one  know 

that  you  have  given  me  this  information,"  he  said. 

_    .  Then,  calhng  to  him  two  of  the  captains,  he  gave     23 

The  Tribune    ,  .  '  ^»  ,  ,  T     j  „    , 

sends  him  to    his   orders.     "Get  ready  two  hundred   men,"  he 
Caesarea.      5;^}^^  '<  to  march  to  Caesarea,  with  seventy  cavalry 
and  two  hundred  light  infantry,  starting  at  nine  o'clock  to-night." 
He  further  told  them  to  provide  horses  to  mount  Paul  on,  so  as     24 
to  bring  him  safely  to  Felix  the   Governor.     He  also  wrote  a     25 
letter  of  which  these  were  the  contents  :  "  Claudias  Lysias  to     26 
his  Excellency  Felix  the  Governor  ;  all  good  wishes.     This  man     27 

14.  To  takenofood\  Lit.  'to  taste  nothing.'  But  in  at  least  two  other  places 
(x.  10,  and  XX.  ii)    the   writer  of  the  Acts  uses  '  taste  '  for  '  eat.'     See  Luke  xiv.  24. 

19.  Ar>ii\  See  Aorist,  p.  5.  Out  of  the  hearing  of  others]  The  phrase  may  be 
rendered  'privately,'  and  connected  with  '  asked  '  (as  in  the  R.V.)  ;  but  almost  with- 
out exception  we  find  it  in  the  Greek  qualifying  the  verb  that  preceded  (as  in  the 
A.V.  here),  not  the  verb  following. 

24.  Horses]  Or  'mules.'  Probably  one  for  Paul  himself  and  one  (or  more)  for  his 
baggage. 

25.  Contents]  Not  that  the  following  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  letter,  for  an  official 
communication  from  a  Roman  officer  to  his  superior  would  be  in  Latin,  not  in 
Greek. 


336  THE   ACTS   XXIII.-XXIV. 

Paul  had  been  seized  by  the  Jews,  and  they  were  on  the  point 
of  assassinating  him,  when  I  came  upon  them  with  the  troops 
and  rescued  him,  for  I  had  been  informed  that  he  was  a  Roman 
citizen.     And,  wishing  to  know  with  certainty   the    offence    of     28 
which  they  were  accusing  him,  I  brought  him  down  into  their 
Sanhedrin,  and  I  discovered  that  the   charge  had  to   do  with     29 
questions  of  their  Law,  but  that  he  was  accused  of  nothing  for 
wliich  he  deserves  death  or  imprisonment.     But  now  that  I  have    30 
received  information  of  an  intended  attack  upon  him,  I  immedi- 
ately send  him  to  you,  directing  his  accusers  also  to  state  before 
you  the  case  they  have  against  him." 

So  in  obedience  to  their  orders  the  soldiers  took     31 
tion'bv^^eirx"  ^^^^  ^^^  brought  him  by  night  as  far  as  Antipatris. 

The  next  day  the  infantry  returned  to  the  barracks,     32 
leaving  the  cavalry   to   proceed    with   him ;    and  the    cavalry     ;^;^ 
having  reached  Caesarea  and  delivered  the  letter  to  the  Governor, 
they  brought  Paul  also  to  him.     Felix,  after  reading  the  letter,     34 
inquired   from   what   province   he   was;  and  being  told  "  from 
Cilicia,"   said  "  I  .will    heir  all  you  have  to  say,   when    your     35 
accusers  also  have  come."     And  he  ordered  him  to  be  detained 
in  custody  in  Herod's  Palace. 

Five  days  after  this,  Ananias  the  High  Priest      i   f 
Tertullus  ,''  „  '.,  ,/-,i  ^ 

impeaches  the  came  down  to  Caesarea  with  a  number  of  elders 
Apostle.       ^^^  ^  pleader  called  Tertullus.     They  stated    to 
the  Governor  the  case  against  Paul.     So  Paul  was  sent  for,  and     2 
Tertullus  began  to  impeach  him  as  folio  vs  :  "  Indebted  as  we 
are  to  you,  most  noble  Felix,  for  the  perfect  peace  which  we 
enjoy,  and  for  reforms  which  your  wisdom  has  introduced  to  this 
nation,  in  every  instance  and  in  every  place  we  accept  them  with     3 
profound  gratitude.  But — not  to  detain  you  too  long — I  beg  you     4 
in  your  forbearance  to  listen  to  a  brief  statement  from  us.  For  we     5 
have  found  this  man  Paul  a  source  of  mischief  and  a  disturber 
of  the  peace  among  all  the  Jews  throughout  the  Empire,  and  a 
ringleader  in  the  heresy  of  the  Nazarenes.     He  even  attempted     6 
to  profane  the  temple,  but  we  arrested  him.     You,  however,  by     8 
examining  him,  will  yourself  be  able  to  learn  the  truth  as  to  all 
this  which  we  allege  against  him."     The  Jews  also  joined  in  the     9 
charge,  maintaining  that  these  were  facts. 

I.  Five  days]  '  Four  days  '  according  to  our  mode  of  reciconing. 

6,  7,  8.  Ar}-este<l  /tini\  v.l.  adds  'and  desired  to  judge  him  in  accoraance  with  our 
Lavv.  (7)  But  Lysias  the  tribune  came,  and  carried  him  off,  (8)  bidding  his  accusers 
come  before  you.' 

9.  Joined  in  the  charge]  v.l.  '  expressed  their  agreement.' 


THE   ACTS   XXIV. 


337 


-     ,       ^    ^         Then,    at    a    sign    from    the    Governor,    Paul     lo 

Paul  protests  j    cc  t^  •  o-        i        i- 

that  he  is      answered,     knowing,  Sir,  that  for  many  years  you 

innocent.      have  administered  justice  to  this  nation,  I  cheer- 
fully make  my  defence.    For  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  ascer-     1 1 
tain  that  it  is  not  more  than  twelve  days  ago  that  I  went  up 
to  worship  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  that  neither  in  the  Temple  nor  in     12 
the   synagogues,    nor   anywhere  in    the  city,  did  they  find  me 
disputing  with  any  opponent  or   collecting  a  crowd  about  me  ; 
nor  can  they  prove  the  charges  which  they  are  now  bringing     13 
against  me.     But  this  1  confess  to  you — that  in  the  way  which     14 
they  style   a    heresy,    I   worship   the    God    of  our     forefathers, 
believing  everything  that   is  taught  in  the  Law  or  is  written  in 
the  Prophets,  and  having  a  hope  directed  towards  God,  which      15 
my  accusers  themselves  also  entertain,  that  before  long  there 
will  be  a  resurrection  both  of  the  righteous  and  the  unrighteous. 
This  too  is  my  own  earnest  endeavour — always  to  have  a  clear     16 
conscience  in  relation  to  God  and  man. 

"  Now  after  an  interval  of  several  years  I  came  to  bring  alms     17 

to  my  nation,  and  to  offer  sacrifices.     While  I  was  busy  about     18 

these,  they  found  me    in  the  Temple  purified,  with  no  crowd 

around  me  and  no  uproar  ;  but  there  were  certain  Jews  from  the 

province  of  Asia.     They  ought  to  have  been  here  before  you,     19 

and  to  have  been   my  prosecutors,  if  they  have  any  charge  to 

bring   against   me.     Or   let  these    men    themselves    say    what     20 

misdemeanour  they  found  me  guilty  of  when  I  stood  before  the 

Sanhedrin,  unless  it  was  in  that  one  expression  which  I  made     21 

use  of    when   I    shouted   out   as    I    stood  among  them,    '  The 

resurrection  of  the  dead  is  the  thing  about  which  I  am  on  my 

trial  before  you  to-day.'  " 

At    this    point    Felix,     who    was    fairly    well-     22 
Fehx  acts  con-    ,  '  r  •  i         ^■  ,     , 

siderateiy       mformed  about  the  new  faith,  adjourned  the  trial, 
towards  Paul.    ^^^-^^  ^^  ^^^^  j^^^^^  a  ^j^^^  ^^^  tribune  Lysias 

comes  down,  I  will  enter  carefully  into  the  matter."     And  he     23 

gave  orders  to  the  captain  that  Paul  was  to  be  kept  in  custody, 

but  be  treated  with  indulgence,  and  that  his  personal   friends 

were  not  to  be  prevented  from  showinghim  kindness. 
Felix  pro-  ^t       1  r         .  •      x-   i-  •  ,     x^  ,,       ,  ■ 

crastinates        Not  long  after  this,  Felix  came  with  Drusilla  his     24 

for  two  Years,  ^j^^^  ^  Jewess,  and  sending  for  Paul,  listened  to 


lo.  A  sign]  The  word  here  used  occurs  only  once  elsewhere,  John  xiii.  24.     Sir 
Not  expressed  in  the  Greek. 
13.  Prove\  V.  L.  ■'  prove  10  you.' 

Z 


338  THE   ACTS   XXIV.-XXV. 

him  as  he  spoke  about  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.      But    when   he     2$ 
dealt  with  the  subjects  of  justice,   self-control,  and  the  judge- 
ment which  was  soon  to  come,  Felix  became  alarmed  and  said, 
"  For  the  present  you  may  go,  and  when  I    can  find   a  con- 
venient opportunity,  I  will  send  for  you."     At  the  same  time  he     26 
hoped  that  Paul  would  give  him  money  ;  and  for  this  reason  he 
sent  for  him  the  oftener  to  converse  with  him.     But   after  the     27 
lapse  of  fully  two  years,  Felix  was  succeeded  by  Porcius  Festus  ; 
and  being  desirous  of  gratifying  the  Jews,  Felix  left  Paul  still 
in  prison. 

Festus  Festus  having  entered  on  his  duties  as  governor  of     i   J 

becomes       the  province,  two  days  later  went  up  from  Caesarea 
Governor.      ^^  Jerusalem.     The  High  Priests  and  the  leading     2 
men  among  the  Jews  immediately  made  representations  to  him 
against  Paul,  and  begged  him — asking  it  as  a  favour  to   Paul's     3 
prejudice— to  have  him  brought  to  Jerusalem.    They  were  plan- 
ning an  ambush  to  kill  him  on  the  w.iy.      Festus,  however,     4 
replied  that  Paul  was  in  custody  at  Caesarea,  and  that  he  was 
himself  going  there  very  soon.     "Therefore  let  those  of  you,"     5 
he  said,  "who  can   come,  go  down  with  me,  and  impeach  the 
man,  if  there  is  anything  amiss  in  him." 
Paul  a  ain         After  a  Stay  of  eight  or  ten  days  at  Jerusalem —     6 
pleads  '  Not    not  more — he  went  down  to  Caesarea  ;  and  the 
"''*^"         next  day,  taking  his  seat  on  the  tribunal,  he  ordered 
Paul  to  be  brought  in.     Upon  Paul's  arrival,  the  Jews  who  had     7 
come  down  from  Jerusalem  stood  round  him,  and  brought  many 
grave  charges   against  him    which  they  were   unable  to   sub- 
stantiate ;  while  Paul  in  reply  maintained,  "  Neither  against  the     8 
Jewish  Law,  nor  against  the  Temple,  nor  against  Caesar,  have  I 
committed  any  offence  whatever," 

PI        g  |g       Then  Festus,  being  anxious  to  gratify  the  Jews,     9 

to  the         asked  Paul,  "Are  you  willing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem, 

Emperor.      ^^^   there   Stand  your  trial  before  me  on  these 

charges?"     Paul's  answer  was,  "  I  am  standing  before  Caesar's     10 

tribunal,  where  alone  I  ought  to  be  tried.     The  Jews  have  no 

real  ground  of  complaint  against  me,  as  in  fact  you  yourself  are 

25.  Self-controI\  Especially  of  the  bodily  appetites.  The  same  word,  and  the 
cognate  adjective  and  verb  are  found  in  Gal.  v.  23  ;  2  Pet.  i.  6  ;  i  Cor.  vii.  9 ;  ix.  25  ; 
and  in  Tit.  i.  8,  where  see  note. 

27.  In  prison]  Probably  meaning  '  in  chains.' 

4.  At]  Lit.  '  to.'  Festus  will  not  send  for  Paul  to  Jerusalem,  but  '  to  Caesarea  he 
is  kept.'  A  mode  of  expression  intolerable,  of  course,  in  English  (except  in  the 
Devonshire  dialect).     Cp.  xix.  22  and  note. 

9.  Stand yoHv  trial]  Or  '  let  judgement  be  pronounced.' 


THE    ACTS    XXV.  339 

beginning  to  see  more  clearly.  If,  however,  I  have  done  wrong  11 
and  have  committed  any  offence  for  which  I  deserve  to  die,  I 
do  not  ask  to  be  excused  that  penalty  ;  but  if  there  is  no  truth 
in  what  these  men  allege  against  me,  no  one  has  the  right  to 
give  me  up  to  them  as  a  favour.  I  appeal  to  Caesar."  Tlien,  12 
after  conferring  with  the  council,  Festus  replied,  "  To  Caesar 
you  have  appealed  :  to  Caesar  you  shall  go." 

Festus  tells         ^  short  time  after  this,  Agrippa  the  king  and     1.3 
Herod  Agrippa  Bernice  came  to  Caesarea  to  pay  a  comphmentary 

about  Paul.        •   •  r->  1      1      •  1     •  It 

visit  to  Festus  ;  and,  during  their  rather  long  stay,     14 
Festus  laid   Paul's  case  before  the    king.     "  There   is   a  man 
here,"  he  said,  "  whom  Felix  left  a  prisoner,  about  whom,  when     15 
I   went  to  Jerusalem,  the  High   Priests  and  the  elders  of  the 
Jews  made  representations  to  me,  begging  that  sentence   might 
be  pronounced  against  him.     My  reply  was  that  it  is  not  the     16 
custom  among  the  Romans  to  give  up  any  one  for  punishment 
before  the  accused  has  his  accusers  face  to  face,  and  has  had 
an  opportunity  of  defending  himself  against  the  charge  which 
has  been  brought  against  him. 

"  When,  therefore,  a  number  of  them  came  here,  the  next  day     17 
I  took  my  seat  on  the  tribunal,  without  any  loss  of  time,  and 
ordered  the  man  to  be  brought  in.     But  when  his  accusers  stood     18 
up,  they  did  not  charge  him  with  the  misdemeanours  of  which 
I  had  been  suspecting  him  ;  but  they  quarrelled  with  him  about     19 
certain  matters  connected  with  their  own  religion,  and  about 
one  Jesus  who  had  died,  but — so  Paul  persistently  maintained — 
is  now  alive.     I  was  at  a  loss  how  to  investigate  such  questions,     20 
and  asked  Paul  whether  he  would  care  to  go  to  Jerusalem  and 
there  stand  his  trial  on  these  matters.     But  when  Paul  appealed     21 
to  have  his  case  kept  for  the  Emperor's  decision,  I  ordered  him 
to  be  kept  in  prison  until   I  could  send  him  up  to  Caesar."     "I     22 
should  like   to  hear   the    man    myself,"    said   Agrippa.      "To- 
morrow," replied  Festus,  '*you  shall." 

He  brino-3  Accordingly,  the  next  day,  Agrippa  and  Bernice     23 

Paul  before  came  in  state  and  took  their  seats  in  the  Judge- 
grippa.  ^eiit  Hall,  attended  by  the  tribunes  and  the  men 
of  high  rank  in  the  city  ;  and,  at  the  command  of  Festus,  Paul 
was  brought  in.  Then  Festus  said,  "  King  Agrippa  and  all  who  24 
are  present  with  us,  you  see  here  the  man  about  whom  the  whole 
nation  of  the  Jews  made  suit  to  me,  both  at  Jerusalem  and  here, 
crying  out  that  he  ought  not  to  live  any  longer.  I  could  not  25 
discover  that  he  had  done  anything  for  which  he  deserved  to 


340  THE    ACTS    XXV.-XXVI. 

die  ;  but  as  he  has  himself  appealed  to  the  Emperor,  I  have 
decided  to  send  him  to  Rome.  I  have  nothing  very  definite,  26 
however,  to  tell  our  Sovereign  about  him  ;  so  I  have  brought 
the  man  before  you  all — and  especially  before  you.  King 
Agrippa — so  that  after  he  has  been  examined  I  may  find  some- 
thing which  I  can  put  into  writing.  For,  when  sending  a  27 
prisoner  to  Rome,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  absurd  not  to  state  the 
charges  against  him." 

Paul  tells  the       ^^^^   Agrippa  said  to  Paul,   "You  have   per-     i   J 
Story  of       mission  to  speak  about  yourself."     So  Paul,  with 

IS  own    I  e.    Qutstj-etQi^e  J  arm,  proceeded  to  make  his  defence. 

"  As  regards  all  the  accusations  brought  against  me  by  the     2 
Jews,"  he  said,   "  I   think  myself  fortunate,  King   Agrippa,  in 
being  about  to  defend  myself  to-day  before  you,  who  are  so     3 
familiar   with  all  the  customs    and   speculations   that    prevail 
among  the  Jews  ;  and   for  this  reason,  I   pray  you,  give  me  a 
patient  hearing. 

"  The  kind  of  life    I   have  lived  from  my  youth  upwards,  as     4 
exemplified  in  my  early  days  among  my  nation  and  at  Jeru- 
salem, is  known  to  all  the  Jews.     For  they  all  know  me  of  old —     5 
if  they  would  but  testify  to  the  fact  —how  being  an  adherent  of 
the  strictest  sect  of  our  religion  my  life  was  that  of  a  Pharisee. 
And  now  I  stand  here  impeached  because  of  my  hope  in  the     6 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  made  by  God  to  our  forefathers — the     7 
promise  which  our  twelve  tribes,  worshipping  day  and  night 
with  intense  devotedness,  hope  to  have  made    good   to  them. 
It  is  on  the  subject  of  this  hope,  Sir,  that    I  am  accused  by  the 
Jews.     Why  is  it  deemed  with  all  of  you  a  thing  past  belief  if    8 
God  raises  the  dead  to  life  .'' 

"I   myself,  however,  thought  it  a  duty  to  do  many  things  in     9 
hostility  to  the   name  of  Jesus,  the   Nazarene.     And  that  was     10 
how  I  acted  in  Jerusalem.     Armed  with  authority  received  from 
the  High   Priests  I   shut  up  many  of  God's  people   in  various 
prisons,  and  when  they  were  about  to  be  put  to  death  I  gave  my 
vote  against  them.     In  all  the  synagogues  also  I  punished  them     11 
many  a  time,  and  tried  to  make  them  blaspheme  ;  and   in  my 
wild  fury  I  chased  them  even  to  foreign  towns. 

2.  /  think]  The  Greek  perfect,  more  emphatic  than  the  present  (as  in  Phil.  iii.  7, 
compared  with  the  following  verse),  the  full  sense  being,  '  I  have  thought,  and  the 
thought  remains  fixed  in  my  mind.'  See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4.  Vou  who  are  sd\  Or 
'  especially  as  you  are.' 

6.  Because  q/]  Lit.  '  on  '  (the  ground  oQ 

7,  13.  Sir]  Lit.  'O  king.' 

10.  God's  people]  Lit.  '  the  saints  'or  'the  holy  ones." 


THE   ACTS   XXVI.  341 

"  While  thus  engaged,  I  was  travelling  one  day  to  Damascus     12 
aimed  with  authority  and  a  commission  from  the  High  Priests,     13 
and  on  the  journey,  at  noon,  Sir,  I  saw  a  light  from  heaven — 
brighter  than  the  brightness  of  the  sun — shining  around  me  and 
around  those  who  were  travelling  with  me.     We  all  fell  to  the     14 
ground  ;  and  I   heard  a  voice  which    said  to   me   in    Hebrew, 
'  Saul,  Saul,  why  are  you  persecuting  Me  ?     You  are  finding  it 
painful  to  kick  against  the  ox-goad.'     '  Who  art  thou,  Lord.?'  I     15 
asked.      '  I  am  Jesus    whom  you    are    persecuting,'  the    Lord 
replied  ;  '  but  rise,  and  stand  on  your  feet ;  for  I  have  appeared     16 
to  you  for  this  very  purpose  to  appoint  you  My  servant  and  My 
witness  both  as  to  the  things  you  have  already  seen  and  as  to 
those  in  which   I   will  appear  to   you,  delivering  you  from  the     17 
Jewish  people  and  from  the    Gentiles,  to  whom  I  send  you  to     18 
open  their  eyes,  that  they  may  turn  from  darkness  to  light  and 
from  the  obedience  to  Satan  to  God,  in  order  to  receive  forgive- 
ness of  sins  and  an  inheritance  among  those  who  are  sanctified 
through  faith  in  Me.' 

"Therefore,    King   Agrippa,   I   was   not   disobedient  to    the     19 
heavenly  vision  ;  but  I  proceeded  to  preach  first  to  the  people     20 
ac  Damascus,  and  then  to  those  at  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judaea, 
and  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  must  repent  and  turn  to  God,  and 
live  lives  consistent  with  such  repentance. 

"It  was  on  this  account  that   the   Jews  seized   me  in   the     21 
Temple  and  tried  to  kill  me.     Having,  however,  obtained  the     22 
help  which  is  from  God,  I  have  stood  firm  until  now,  and  have 
solemnly  exhorted  rich  and  poor   alike,  saying  nothing  except 
what  the   Prophets  and  Moses    predicted  as  soon  to  happen, 
since  the  Christ  was  to  be  a  sutfering  Christ,  and  by  coming     23 
back  from  the  dead  was  then  to  be  the  first   to    proclaim   a 
message    of    light    both    to    the    Jewish    people    and    to    the 
Gentiles." 

As  Paul  thus  made  his  defence,  Festus  exclai  med  in  a  loud     24 
voice,  "You  are  raving   mad,    Paul;    your  great    learning    is 
driving  you  mad."     "  I  am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus,"  replied     25 
Paul;  "I   am  speaking  words  of  sober  truth.     For  the  King,  to     26 
whom  I  speak  freely,  knows  about  these  matters.     I  am  not  to 
be  persuaded  that  any  detail  of  them  has  escaped  his  notice  ; 
for  these  things  have  not  been  done  in  a  corner.     King  Agrippa,     27 
do  you  believe  the  Prophets  ?     I  know  that  you  believe  them." 

26.  tlas  escaped\  Or  '  escapes.' 


342  THE    ACTS    XXVI.-XXVII. 

Agrippa  answered,  "  In  brief,  you  are  doing  your  best  to  per-     28 
suade  me  to  become  a  Christian  !"     Paul  replied,  "  My  prayer     29 
to  God,  whether  briefly  or  at  length,  would  be  that  not  only  you 
but  all  who  are  my  hearers  to-day,  might  become  such  as  I  am — 
except  these  chains." 

So  the  King  rose,  and  the  Governor,  and  Bernice,     30 
^*rnnocen[.^^   ^'^<^  those  who  were  sitting  with  them  ;  and  having     31 

withdrawn  they  talked  to  one  another,  and  said, 
"  This  man  is  doing  nothing  for  which  he  deserves  death  or 
imprisonment."     And  Agrippa  said  to  Festus,  ''"  He  might  have     32 
been  set  at  liberty,  if  he  had  not  appealed  to  Caesar." 


Paul's  Voyage  to  Italy, 

Now  when  it  was  decided  that  we  should  sail  for     i 
A^cfr?myu?u°m   ^^^^Y'  ^^^V  landed   over    Paul  and  a  few  other 
takes  Paul     prisoners  into  the  custodv  of  TuHus,  a  captain  of 

to   Sidon.        ^,         .  .  u  1-  '         J  •  u         J 

the  Augustan  battalion  ;  and  gomg  on  board  a  2 
ship  of  Adramyttium  which  was  about  to  sail  to  the  ports  of  the 
province  of  Asia,  we  put  to  sea;  Aristarchus,  the  Macedonian, 
from  Thessalonica,  forming  one  of  our  party.  The  next  day  we  3 
put  in  at  Sidon.  There  Julius  treated  Paul  with  thoughtful 
kindness  and  allowed  him  to  visit  his  friends  and  profit  by  their 
generous  care. 

Putting  to  sea  again,  we  sailed  under  the  lee  of    4 
"^^Saimo^ne"^'  Cyprus,  because  the  winds  were  against  us  ;  and     5 
Fair  Havens,    saihng  the  whole  length   of  the  sea  that  lies  off 
Cilicia   and    Pamphylia,  we   reached    Myra   in    Lycia.     There     6 
Julius  found  an  Alexandrian  ship  bound  for  Italy,  and  put  us  on 
board  of  her.     It  took  several  days  of  slow  sailing  for  us  to     7 
come  with  difficulty  off  Cnidus  ;  from  which  point,  as  the  wind 
did  not  allow  us  to  get  on   in  the  direct  course,  we  ran  under 
the  lee  of  Crete  by  Salmone.     Then,  coasting  along  with  diffi-     8 
culty,  we  reached  a  place  called  '  Fair  Havens,'  near  the  town 
of  Lasea. 

28,  29.  /h  brie/,  briejly\  The  same  expression  occurs  in  Eph.  iii.  3.  Verse  28 
might  be  translated,  '  You  are  easily  (i.e.  tcjo  readily)  persuading  yourself  that  you 
can  make  me  a  Christian  '  (i.e.  a  member  of  your  own  despised  and  hated  sect) ! 

4.  Against  vs\  A  ship  attempting  to  sail  in  a  straight  course  from  Sidon  to  the 
province  of  Asia  would  have  the  prevailing  NW.  wind,  e.g.,  dead  against  her. 

5.  Myra\  Or  '  Myrrha.' 

7.  By  Salmone]  i.e.  having  steered  from  Cnidus  (in  about  a  SSW.  direction)  for 
Salmone  (the  eastern  extremity  of  the  island),  so  as  to  get  that  way  under  the  lee  of 
Crete  and  have  for  some  distance  the  advantage  of  a  weather  shore. 


THE   ACTS   XXVII.  343 

»     I.    Aj  •  Our  voyage  thus  far  had  occupied  a  consider-     o 

Paul's  Advice      ,  ,  ,     ,  .        .         ,     .  ^ 

to  his  Com-    able  time,  and  the  navigation   being  now  unsafe 
panions.       ^^^  ^j^^  p^^j.  ^^^^  already  over,  Paul  warned  them. 
"Sirs,''  he  said,  "  I  perceive  that  before  long  the  voyage  will  be     10 
attended  with  danger  and  heavy  loss  not  only  to  the  cargo  and 
the  ship  but  to  our  own  lives  also."  But  Julius  let  hnnself  be  per-     1 1 
suaded  by  the  pilot  and  by  the  owner  rather  than  by  Paul's  argu- 
ments ;  and  as  the  harbour  was  inconvenient  for  wintering  in,  the     12 
majority  were  in  favour  of  putting  out  to   sea,  to  try  whether 
they  could  get  to  Phoenix — a  harbour   on  the  coast  of  Crete 
facing  north-east  and  south-east — to  winter  there.     And  a  light     13 
breeze  from  the  south  sprang  up,  so  that  they  supposed   they 
were  now  sure  of  their  purpose.     So  weighing  anchor  they  ran 
along  the  coast  of  Crete,  hugging  the  shore. 

_.    _  But  it  was  not  long  before  a  furious  north-east     14. 

The  Storm.         •     ,  •         i  r  ,  •        , 

wind,  coming  down  from  the  mountams,  burst  upon 

us  and  carried  the  ship  out  of  her  course.     She  was  unable  to     15 

make  headway  against  the  gale  ;  so  we  gave  up  and  let  her  drive. 

Then   we  ran  under  the    lee  of  a   little  island  called   Cauda,     16 

where  we  managed  with  great  difficulty  to  secure  the  boat  ;  and     17 

after  hoisting  it  on  board,  they  used  frapping-cables  to  under- 

gird  the  ship,  and,  as  they  were  afraid  of  being  driven  on  the 

vSyrtis  quicksands,  they  lowered  the  gear  and  lay  to.     But  as     18 

the  storm  was  still  violent,  the  next  day  they  began  to  lighten 

the  ship;  and,  on  the  third  day,   with  their  own  hands   they     19 

threw  the  ship's  spare  gear  overboard.     Then,  when  for  several     20 

days  neither  sun    nor    stars  were   seen    and    the  terrific  gale 

still  harassed  us,  the  last  ray  of  hope  was  now  vanishing. 

,  When  for  a  long  time  they  had  taken  but  little     2i 

comfort'ed/  ^o^d,  Paul,  Standing  up  among  them,  said,  "  Sirs, 

cheers  his     you  ou^rht  to  havc  listened  to  me  and  not  have 
Companions.  ■'     .,        °  ^  ,^  ,  ,     , 

sailed  from  Crete.     You  would  then  have  escaped 

this  suffering  and  loss.     But  now  take  courage,  for  there  will  be     22 

9.  Our  voyage  tkus/ar]  Or  possibly  'our  stay  at  this  place.'  The  Fast]  i.e.  the 
Jewish  fast  of  the  7th  month.     There  were  probably  many  Jews  on  board. 

12.  Facing  N'E.  and  SE.\  Lit.  '  looking  down  the  SW.  wind  and  down  the  NW. 
wind. ' 

13.  Were  now  sure  of]  Lit.  '  had  got  hold  of '  (their  purpose  of  reaching  Phoenix, 
which  in  fact  they  never  did). 

14.  A  furious  north-east  wind]  Lit.  'a  typhonic  wind  (or  cyclone),  the  one  called 
Euraquilo  '  Down  f^on  the  mountains]  Lit.  'down  from  it,'  i.e.  from  Crete. 
Burst  upon  us]  Lit.  '  flung.' 

16.  Catida]  v.L.   '  Clauda.' 

17.  To  undergird]  By  passing  those  cables  under  the  keel  and  over  the  gunwales 
and  drawing  them  tii;ht  by  means  of  pulleys  and  levers.  Lay  to]  Or  '  drifted,'  but 
broadside  to  the  wind,  steering  as  much  towards  the  north  as  possible,  to  escape  the 
dreaded  quicksands  (the  Syrtis)  on  tlie  African  coast. 


344  THE   ACrS   XXVlL 

no  destruction  of  life  among  you,  but  of  the  ship  only.     For     23 
there  stood  by  my  side,  last  night,  an  angel  of  the  God  to  whom 
I  belong,  and  whom  also  I  worship,  and  he  said,  '  Dismiss  all     24 
fear,  Paul,  for  you  must  stand  before  Caesar ;    and  God  has 
granted  you  the  lives  of  all  who  are  sailing  with  you.'     There-     25 
fore,  Sirs,  take  courage  ;  for   I  believe   God,  and  am  convinced 
that  things  will  happen  exactly  as  I  have  been  told.    But  we  are     26 
to  be  stranded  on  a  certain  island." 

The  Ship  drifts      It  was  now  the  fourteenth  night,  and  we  were     27 
near  an  un-     drifting  through  the  sea  of  Adria,  when,   about 
midnight,  the  sailors  suspected  that  land  was  close 
at  hand.     So  they  hove  the  lead  and  found  twenty  fathoms  of     28 
water ;    and   after  a  short    time   they   hove  again    and    found 
fifteen  fathoms.     Then  for  fear  of  possibly  running  on  rocks,     29 
they  threw  out  four  anchors   from  the  stern    and  waited   im- 
patiently for  daylight.      The  sailors,  however,  wanted  to  make     30 
their  escape  from  the  ship,  and  had  lowered   the  boat  into  the 
sea,  pretending  that  they  were  going  to  lay  out  anchors  from 
the  bow;    but  Paul,  addressing  Julius  and  the   soldiers,  said,     31 
"Your  lives  will  be    sacrificed,  unless  these   men  remain   on 
board."     Then  the  soldiers  cut  the  ropes  of  the  ship's  boat  and     32 
let  her  fall  off. 

And  now,  until  day  began  to  dawn,  Paul  en-     33 
sutd'e?^hi's     couraged  all  on  board  to  take  food.     "  This  is  the 
Companions   fourteenth  day,"  he  urged,  "  that  you   have  been 
to  take  Food.  .        ,  -l-        r      ^u       I  .  j  u 

anxiously  waitmg  for  the  storm  to  cease,  and  have 

fasted,  eating  little  or  nothing.     I  strongly  advise  you,  therefore,     34 

to  take  food  ;  for  this  is  essential  for  your    safety.     For  not  a 

hair  will  perish  from  the  head  of  any  one  of  you."     Having  said     35 

this  he  took  some  bread,  and,  after  giving  thanks  to  God  for  it 

before  them  all,  he  broke  it  in  pieces  and  began  to  eat  it.     This     36 

raised  the  spirits  of  all,  and  they  too  took  food      There  were     37 

two   hundred   and    seventy-six    of    us,    crew   and    passengers, 

all  told.     After  eating  a  hearty  meal  they  lightened  the  ship  by     38 

throwing  the  wheat  overboard. 

The  Ship  is         When    daylight  came,  they  tried   in  vain  to  re-     30 
wrecked.       (  .       ^,  ,  .    ,  .  ,  11, 

cognise  the  coast  ;  but  an  inlet  with  a  sandy  beach 

27.  Diiftvt.o-  through]  Or  '  tossed  about  in.'  (Not  '  driven  to  and  fro  '  or  '  driven 
lip  and  down,'  for  these  expressions  would  imply  shifting  winds,  of  which  there  is  no 
trace  in  the  narrative.)  The  sea  of  Adria]  Which  included,  besides  the  Adriatic 
(or  more  correctly  Hadriatic),  the  central  portion  of  the  Mediterranean. 

29.   Waited  impatiently]  Lit.  '  wished  '  or  '  prayed.' 

37.    276]    V.L.    '76.' 

39.   Their  object  was]  Or  '  they  purposed,  but  with  hesitancy.'      This  qualification 


THE   ACTS    XXVII.-XXVIII.  345 

attracted  their  attention,  and  now  their  object  was,  if  possible, 
to  run  the  ship   aground   in  this  inlet.     So  they   cut  away  the     40 
anchors    and    left   them    in    the   sea,    unloosing    at    the    same 
time   the    bands    which    secured    the    paddle-rudders.      Then 
hoisting  the  foresail  to  the  wind  they  made  for  the  beach.     But     41 
coming  to  a  place  where  two  seas  met,  they  stranded  the  ship, 
and  her  bow  sticking  fast  remained   immovable,  while  the  stern 
began  to  go  to  pieces  under  the  heavy  hammering  of  the  sea. 
All  on  board        Now  the  soldiers  recommended  that  the  prisoners     42 
land  safely  at  should    be   killed,   for    fear     some   one   of    them 

Malta.         might    swim  ashore  and   effect  his  escape.     But     43 
their  captain,  bent  on  securing  Paul's  safety,  kept  them  from 
their  purpose  and  gave    orders    that    those  who    could  swim 
should  first  jump  overboard  and  get  to  land  ;  and  that  the  rest     44 
should  follow,  some  on  planks,  and  others  on  various  things 
from  the  ship.     In  this  way  they  all  got  safely  to  land. 

Our  lives  having  been   thus  preserved,  we  dis-     i   t 
"^^"viper.  ^''^  covered  that  the  island  was  called    Malta.     The     2   ' 

strange-speaking  natives  showed    us    remarkable 
kindness,  for  they  lighted  a  fire  and  made  us  all  welcome  be- 
cause of  the  pelting  rain  and   the  cold.     Now,  when  Paul  had     3 
gathered  a  bundle  of  sticks  and  had  thrown  them  on  the  fire,  a 
viper,  driven  by  the  heat,  came  out  and  fastened  itself  on  his 
hand.      When    the    natives  saw  the  creature  hanging   to   his     4 
hand,  they  said  to  one  another,  "  Beyond  doubt  this  man  is  a 
murderer,  for,  though  saved  from  the  sea,  unerring  Justice  does 
not  permit  him  to  live."    He,  however,  shook  the  reptile  off  into     5 
the  fire  and  was  unhurt.     They  expected  him  soon  to  swell  with     6 
inflammation  or  suddenly  fall  down   dead  ;  but  after  waiting  a 
long  time  and  seeing  no  harm  come  to  him,  they  changed  their 
minds  and  said  that  he  was  a  god. 

Now  in  the  same  part  of  the  island  there  were     7 
Pubiius  cured.  ^States  belonging  to   the   Governor,  whose   name 

was  Pubiius.     He  welcomed  us  to  his  house,  and 
for  three  days  generously  made  us   his  guests.     It  happened,     8 
however,  that  his  father  was  lying  ill  of  dysentery  aggravated 
by  attacks  of  fever  ;  so  Paul  went  to  see  him,  and  after  praying 

is  implied  by  the  tense  (imperfect)  of  the  verb,  as  well  as  by  the  "if  possible  "  follow- 
ing.    /«]  Lit.  '  into.' 

40.  Paddle-rudders\  Every  ship  had  two  of  these — large  and  strong  paddles  with 
very  wide  blades,  one  on  each  quarter — instead  of  the  single  rudder  now  used.  They 
had  probably  been  hauled  up  and  lashed  while  the  ship  was  at  anchor. 

44.  Got  safely]  Or  '  got  safely  through  the  breakers.' 

I.  Malta]  Lit.  'Melita.'     v.l.  '  Melitene.' 


346  THE   ACTS    XXVIII. 

laid  his  hands  on  him  and  cured  him.     After  this,  all  the  other     9 
sick  people  in  the  island  came  and  were  cured.     They   also     10 
loaded  us  with  honours,  and  when  at   last  we  sailed  they  put 
supplies  on  board  for  us. 

Three  months  passed  before  we  set  sail  in  an     11 

Syracuse,  . 

Rhegium,      Alexandrian   vessel,   called    the   'Twin  Brothers,' 
Puteoii,  Rome.  ^^,^-^^^  j^^^  wintered  at  the  island.     At  Syracuse     12 
we  put  in  and  stayed    for   two   days.      From  there   we  came     13 
round  and  reached  Rhegium  ;  and  a  day  later,  a  south  wind 
sprang  up  which  brought  us  by  the  evening  of  the  next  day  to 
Puteoii.     Here  we  found  brethren,  who  invited   us  to  remain     14 
with  them  for  a  week  ;  and  so  we  reached  Rome.     Meanwhile     15 
the  brethren  there,  hearing  of  our  movements,  came  as  far  as 
the  Market  of  Appius  and  the  Three    Huts  to  meet  us  ;  and 
when  Paul  saw  them  he    thanked    God  and  felt  encouraged. 
Upon  our  arrival  in  Rome,  Paul  received  permission  to  live  by     16 
himself,  guarded  by  a  soldier. 


Paul  in  Rome. 

After  one  clear  day  he  invited  the  leading  men     1 7 
wtth 'thrjews.  among  the  Jews  to  meet  him;   and  when  they 
were  come  together  he  said  to  them,  "  As  for  me, 
brethren,  although  I  had  done  nothing  prejudicial  to  our  people 
or  contrary  to  the  customs  of  our  forefathers,  I  was  handed  over 
as  a  prisoner  from  Jerusalem  into  the   power  of  the  Romans. 
They,  after  they  had  sharply  questioned  me,  were  willing  to  set     18 
me  at  liberty,  because  they  found  no  offence  in  me  for  which  I 
deserve  to  die.     But  at  last  the  opposition  of  the  Jews  com-     19 
pelled  me  to  appeal  to  Caesar  ;  not   however  that   I  had  any 
charge  to  bring  against  my  nation.     For  these  reasons,  then,  I     20 
have  invited  you  here,  that  I   might  see  you  and  speak  to  you  ; 

11.  Calledthe''  Twin  Brothers']  Lit.  '  with  the  sign  Dioscuri,'  i.e.  '  Sons  of  Zeus,* 
Castor  and  Pollux. 

12.  Two  davs]   Lit.  'three  days.'     Cp.  Luke  xxiv,  21.  n. 

13.  Came  round]  v.l.  '  cast  loose.' 

15.  Market  of  Appius  and  the  Three  Huts]  The  ancient,  but  not  yet  disused, 
names  of  towns  which  had  become  important  long  before  the  time  of  Paul.  Horace 
describes  tlie  former  as  "  crammed  with  canal  men  aud  cheating  innkeepers."  It  is 
possible  that  the  original  Three  Huts  were  wineshops. 

16.  In  Rotne]  v.l.  adds  here,  'the  captain  handed  the  prisoners  over  to  the 
prefect  of  the  Praetorian  Camp,  but.'  By  himself]  v.l.  adds  'outside  the 
barracks.' 

17.  One  dear  day]  Lit.   'three  days.'     Cp.  verse  12,  n. 
19.  At  last  the  opposition]  Or  'the  persistent  opposition.' 

20    Him.  who  is  the  hope]  Lit.  sunply  '  the  hope.'      Upon  me]  Lit.  'round  me.' 


THE    ACTS    XXVIII.  347 

for  it  is  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  is  the  hope  of  Israel  that  this 
chain  hangs  upon  me.'"' 

"For    our  part,"  they  rephed,   "we  have  not   received  any     21 
letters  from  Judaea  about  you,  nor  have  any  of  our  countrymen 
come  here  and  reported  or  stated  aiiy  thing  to  your  disadvantage. 
But  we  should   be  glad  to   hear  from  you  what   it  is  that  you     22 
believe  ;  for  as  for  this  sect  all  we  know  is  that  it  is  everywhere 
spoken  against." 
„     ,.      .     ^         So  they  arranged  a  day  with  him   and  came  to     23 

Paul  begins  to    ,  .       .         "^       .  ,      '^  ^  -^ 

preach  in  hmi  m  Considerable  numbers  at  the  house  of  the 
°'^®'  friends  who  were  entertaining  him  ;  and  then 
with  solemn  earnestness  he  explained  to  them  the  subject  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  endeavouring  from  morning  till  evening  to 
convince  them  about  Jesus,  both  from  the  Law  of  Moses  and 
from  the  Prophets.  Some  were  convinced  ;  others  refused  to  24 
believe.  Unable  to  agree  among  themselves,  they  at  last  left  25 
him,  but  not  before  Paul  had  spoken  a  parting  word  to  them, 
saying,  "  Right  well  did  the  Holy  Spirit  declare  to  your  fore- 
fathers through  the  prophet  Isaiah  : 

'  Go   TO   THIS   PEOPLE  -AND   SAY,  26 

You  WILL    HEAR   AND    HEAR,    AND    BY  NO  MEANS  UNDER- 
STAND, 

And  will  look  and  look,  and  by  no  means  see  ; 

For  this  people's  mind  has  grown  callous,  27 

Their  hearing  has  become  dull, 

And  their  eyes  they  have  closed  ; 

To  prevent  their  ever  seeing  with  their  eyes 

Or  hearing  with  tpieir  ears 

Or  understanding  with  their  minds 

And  turning  back, 

So   THAT    I    MIGHT   CURE   THEM  '    (Isa.  vi.  9,   lo). 

Be  fully  assured,  therefore,  that  this  salvation— God's  salvation     28 
— has  been  sent  to  the  Gentiles  :  and  that  they  will  give  heed." 

After  this   Paul  lived  for  fully  tw^o  years   in  a     30 
Th^tV^nowed^  hired  house  of  his  own,  receiving  all  who  came  to 

see  him.     He  announced  the  coming  of  the  King-     31 
dom  of  God,  and  taught  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with- 
out let  or  hindrance. 


23.  Considernbie]  Or  '  greater.'  Ai  the  house  d^c]  Or  perhaps  '  in  his 
lodgings.' 

29.  v.L.  adds,  'And  when  he  had  said  this,  the  Jews  went  away,  carrying  on  a 
long  debate  with  one  cinother.' 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  ROMANS 


The  four  booVs  of  the  New  Te^tampnt  known  as  the  Letters  to 
the  Romans,  Coniuhians,  and  Galatians,  are  allowed  by  all 
critics,  including  even  the  most  "'destructive,"  to  be  genuine 
productions  of  the  apostle  Paul.  Opinions  vary  as  to  the  order 
of  their  composition.  The  latest  findings  of  research  tend  to 
put  '  Galatians'  hrst,  and  '  Romans'  last,  in  the  period  between 
53  A.D.  and  58  A.D  The  date  generally  assigned  to  the  Roman 
Letter  is  58  A.D.,  but  recently  Harnack,  McGififert,  Clemen  and 
others  have  shown  cause  for  putting  it  some  four  years  earlier. 
The  chronology  of  the  period  is  necessarily  very  complicated. 
It  must  suffice,  therefore,  to  regard  this  Letter  as  having  been 
written,  at  either  of  these  dates,  from  Corinth  where  Paul  was 
staying  in  the  course  of  his  third  missionary  tour.  He  was 
hoping  to  come  to  Rome,  by  way  of  Jerusalem,  and  then  go  on 
to  Spain  (xv.  24  ;  Acts  xix.  21).  The  object  of  ihis  Letter  was 
to  prepare  the  Christians  at  Rome  for  his  visit,  and  make  a 
clear  statement  of  the  new  doctrines  which  he  taught.  It  is 
probable  that  the  crisis  in  Galatia  to  which  the  Letter  sent 
thither  bears  witness,  had  driven  the  apostle's  thoughts  in  the 
direction  of  the  subject  of  Justification,  and  he  was  apparently 
much  troubled  by  the  persistence  of  Jewish  unbelief.  Hence 
the  present  letter  has  been  well  termed  "  the  Gospel  according 
to  St.  Paul."  We  know  really  nothing  about  the  Christians 
then  at  Rome  beyond  what  we  find  here.  It  is,  however,  fairly 
certain  that  reports  concerning  the  Saviour  would  be  taken  to 
that  city  by  proselytes,  both  before  and  after  the  events  described 
in  Acts  ii.,  and  we  kno^v  that  there  was  a  large  Jewish  popula- 
tion there  amongst  whom  the  seed  would  be  sown.  Some 
modern  critics  have  thought  "  that  a  note  addressed  to  Ephesus 
lies  embedded  in  the  i6th  chapter,"  because,  they  say,  it  is 
*'  inconceivable  that  Paul  could  have  intimately  known  so  many 
individuals  in  a  church  like  that  at  Rome  to  which  he  was 
personally  a  stranger."  But  this  is  by  no  means  demonstrated, 
nor  is  any  proof  whatever  forthcoming  that  the  church  there  was 
founded  by  any  other  apostle. 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  ROMANS 


Introduction, 

Paul's  Mes-       Paul,  a  bondservant  of  Jesus  Christ,  called  to  be     i    ' 
sage  and       an  apostle,  set  apart  to  proclaim  God's  Good  News, 
pos  es  ip.    ^yj^j^j^    Qy^j   Yi^.d  already    promised   through    His     2 
Prophets   in  Holy  Writ,  concerning  His  Son,  who,  as  regards     3 
His  human  descent,  belonged  to  the  posterity  of  David,  but  as     4 
regards  the  holiness  of  His  Spirit  was  decisively  proved  by  the 
Resurrection  to  be  the  Son  of  God — I  mean  concerning  Jesus 
Christ  our   Lord,  through  whom  we  have  received  grace  and     5 
apostleship  in  His  service  in  order  to  win  men  to  obedience  to 
the  faith,   among  all   Gentile  peoples,  among  whom  you  also,     6 
called,    as    you    have    been,   to    belong  to    Jesus    Christ,  are 
numbered  : 

To  all  God's  loved  ones  who  are  at  Rome,  called  to  be  saints.     7 
May  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you  from  God  our  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Christians      Eirst  of  all  I  thank  my  God  through  Jesus  Christ     8 
at  Rome  and    for  what  He  has  done  for  all  of  you  ;  for  the  report 
of  your  faith  is  spreading  through  the  whole  world. 
I  call  God  to  witness — to  whom  I  render  priestly  and  spiritual     9 
service  by  telling  the   Good    News  about   His    Son— how   un- 
ceasingly I  make  mention  of  you  in  His  presence,  always  in     10 

In  the  notes  on  this  Letter,  "S.  H."  =  Sanday  and  Headlam. 

I,  6.  CaUed\  Not  coming  unbidden  and  not  merely  invited,  but  authoritatively 
and  effectually  summoned. 

5.  Grace]  God's  free,  unmerited,  unearned  favour,  the  most  common  sense  of  the 
word,  especially  with  Paul.  —  To  win.  men  to,  obedience  to  the  faitti\  Lit.  simply  'to 
obedience  of  faith.'     Cp.  iv.  ii  ;  viii.  23  ;  xvi.  26  ;  2  Cor.  i.  22  ;  v.  5  ;   Eph.  i.  14. 

7.  God's  loved  ones]  Neither  here  nor  elsewhere  in  N.T.  is  a  Church  of  Roma 
recognized.  To  be  saints]  Herein  consist  the  supreme  glory  and  supreme  difficulty 
of  the  Christian  life— that  we  are  not  simply  to  spe.^k  of  Christ  to  others,  and,  if 
need  be,  do  and  dare  great  things  for  Him.  By  the  power  of  His  own  most  holy 
Spirit  within  us  we  are  to  be  saints. 

9.  How]  The  same  adverb  is  used  with  another  adverb  or  with  an  adjective  in 
X.  15  ;  xi.  33;  I  Thess.  ii.  10  ;  Ps.  Ixii.  (Ixiii.)  i  ;  and  perhaps  also  in  Homer,  Iliad 
xxi.,  441.     In  His  presence]  These  words  are  not  in  the  Greek. 


352  ROMANS   I. 

my  prayers  entreating  that  now,  at  length,  if  such  be  His  will, 
the  way  may  by  some  means  be  made  clear  for  me  to  come  to 
you.     For  I  am  longing  to  see  you  in  order  to  convey  to  you     ii 
some  spiritual  help,  so  that  you  may  be  strengthened  ;  in  other     12 
words  that  while   I   am  among  you  we  may  be  mutually  en- 
couraged by  one  another's  faith,  yours  and  mine.     And  I  desire     13 
you  to  know,  brethren,  that  I   have  many  a  time  intended  to 
come  to  you — though  until  now  I  have  been  disappointed — in 
order  that  among  you  also  I  might  gather  some  fruit  from  my 
labours,  as  I  have  already  done  among  the  rest  of  the  Gentile 
nations.      I   am  already    under    obligations     alike    to    Greek-     14 
speaking  races  and   to  others,   to  cultured  and    to   uncultured     15 
people  :  so  that  for  my  part  1  am  willing  and  eager  to  proclaim 
the  Good  News  to  you  also  who  are  in  Rome, 

The  main  Subject  of  the  Letter. 

For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Good  News  :  it  is     16 
th^^ugh*Faith.  God's  power  which  is  at  work  for  the  salvation  of 
every  one  who  believes — the  Jew  first,  and  then  the 
Gentile.     For  in  the  Good  News  a  righteousness  which  comes     17 
from  God  is  being  revealed,  depending  on  faith  and  tending  to 
produce  faith  ;  as  the  Scripture  has  it,  "  The  righteous  man 

SHALL   LIVE    BY    FAITH"  (Hab.  ii.  4). 

For  God's  anger  is  being  revealed   from  heaven     18 
aeainstsfn'"   ^g^i"^'^  ^^^  impiety  and  against  the  iniquity  of  men 

who  through  iniquity  suppress  the  truth.     God  is     19 
angry :  because  what  may  be  known  about  Him  is  plain  to  their 
inmost  consciousness  ;  for   He   Himself  has  made  it  plain    to 
them.     For  from  the  very  creation  of  the  world  His  invisible     20 
perfections — namely  His  eternal  power  and  divine  nature — have 
been  rendered  intelligible  and  clearly  visible  by  His  works,  so 
that  these  men  are  without  excuse.      For  when  they  had  come     21 
to  know  God,  they  did  not  give  Him  glory  as  God  nor  render 
Him  thanks,  but  they  became  absorbed  in  useless  discussions, 
and  their  senseless  minds  were  darkened.     While  boasting  of    22 

14.  Am  already  under  obligations  to]  i.e.  '  have  already  gathered  some  fruit  from 
my  labours  among.'  Lit.  'am  a  debtor.'  Or  the  meaning  may  be  'am  under  an 
obligation  to  preach  to.'     But  this  leaves  the  'also  '  of  verse  15  unexplained. 

16.  Gentile]  Lit.  '  Greek.' 

17.  A  righteousness]  Or  'the  righteousness.'  The  righieotii  ^s^c]  Or  'The  man 
who  is  rigiiteous  by  faith  shall  live.' 

19.  To  their  inmost  consciousness]  Lit.  '  in  (or,  within)  them.' 

20.  So  that  these  meti  are]  Or  '  that  they  might  be.' 
22.    Utter]  A  very  siion-  word  is  here  used  for  '  fools.' 


ROMANS   I.-TL 


353 


their  wisdom  they  became  utter  fools,  and  instead  of  worshipping     23 
tlie  imperishable  God  they  worshipped  images  resembling  perish- 
able man  or  resembling  birds  or  beasts  or  reptiles. 
The  notorious      ^°^  ^^^^  reason,  in  accordance  with  their  own     24 
Wickedness     depraved  cravings,  God  gave  them  up  to  unclean- 

of  the  Gentiles.  u       •  1  t   1  ,     .       ,       ,. 

ness,  allowing   them   to    dishonour   their    bodies 
among  themselves  with  impurity  ;  for  they  had  bartered  the     25 
reality  of  God  for  what  is  unreal,  and  had  offered  divine  honours 
and    religious    service   to    created   things,    rather   than   to   the 
Creator — He  who  is  for  ever  blessed.     Amen. 

This  then  is  the  reason  why  God  gave  them  up  to  vile  passions.  26 
For  not  only  did  the  women  among  them  exchange  the  natural 
use  of  their  bodies  for  one  which  is  contrary  to  nature,  but  the  27 
men  also,  in  just  the  same  way — neglecting  that  for  which  nature 
intends  women — burned  with  passion  towards  one  another,  men 
practising  shameful  vice  with  men,  and  receiving  in  their  own 
selves  the  reward  which  necessarily  followed  their  misconduct. 

And  just  as  they  had  refused  to  continue  to  have  a  full  know-     28 
ledge  of  God,  so  it  was  to  utterly  worthless  minds  that  God  gave 
them  up,  for  them  to  do  things  which    should    not    be  done. 
Their  hearts  overflowed  with  all  sorts  of  dishonesty,  mischief,     29 
greed,  malice.     They  were  full  of  envy  and  murder,  and  were 
quarrelsome,  crafty  and  spiteful.     They  were  secret  backbiters, 
open  slanderers  ;    hateful  to  God,  insolent,  haughty,  boastful  ;     30 
inventors  of  new  forms  of  sin,  disobedient  to  parents,  destitute     31 
of  common  sense,  faithless  to  their  promises,  without  natural 
affection,  without  human  pity.    In  short,  though  knowing  full  well     32 
the  sentence  which  God  pronounces  against  actions  such  as 
theirs,  as  things  which  deserve  death,  they  not  only  practise 
them,  but  even  encourage  and  applaud  others  who  do  them. 

You  are  therefore  without  excuse,  O  man,  whoever  you  are     I  Q 
who  sit  in  judgement  upon  others.     For  when  you  pass  judge- 

23.  Instead  of  ivorshippinsc  &'c.\  Lit.  '  tiiey  exchanged  the  glory  of  the  im- 
perishable God  .  .  for  the  resemblance  of  the  image  of  perishable  man." 

24.  Their  oivn]  Lit.  '  their  hearts'.' 

25.  IVhat  is  unreal]  Lit.  '  the  lie  ;'  or  (accenting  the  Greek  otherwise)  '  the  un- 
real,' '  tlie  false.'     Cp.  i  Cor.  viii.  4. 

29.  Malice]  v.L.  puts  this  before  'greed.'  . 

30.  Hatfful  to  God]  Or  '  haters  of  God.' 

32.  Actions  .  .  practise  .  .  do]  There  are  in  Greek  two  verbs  (with  derivative 
nouns)  signifying  '  to  do.'  Attempts  to  distinguish  them  have  been  made  with  very 
imperfect  success,  the  least  satisfactory  of  all  being  that  which  supposes  that  because 
our  Englisli  verb  '  practise  '  is  derived  fi  om  one  of  them  ( prasso),  therefore  '  practise  ' 
exactly  represents  this  one.  The  distinction,  where  any  exists,  is  sometimes  just 
the  reverse.  Etymology  is  an  unsafe  guide  to  a  translator.  Ejicourage  and 
applaud]  Or  'delight  in  the  society  of.'     One  word  in  the  Greek. 

I,  2.    \Vhoex>er  you  are]  Whether  Jew  or  Gentile.    Sit  in  judgement  .   .  pass 

A  A 


354  ROMANS   II. 

ment  on  your  fellow  man,  you  condemn  yourself; 
wUhoIt  excep-  ^or  you  who  sit  in  judgement  upon  others  are  guilty 
tion  are       of  the  Same  misdeeds  ;  and  we  know  that  God's     2 

Sinners.  .     ,  .  ,  ,  ..... 

judgement  agamst  those  who  commit  such  sms  is  in 
accordance  with  the  truth.  And  you  who  pronounce  judgement  3 
upon  those  who  do  such  things  although  your  own  conduct  is  the 
same  as  theirs — do  you  imagine  that  you  yourself  will  escape 
unpunished  when  God  judges  1  Or  is  it  that  you  think  slight-  4 
ingly  of  His  infinite  goodness,  forbearance  and  patience,  un- 
aware that  the  goodness  of  God  is  gently  drawing  you  to 
repentance  ? 

The  fact  is  that  in  the   stubbornness  of  your     5 

awaSToth     impenitent  heart   you   are  treasuring   up   against 
dew  and       youi'self  anger  on  the  day  of  Anger — the  day  when 
the  righteousness  of  God's  judgements  will  stand 
revealed.     To   EACH  MAN  He  will  make  an  award  cor-    6 
RESPONDING  TO  HIS  ACTIONS   (Ps.  Ixii.    12  ;     Prov.  xxiv.    12)  ; 
to  those  on  the  one  hand  who,  by  lives  of  persistent  right-doing,     7 
are  striving  for  glory,  honour  and  immortality,  the  Life  of  the 
ages  ;  while  on  the  other  hand  upon  the  self-willed  who  disobey     8 
the  truth  and  obey  unrighteousness  will  fall  anger   and  fury, 
affliction  and  awful  distress,  coming  upon  the  soul  of  every  man     9 
and  woman  who  deliberately  does  wrong — upon  the  Jew  first, 
and  then  upon  the  Gentile  ;  whereas  glory,  honour  and  peace     10 
will  be  given  to  every  one  who  does  what  is  good  and  right — to 
the  Jew  first  and  then  to  the  Gentile.     For  God  pays  no  attention     1 1 
to  this  world's  distinctions. 

^,     ,  For  all  who  have  sinned  apart  from  the  Law  will     12 

The  Impar-  /  1      ,,       ,        , 

tiaiity  of       also  perish  apart  from  the  Law,  and  all  who  have 
Retribution.    ^:^^^^^  whilst  living  under  the  Law,  will  be  judged 
by  the  Law.     It  is  not  those  that  merely  hear  the  Law  read  who     13 
are  righteous  in  the  sight  of  God,  but  it  is  those  that  obey  the 
Law  who  will  be  pronounced  righteous  ;  for  when  Gentiles  who     14 
have  no  Law  obey  by  natural  instinct  the  commands  of  the  Law, 

j )idgevient\  The  same  verb  in  the  Greek,  for  it  has  both  meanings.     Against  those 
.  ts  in  accordance  with  the  truth]  Or  '  is  in  very  truth  against  those.' 
4.  His  injinite  goodness]  lAt.  '  the  \\'e.a[t\\  o^  Hh  goodness.' 
9.  Affliction  and  awjul  distress]  Lit.  'painful  pressure,  crushing  weight.'       S.H. 

render  '  galling,  crushing  pain.'     3Ian  and  woman]   Lit.   '  human  being.' Gf;////t'] 

Lit.  'Greek.'     So  in  verse  lo. 

11.  See  Luke  .xx.  21,  n. 

12.  Have  sinned]  i.e.  'shall  have  sinned.'  See  Aorist  mx.  ^.  Apart  from  the 
Law]  Or  '  apart  from  law.'  Under  the  Law  .  .  ,by  the  Law]  Or  '  under  law  .  . 
by  that  law.' 

13.  Hear  the  Law  .  .  obey  the  Law]  Or  'hear  a  law  .  .  obey  a  law.'  The  Law 
read]  Aloud  in  the  Synagogue. 


355 

they,  without  having  a  Law,  area  Law  to  themselves  ;  since  they     15 

exhibit  proof  that  a  knovvletige  of  the  conduct  which  the  Law 

requires  is  engraven  on  their  hearts,  while  their  consciences  also 

bear  witness  to  the  Law,  and  their  thoughts,  as  if  in  mutual  dis- 

cussion^  accuse  them  or  perhaps  maintain  their  innocence — on     16 

the  day  when  God  will  judge  the  secrets  of  men's  lives  by  Jesus 

Christ,  as  declared  in  the  Good  News  as  I  have  taught  it. 

And  since  you  claim  the  name  of  Jew,  and  find     17 

expostulated    I'^st  and  satisfaction  in  the  Law,  and  make  your 

with  for       l)oast  in  God,  and   know    the   supreme  will,  and     18 
Disobedience.  '  ^  ' 

can    test   things    that   differ — being   a   man   who 

receives  instruction  from  the  Law — and  have  persuaded  yourself     19 
that,  as  for  you,  you  are  a  guide  to  the  blind,  a  light  to  those 
who  are  in  darkness,  a  schoolmaster  for  the  dull  and  ignorant,  a     20 
teacher  of  the  young,  because  in  the  Law  you  possess  an  outline 
of  real  knowledge  and  an  outline  of  the  truth  :  you  then  who     21 
teach  your  fellow  man,  do  you  refuse  to  teach  yourself?     You 
who  cry  out  against  stealing,  are    you  yourself  a  thief.-*     You     22 
who  forbid  adultery,  do  you  commit  adultery  ?     You  who  loathe 
idols,  do  you  plunder  their  temples  ?     You  who  make  your  boast     23 
in  the   Law,  do  you  offend  against  its  commands  and  so  dis- 
honour God  ?     For    the   name   of    God    is   blasphemed    24 

AMONG    THE     GENTILE    NATIONS    BECAUSE   OF   YOU,   as    Holy 

Writ  declares  (Isa.  lii.  5). 
What  makes        Circumcision  does  indeed  profit,  if  you  obey  the     25 
a  Man  a  true    Law  ;  but  if  you  are  a  Law-breaker,  the  fact  that 

you  have  been  circumcised  counts  for  nothing.     In     26 
the  same  way  if  an  uncircumcised  man  pays  attention  to  the 
just  requirements  of  the  Law,  shall  not  his  lack  of  circumcision 
be  overlooked,  and,  although   he  is  a  Gentile  by  birth,  if  he     27 
scrupulously  obeys  the  Law,  shall  he  not  sit  in  judgement  upon 
you  who,  possessing,  as  you  do,  a  written  Law  and  circumcision, 
are  yet  a  Law-breaker  ?     For  the  true  Jew  is  not  the  man  who     28 
is  simply  a  Jew  outwardly,  and    true  circumcision  is  not  that 
which  is  outward  and  bodily  ;  but  the  true  Jew  is  one  inwardly,     29 

15.  A  knoiuledge  of  the  conduct  which  the  Law  requires]   Lit.   '  the  work  of  the 
Law.' 

16.  By  Jesus  Christ]  Cp.  Ack  xvii.  31. 

17.  Rest  ami  satisfaction]   Not  mere  passive  resting  as  of  a  monument   on  its 
base. 

18.  Can  test   things  tJiat  differ]    Or   '  approve   (after    examination)    the    better 
course.'     Cp.  Phil.  i.  10. 

20.  An  outline]  Lit.  "  tlia  outline. '     R eal knozuir  foe]\At.  '  tlie  knowledge.' 

26.  Be  ove)  loo'^ed]  Lit.  '  be  reckoned  as  Circanicision.' 

27.  AVhougli  he  is  a  Ge  dile  by  bi^t'i]  Lit.  '  tlie  uic.rcumcision  by  birth,' 


3S6  ROMANS   II.-III. 

and  true  circumcision  is  heart-circumcision — not  literal,  but 
spiritual  ;  and  such  people  receive  praise  not  from,  men,  but 
from  God. 

What  special  privilege,   then,  has  a  Jew  ?     Or     i 
^o'bjTctions!°  ^^^^^  benefit  is  to  be  derived  from  circumcision  ? 

The  privilege  is  great  from  every  point  of  view.     2 
First  of  all  because  the  Jews  were  entrusted  with  God's  truth. 
For  what  if  some  Jews  have  proved  unfaithful.?      Shall  their     3 
faithlessness  render  God's  faithfuhiess  worthless  ?     No,  indeed  ;     4 
let  us  hold  God  to  be  true,  though  every  man  should  prove  to 
be  false  ;  as  it  stands  written, 
"That  Thou  mayest  be   shown  to   be  just   in   the 

SENTENCE   THOU   PRONOUNCEST, 

And  gain  Thy  cause  when  Thou  contendest"     (Ps. 
li.  4  ;  cxvi.  1 1). 

But  if  our  unrighteousness    sets    God's    righteousness   in   a     5 
clearer  light,  what  shall  we  say  ?     (Is  God  unrighteous — I  speak 
in  our  everyday  language — when  He  inflicts  punishment.?     No,     6 
indeed  ;  for  in  that  case  how  shall  He  judge  all  mankind  ? )     If,     7 
for  example,  a  falsehood  of  mine  has  made  God's  truthfulness 
more  conspicuous,  redounding  to  His  glory,  why  am  I  judged  all 
the  same  as  a  sinner  ?  and  why  should  we  not  say — for  so  they     8 
wickedly  misrepresent  us,  and  so  some  charge  us  with  arguing 
— "  Let  us  do  evil  that  good  may  come  "  ?    The  condemnation 
of  those  who  would  so  argue  is  just. 

What  then  ?  are  we  Jews  more  highly  estimated     9 
proves"ttfe     than  they  ?     Not  in  the  least  ;  for  we  have  already 
^"  M  n^  ^"     charged  all  Jews  and  Gentiles  alike  with  being  in 

thraldom  to  sin.     Thus  it  stands  written,  10 

"There  is  not  one  righteous  man.  ii 

There  is  not  one  who  is  really  wise,  nor  one  who 
is  a  diligent  seeker  after  god. 

2.  God's  iriitJiX  Lit.  '  the  utterances  (or,  oracles)  of  God.'     Cp.  Acts  vii.  38. 

3.  Unfaithful]  Or  '  unbelieving.' 

4.  No,  indeed^  Cp.  Luke  xx.  16,  n.  The  expression  is  found  ten  times  in  Romans, 
once  in  1  Corinthians,  and  three  times  in  Galatians.  These  Letters  were  all  written 
about  the  same  time.  The  senience  Thou  pronoujicesf]  Lit.  '  Thy  words.'  When 
'J'hou  contendest\  All  mankind  and  all  Creation  judging  of  the  righteousness  of  Thy 
decision. 

5.  Sets  .  .  in  a  clearer  Ugh{\  Or  'commends,'  or  'exhibits.'  S.H.  render  'is 
only  a  foil  to  set  off  the  righteousness  of  God.'  Paul  here  conceives  of  man  and  God 
as  being  engaged  in  a  judicial  contest  in  which  a  verdict  against  one  party  is  neces- 
sarily a  verdict  for  the  other.  Thus  to  his  mind  the  establishment  of  the  fact  of 
human  guilt  is  ipso  facto  the  establishment  also  of  the  fact  of  God's  righteousness. 
Ji^hen  He  inflicts punisliinent\  Lit.  '  who  inflicts  anger.' 

7.  For  e.vaj)i/>le]  Or  '  however.'     See  A  ovist,  p.  46. 

8.  Of  those  wlio  ivould  so  argue]  Or  perhaps  '  of  those  who  so  slander  us.' 

9.  Estijuatcd]  By  God. 


ROMANS   III.  357 

All  have  turned  aside  from  the  right  path  ;  12 

They  have  ^very  one  of  them  become  corrupt. 
There  is   no  one  who  does  what  is  right— no,  not 
so  MUCH  as  one"  (Ps.  xiv.  1-3). 
Their  throats  resemble  an  opened  grave  ;  13 

With  their  tongues  they  have  been  talking  deceit- 
fully "  (Ps.  V.  9). 
"The  venom  of   vipers   lies   hidden   behind  their 

LIPS  "  (Ps.  cxl.  3). 
"Their  mouths  are  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness"     14 

(Ps.  X.  7). 
"Their  feet  move  swiftly  to  shed  blood.  15 

Ruin  and  misery  mark  their  path  ;  16 

And  the  way  to  peace  thkv  have  not  known"  (Isa.     17 

lix.  7,  8). 
"There  is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes"   (Ps.     18 
xxvi.  i). 

But  it  cannot  be  denied  that  all  that  the  Law     19 

The  Jews  are  ■  ■,  ■,  ,  ,  ,  ,.    •  , 

included  in  the  says  IS  addressed  to  those  who  are  living  under 
indictment.  ^^^  j^^^^  -j^  order  that  every  mouth  may  be  stopped, 
and  that  the  whole  world  may  await  sentence  from  God.  For  20 
on  the  ground  of  obedience  to  Law  no  man  living  will  be 
declared  righteous  before  Him.  Law  simply  brings  a  sure 
knowledge  of  sin. 

^      .  But  now  a  righteousness  coining  from  God  has     21 

Forgiveness  °  ^ 

through  Faith   been  brought  to  light  apart  from  any  Law,  both 

'"       '^'^  *      Law    and     Prophets    bearing    witness    to    it— a     22 

righteousness  coming  from  God,  which  depends  on  faith  in  Jesus 

Christ  and  extends  to  all  who  believe.     No  distinction  is  made  ;     23 

for  all  alike  have  sinned,  and  all  consciously  come  short  of  the 

glory  of  God,  gaining  acquittal  from  guilt  by  His  free  unpurchased     24 

grace  through  the  deliverance  which  is  found  in  Christ  Jesus. 

He  it  is  whom  God  put  forward  as  a  Mercy-Seat,   rendered     25 

efficacious  through  faith  in  His  blood,  in  order  to  demonstrate 

13.  Behind]  Lit,  '  under.' 

16.  Ruin\  Lit.  'crusliing'  or  'shatterina;.' 

19.  Every  viouth]   Jewish    (see  the   passages  just  quoted)   and  Gentile  (see  i. 

22.  Which  depends  on]  \At.  'through.'  God  bestows  faith  first  (Lph.  ii.  8),  as  a 
stepping-stone  to  righteousness  (Rom.  i.  17).     To  all]  v.  l.  adds  'and  upon  all.' 

23.  Consciously  &'c.]  Cp.  Luke  xv.  14,  n. 

24.  Deln/erance]  Or  'release  on  r.msoni.'     Cp.  viii.  23,  n. 

25.  A  Mercy-Seat]  Or  'a  propitiaiioii.'  But  '  mercy-seat'  is  the  meaning  of  the 
word  in  the  only  other  passage  (Heij.  ix.  5)  where  it  is  found  in  the  N.  T.,  and 
almost  everywhere  in  LXX.,  and  is  favcjuied  by  the  Greek  CoMimeutators.  Because 
o/]  The  non-punishment  of  past  sins  seeming  to  need  explanation. 


358  ROMANS   III.-IV. 

Mis  righteousness— because  of  the  passing  over,  in  God's  for- 
bearance,  of  the  sins  previously  cornn-!ittcd-.-with   a  view  to     26 
demonstrating,  at  the  present  ti'.nc,  His  righteousness,  that  He 
may    be    shown    to   be    righteous    Himself,    and   the   giver   of 
righteousness  to  those  who  believe  in  Jesus. 

Where  then  is  there  room  for  your  boasting  ?     27 
*1sTx*Jiuded^   It  is  for  ever  shut  out.     On  what  principle?     On 
the  ground  of  merit?     No,  but  on  the  ground  of 
faith.     For  we  maintain  that  it  is  as  the  result  of  faith  that  a     28 
man  is  held  to  be  liglitcous,  apart  from  actions  done  in  obedi- 
ence to  Law. 

^  ^        Is  G(k1  simply  the  (}od  of  the  Jews,  and  not  of    29 

The  one  God  '^  -^  ■'  "^ 

saves  aM  alike  the  Gcntiles  also  ?  He  is  certainly  the  God  of  the 
through  Faith.  (;^,,-,tiics  also,  unless  you  can  deny  that  it  is  one  30 
and  the  same  God  who  will  pronounce  the  circumcised  to  be 
acquitted  on  the  ground  of  faith,  and  the  uncircumcised  to  be  31 
acquitted  through  the  same  faith.  Do  we  then  by  means  of  this 
faith  abolish  the  Law?  No,  indeed  ;  we  give  the  Law  a  firmer 
footing. 

What    then    shall    wc    say    that    Abraham,    our     i   i 
Acceptance    earthly  forefather,  has  gained  ?    For  if  he  was  held     2 
with  God.      ^^  1^^  righteous  on  the  ground  of  his  actions,  he  has 
something  to  boast  of ;  but  not  in  the  presence  of  God.     For     3 
what  says  the  Scripture?     "AND  AiiKAH.VM   RELIEVED  GOD, 
AND  THIS  WAS   PLACED  TO   HIS   CREDIT  AS    RIGHTEOUSNESS" 
(Gen.  XV.  6).     But  in  the  case  of  a  man  who  works,  pay  is  not     4 
reckoned  a  favour  but  a  debt  ;  whereas  in  the  case  of  a  man     5 
who  pleads  no  actions  of  his  own,  but  simply  believes  in   Him 
who  declares  the   ungodly  free  from  guilt,  his  faith  is  placed  to 
his  credit  as  righteousness.     In  this  way  David  also  tells  of  the     6 
blessedness  of  the  man  to  whose  credit  God  places  righteous- 
ness apart  from  his  actions. 
"Blessed,"  he  says,  "are  they  whose  iniquities  have     7 

KEEN    forgiven, 

26.   He  shown  to  bc\  Lit.  '  may  be'     Cp.  verse  4. 

■i-].  For  a<er\  Not  expressed  111  ihc  Greek,  but  iinpllcil  in  the  tense  used.  On  what 
.  .  yrt/V/i]  Lit.  '  Through  what  Law  ?  Tlirougli  a  Law  of  works  /  No,  but  llirough 
a  Law  of  (lith.' 

28.  For\\.\.  'therefore.' 

31.    The  Lniv\  Or  "  Law.' 

1.  That  Abrahavi  has  gaineilX  \.\..*  o^  W)x:s^\7^m' 

2.  In  the  presence  o/Cod]  Or  '  in  relation  to  God.' 

3.  T/u's]  "The  simply  taking  God  at  His  word"  (Vaughan). 

5.  Jte/ieres  ill]   Lit.  '  believes  on,' i.e.  '  rebe->  on  the  raiihfiilncss  of. 

6.  Tells  0/ the  blcsi.dntss\  Lit.   *  utters  the  declaring  blessed.' 


ROMANS    IV.  359 

And  whose  sins  have  been  covered  over  ;  8 

Blessed  is  the  man  of  whose  sin  the  Lord  will  not 

TAKE  ACCOUNT"  (Ps.  xxxii.   I,  2). 

.,  ^  .         .     ^      This   declaration  of  blessedness  then,  does    it     Q 
Not  dependent  .  .  .  ;  .  -^ 

on  Circum-     come  suiiply  to  the  circumcised,  or  to  the  uncir- 

*^'^'°"'        cumcised   as   well?    For  Abraham's  faith— so 
we  affirm — WAS  PLACED  TO  HIS  credit  as  righteousness 
(Gen,  XV.  6).     What  then  were  the  circumstances  under  which     lo 
this  took   place?     Was   it   after  he  had  been    circumcised   or 
before?     Before,  not  after.     And  he  received  circumcision  as  a     ii 
sign,   a   mark   attesting  the   reality  of  the  faith-righteousness 
which  was  his  while  still  uncircumcised,  that  he  might  be  the 
forefather  of  all  those  who  believe  even  though  they  are  uncir- 
cumcised—in  order  that  this  righteousness  might  be  placed  to 
their  credit  ;  and  the  forefather  of  the  circumcised,  namely  of     12 
those  who  not  merely  are  circumcised,  but  also  walk   in   the 
steps  of  the  faiih  which  our  forefather  Abraham  had  while  he 
was  as  yet  uncircumcised. 
,.  ^  .         ,  Again,  the  promise  that  he  should  inherit  the     13 

Not  dependent  ,°      ,.',  '^  ai       ,  i-  • 

on  the  Law     world  did  not  come  to  Abraham  or  his  posterity 
of  Moses.      conditioned   by  Law,  but  by  faith-righteousness. 
For  if  it  is  the  righteous  through  Law  who  are  heirs,  then  faith     14 
is  useless  and  the  promise  counts  for  nothing.     For  the  Law  in-      15 
flicts  punishment  ;  but  where  no   Law  exists,  there  can  be  no 
violation  of  Law.     All  depends  on  faith,  and  for  this  reason —     16 
that  acceptance  with  God  might  be  an  act  of  pure  grace,  so  that     17 
the  prom.ise  should  be  made  sure  to  all  Abraham's  true  descend- 
ants :  not  merely  to  those  who  are  righteous  through  the  Law, 
but  to  those  who  are  righteous  through  a  faith  like  that  of  Abra- 
ham.   Thus  in  the  sight  of  God  in  whom  he  believed,  who  gives 
life  to  the  dead  and  makes  reference  to  things  that  do  not  exist, 
as  though  they  did,  Abraham  is  the  forefather  of  all  of  us,  as  it  is 
written,  "  1   HAVE  appointed  yoU  to  be  the  forefather 
OF  MANY  nations"  (Gen.  xvii.  5). 

Under  hopeless  circumstances  he  hopefully  believed,  to  the     18 

II.  Circumcision  as  a  sign]  Lit.  '  a  sign  of  circumcision.'  Cp.  the  English  idiom, 
"I  made  him  a  present  of  a  book."     See  also  i.  s  ;  viii.  23  ;  2  Cor.  i.  22,  n. 

13.  Again]  Or  '  Yes,  for.'  The  conclusion  (that  faith  is  the  one  supreme  need) 
is  sound,  for  it  is  confirmed  by  another  distinct  argument.     See  Aorist,  Appendi.x 

A.  13- 

15.  Ptimshinent]  Lit.   '  anger.'     Cp.  v.  9  ;  xiii.  4. 

16.  Acceptance  6^r.]  Lit.  '  it  miglit  be  in  the  waj'  of  unearned,  unmerited  favour.' 
All  o/us]  Both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  who  are  beliesers. 

17.  The  dead]  Cp.  verse  19. 


/,o  ROMANS    IV.   V. 


I,. I     lli.il      lie     imikIiI       lM.<,|i.r      llir      (oirl.illiri      nC 

iMdIlMMI    lilt"       , 


^i'lhlrorrt'n     '"'"'y      »alH»li:i      lll      .i}.',irrliiriil      Willi       lli< 


wlt..»irtv«        »•  |'',<,)l)AI,I.V    NUMIXKUUH    l-iUAI.I.    VOIIU    \'i)HVi:.Ull\ 

iiK''((irii.  XV',   5).     And  willudit  K'*»wiiiK   wtiiik  in      \') 
i.iitli  he  «'Hil«l  «  onltiM»|jliile!  hit)  own  viliil  powttru  wlii(  h  had  now 
dccnynil,  uiid  .'iiiiiih't»  huiicnnenn  ;  n«M  tlid  h«  in  nnhchrl  hl(»;.;}-;nr     20 
Ml  (ioiTr)  |)i<»ininr,  hnl  hccanirt  niinhly  in  hiith,  Kivin^  ^U>\y   to 
(wkI,  .uid  holding;  l<.  ihn  (:(n»vic:lion   thai    whalcvrr  pioniitiQ    IJc     21 
jri  hound  l.y  ll«-    i-:   .d»lti  uhi)   to   niakt-  f-ooch      I'or   this   irawon     22 
al-.o     hn     luilh    WAS     I'l.ACH.h     TO     lll;>   (  Uli.DII     AS    KK  lliriM  lU.S- 
Ni','.;.  (J  >i\\.  XV.  f'j. 

N(»l   VV.I-.  Ilir  I.M  I  <.l    Hi   hrili;-    |.I.H  r(|   to    hl'i   i  Ifdil       2} 

Willi  M.Mllti      put  on  ir.oid   t.ii     io  i    r>uUr   t»iily  ;   il  w.r.    I<.i    uui      J.\ 

''"i'..'11'ir  ^**     haUttt*  too.      I'.nlh,   hrloic   h)nK,  will    hr   pl.K  <  d    i<> 

ihr  <  II  dii  ol  ir,  .il'.u  who  arc  hclicvcih  in  1  inn  who 

i.ii;ir<|    |('-iir.,    oiii     I, Old,    hoin    ihc    dead,  who  wari   r^iincndnrd      .•  , 

lo  death   hctJanac  jiI    ih-    <.||<  u.  en  wet   had   i onnnillrd,  and   wa  . 

raiard  to  hlc  hpcant?e  ol  liu-  .m  i|niltal  rjRcmnl  lor  u^. 

.Slaiuhnu  llirn  a«'i|nillrd  n^  ihr  itiu\\\i  ol  lailh,  hi      i    p\ 
The  happy  1.1,1  1  111  ^^ 

Roiulittwiii'h   ni  »^njoy  pt^actt  Willi  ( .od  liiron}.;h  our   Lord    jfjii-, 

''""'"^  (    hii-.i,  ihioiiKh  wh..m    .il-.u,  an    \\\c   rcriiill    ..I    l.iilli,      i 

w^  ll.ivr  oltl.iiiK  d  .01  liilKiiliM  liDii   iiilo  Ih.il    Mlulr^  ol    lavotll    Willi 

(  .(..I   III    wliH  h  wr   ■■I.iimI,  .ilid    wr   r> nil    in    liiipr  ol   •,<>l||fj  chiy   lihlU'- 

lllf^  III  <iod'M  K''*'y'       ^^"''   '"*'   ""'y  ■'*'  '    ^^'*  •'''"'  ^'^"''^  '"  '*'"'    ^'if'       3 

hM'iiiK'^*   Unowtn^.;  an  wf   do,  I  hat    hiiHViiinK    piodiica-^   hnliliide; 

(iillllililr,     ilpi|iri>     ol      I  h. II. 11  III    ;      ,iiii|     ii|ii|irri     «tl     (  ll.i  I  .K  I  ci ,       ,| 

Hg.  IhtHKinn/  <  .  Mit/Mf' 1.'/ I  'I'lio  iiid.lniily  III  liMiiolMliiiq  iiilu  |i;ii^l|i)h,  im  lutlin^ 
ihe  A.V.  Willi  lliB  K.V,,  i.iiilf't  Mur  .  .  Im.'  Vd  il  h  ultviniu  iImI  in  iluii  .  ii^«  llie 
'  till'  '  ia  iihBil  ill  iwi)  wiilcly  ilKluioiil  oi'iinun  '  tlullvi'iuil  iiji  lim  .♦nan  itl  iiiii  ii  ,iiit,tsi(jA> 
:,i.iiia,  i.tii  uil  .tH.tlii  willl  4  vii-w  In  Hill  ii|:>lilii  ftlliiii.'  Itiil  II  .i|i|M  .iia  hiulilv  iiiiiunliulih 
llhtl   I'.iiil  wiHil.lliuvo  ciii|iliiv<-'l  III"  aitiiio  |iiP|iiiail|itii  Willi  III"   hrtiim   i  uiiali  m  llitti    in 

iwii  iMii<ill<-l  •mil  iliiai'-ly   h^i  u^il   i  Uiiaca  in  rmivoy  rnilinly  <li(|o|nni   iiiniiiiinua, 

.mil  II  U  iiUii  ilniililllll  vvIiviIhm  lllialiiiin  nl  cii|iiiiaaiiiii  in  i  ii|i<ililii  iil  <  iiiivnyliiti  llid 
l.illni  III  ihu  iwii  oriiaoa,  Willi  M  vuiliul  liitliilllVP  II  aecina  Imlli  In  i  litaali  mI  ami  ill 
ll<4li:|liQlli     ()ir.<:|.  Iiiqi({l|iry    '  |l<Wftl|t)U  iif    ,t  lllPhBMl   1)1    |i,tbl   Idil.       (A^lnlllo    riilllinr. 

iiiiiiiBiiiiit>iiK,iiii|>|i  13  iiiriy  ho  f'liiiiiil  ill  AilalMifti,  CtitHt,  Alh.  Iiy  uiil  nl  .Siiinlva'  lotick 
Ittilifi .)  Ami  an  wIk^ii  II  m  una  wiili  d  vi^^iIkiI  miiiii  lluil  imiii  iilna  >ii  liiiii,  'I'lmm  ,iiii 
tiilil,  Miiil  iiiily  liMii  iilliui  lifiaaiigtii,  in  llie  N.T  |ii tiiiudy  (tiiiilDgiMia  ill  liiliii,  M.iM, 
JiV.  ;i,  n  ;  Koiii.  ili.  *>%  i  ICpli.  Iv,  iH  ,  iiml  In  llman  "  In  am  in  a  t*  ImihIiii^  iIimvii,"  "  In 
eftoi  I  llio  imaalnu  nvoi,"  "In  t  rtiinn  jliuji  lici.iHa  In  Binw  t.dlniib,"  tiio  |in|ina<ililo 
icliitt^iintia.  III  (ill  llioap  i^rtaoa  llm  iiio(in4ilinii  in  lonnajin  llvo,  Atijui(tii/\  V\h 
V,    ill, 

I,    /.*«/  MX  t>ni»y  /'fifi  i'\   V.l.,    'WP  llHVo  |iPHre, 

u;  Ah  hthihfH,Hi>h\  l.il.  'ilm  (nr,  mii)  iiilinilmiinii.'  An  tlii>  n^sit/t  ,>/  /,nlli\  Or 
'(It,  lliii  icaiill  nl  niii  Milli.'  V,l„  (nulla  lliu:,!!  wniila.  .'.'.'V/*/  (/(»i|  Wni.h  mil  in  ilia 
liiiipli  lull  ii>i|iiiiuil  in  lilinitntlii'   luiuilali, 

|,    //V  <|iAi'»'l«//|  Hi    '  l»!l  tia  rtlan  PXiill,' 

1,^1  ,'<u//^ni4jl  ^n>./ih^Ji  M,\  \,\i.  'tiowlin  aiilliua  In  ,4  ilnlil  h|>|iil  linum.  ^(i) 
la'imliU  III'  iiiirnni|il>iiiiiii{i  Piiilnuiin  n,  (j)  h  mHki.iii  iiiiiri<il  In  i  nnlln  t,  >m>l  ( i)  I'llnlidy 

.  >.lill.lunl  nl    iillllii.il.-.  vl,  Iniy,'        ////*    //.'/f'l    (  )l .    .n    lii'lnl.i.   '  linpn.'      I,||.    'ilia    hnjio.' 


KOMAN.S    V.  ^6, 

IlOpo  ;    mxl  lll.il   llir.  Ih.|m-   iirvn    ( li  ..i  |t|M>ill|h,  |)r(  iiif.r  (  ,i  kI'm  lovr       5 
for  lit  llniiilr)  1)111    he. Ill  .  |Iii(MI;;Ii  (lie   I  loly  S|)illl    wIik  Ii  li.n  lircii 

KivTii  to  urt. 

I'or  ;ilir:i(lv,  wlillr  wi-  w.ir  '.lill    |i.||tIcT..    (   Ini'il      (> 
•  ••..Ml'lnolmH,)    .11    III!    ll};lil    niuiiiriil   (hril    Ini    I  I  ir  u  1 1<  ;(••  1 1  y         Why,  II        '/ 

Ul.iiBl'iiUonlh.  1^  .„.„,vrly  .oiu  nvitl.lr  lliat  any  oim  woiil.l    .lir   loi 

.1  niinply  jii»)t  iiuui '  mIiIi(>ii|.;Ii  lor  u  y\ 1  iiiid  loyjihlc  imui  piMluip'! 

rtoinr  out*  hfn-  .md  (lirrn  will  liivr  ihr  cotiiugd  <n'nn  to  Uty  down 
lilh  lilr  ;   ImiI  ( .ml  i;ivrrt  proitl  ul    1 1 1  .  loyn  to  iin  In  ( ■|irnlS  ilyiM}{      H 
lor  in  while  wn  wcrr  »itill  hiiinnr). 

ir    llirlrloin  wr    hive   imw   lu-cil   01  niiiMiin  rd   lirr       "J 

Unlciil  wllli    llin  '  ' 

n.iw   I  iyl..,.r        Immii  ,;iiiI|    lln.»|.;|,    ||,  .   |,| |,   ,,,ii<   li    iiimi.-     .ii.dl    wr 

'■''"''''•  l.r. I.  Ii\,, rd  honi  (.od':i  .tiiHn   linn. t|;|,  llim      I'. .id       10 

wllilf  wr  wric  liM'.ldr  Im  (  ,ih\  vVO  WRI'O  I'CCOIH  llrd   lo    I  I  iin   ill jdi 

tlir  dntitli  ol    llii    .'iMii,  ii    1.   ',hll   more  <'<mi.iiii  ih.ii  imwili.ti  wn 

UrO  rni'Olli  llril,   \v<-    '.li.ill    olil.iiii     ..iJv.iliuii    I  liiMii;;li   (    III  r.T'i    jlli^  ; 

.Old    mil    only  ■..»,  I.iii   \\<      lid   .Mill    III    (.(•({    tlnitn|.;li   um     I, on!       11 

IcMi-i  (   III  I'.l,  I  liinii'di  wliiiiii  \\c  li.iv'i-    iiuw   ohiiiiiird    lli.il    mm  du 

.  ill. III. ..I 

Wli.il     l.illnu'.  r         riir |..iii  ,.,11  I  litoiitdi       U 

I  Id  oiiijIi  AiUmi  ' 

ito,«lii  ii.«4       one  iii.iii  t4iii  rnliMrd   into  the  woi  Id,  an.l   il >d) 

'"'"""•      f.iii  d.Mili,  .Old  no  diMlli    p,i/.(>d    lo   idl    in.inluii.l    in 

titin,  in  lli.il  .ill  '.iiiiii    I        I'lii   piKii    In   III.     L.ivv    iin  w.n    .dMM.jy       1  ) 

III  ill  -  \voi  Id  i  o>dy  II    I  •    nol  .-nlri.'(|    m    tin-  .u  1  oiiiil    iiff.iiinl    ii-i 

whin    no    I^iiw  cxi'tli.      Y.'t    d.-.ilh  niioird    ,11   Kiii);    lioin    A.l.ini      1  | 

to    Moncrt  oven    .ivfi    iho.r  who    h.id    nol  '.innrd,  .1.  Ad.iin  .IhI, 

UKlllntil.    Law.       And    m     A. I, nil    w.-    h,iv.<    .1    ly|»c..|     llnn    wlnn.- 

<  oiniti};  vv.i'i   '.lill  luhii  iv 

r.ill    (.i.r.    Iii'i'ill    iiiiiiifM  .III  .ilily  ((III  \vrij.;h'.  Ihn       |  1, 

Ohriftt  rio-      triiH'i)^,ir'iMi.ii       I'm  il  ili li  ihc  1 1  (iin-i.'Tdon  o( 

(lnm|)ll»rih^N    ||„,  oil«  illdi  vi.hi.l  ihr  iii.n.  .•!  in.niMnd  liiivn  dird. 
uoitio  tu  all.  ,  , 

iiilinilrly    i-oriiinr    11    llin    j/rnKMoni  y    wiih    win.  h 

(lod'i  j^riicr,  jiiid  III.'  i-'.ilt  f;ivnn  in    ili^i  ^viwn  wIik  li   luimd    •••. 

pi*CH»loii  III  III.-  .tiM-  111,111   Jriiif*   (.'Iniftl,  liiivci  lirru   l*OTl.owrd    on 

thr  iii;ii,  ol    III. ml. Mid       And  il  n  nol  wilh  tin'  };ill  .11  il  w.r.  wiih      if» 

the*  K-  .till  .  ol  oil'-  iii.lividn.d' I  Mil  ,    loi   llic  jin  l<',<  im-nl    wiii<  li  .iin- 

9.  /^/>W«|  H  II, V  I'nii.tHllili;,  Ml,  '  \uiti  li.'oii  |i>.iii<mI  '.III  III,  ,111, 1  ill.  1.1  i.4iii,ili(i,.' 
Ill  illfl  (lipph  llir  {t^ti<i(*  14  ill),  iifirlriul, 

S,  6.   J'unii,     hii-  iifn>itify\  v,i„  •  Ihiib,  IC  mI  JMUhi,' 

y.  iiiiifn  nnt'i'i\  Ol   '  iMiiiiiliiii'iiil,'  M.»  III  iv,  (-;,     Ml,   '  llin  iinijui,' 

ri.  hht»ii>iiht  f/iP  ittn<iiiU\  TliH  WMi.l  .1. .  iiu  ill  iiiily  huh  hiIimi  ^mni^^ln^;  m  ilm  W.'V. 
(IMillniii,  Ili), 

I1",«n.    '/'»iUt»t;n»i>/i>H\  Of  'liiltio  i?|.-'|.  ' 

<9(  'V*   J'ht  miu»(\/iii»nf\'hnl\  I.I1.  '  iIim  iiMiiy.' 


362  ROMANS   V.-VI. 

individual  provoked  resulted  in  condemnation,  whereas  the  free 
gift  after  a  multitude  of  transgressions  results  in  acquittal.  For  17 
if,  through  the  transgression  of  the  one  individual,  Death  made 
use  of  the  one  individual  to  seize  the  sovereignty,  all  the  more 
shall  they  who  receive  God's  overflowing  grace  and  gift  of  right- 
eousness reign  as  kings  in  Life  through  the  one  individual, 
Jesus  Christ. 

It  follows  then  that  just  as  the  result  of  a  single  transgression     18 
is  a  condemnation  which  extends  to  the  whole  race,  so  also  the 
result  of  a  single  decree  of  righteousness  is  a  life-giving  acquittal 
which  extends  to  the  whole  race.     For  as  through  the  disobedi-     19 
ence  of  the  one  individual  the  mass  of  mankind  were  constituted 
sinners,  so  also  through  the  obedience  of  the  One  the  mass  of 
mankind  will  be  constituted  righteous.     Now  Law  was  brought     20 
in  later  on,  so  that  transgression  might  increase  ;  but  where  sin 
increased,  grace  has  overflowed  ;  in  order  that  as  sin  has  exer-     21 
cised  kingly  sway  in  inflicting  death,  so  grace,  too,  may  exercise 
kingly  sway  in  bestowing  a  righteousness  which  results  in  the 
Life  of  the  ages  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

A  new  Life  and  Character  result  from  Acceptance 
with  God. 

„    ,  ,,  .  To  what  conclusion,  then,  shall  we  come?     Are     i   ( 

Real  Union  .       .         .  .  ,  ' 

with  Christ  we  to  persist  m  smmng  m  order  that  the  grace  ex- 
kiiisSm.     jgj-j^^j  tQ  us  i-,-,ay  |3g  ^i^Q   greater.?      No,  indeed;     2 

how   shall    we  who  have  died   to  sin,  live    in    it  any   longer  ? 
And  do  you  not  know  that  all  of  us  who  have  been  baptized     3 
into  Christ  Jesus  were  baptized  into  His  death  ?     Well,  then,  we     4 
by  our  baptism  were  buried  with  Him   in  death,  in  order  that, 
just  as  Christ  was  raised  from  among  the  dead  by  the  Father's 

18.  Life-giving]  Cp.  verse  21.  Acquittal]  The  form  here  used  is  found  also  in 
iv.  25,  the  exact  meaning  being  less  the  absolution  as  pronounced  or  procured  than 
the  act  of  absolving.  Acquittal  extending  6^<;.]  Whether  the  acquittal  that  comes  to 
all  men  in  Christ  is  accepted  by  all  or  only  by  some  is  an  open  question  so  far  as  this 
passage  is  concerned. 

■20.  That  transgression  might  increase]  Or  '  in  order  to  increase  transgression.' — 
Has  overjioived]  The  word  occiu  s  also  in  2  Cor.  vii.  4. 

21.  May  exercise  kingly  szuay]  Or  '  may  become  king.'     See  .-^/tJ/zj/,  p.  20,  n. 

3.  Into\  I.E.  '  into  association,  incorporation,  union  with."  Or  'unto.'  'AH  of 
us  who  have  been  baptized  unto  Christ  have  been  baptized  unto  His  death;  '  i.e.  to 
teach  us  the  absolute  necessity  of  becoming  dead  with  Him  to  seli  and  sin  and  the 
world. 

4.  IVe  by  our  baptism  Ss'c.]  Or  'When  we  descended  into. the  baptismal  water, 
that  meant  that  we  died  with  Christ — to  sin  '  (S.H.).  In  death]  Lit.  '  into  (or,  unto) 
death.'  Some  connect  these  wortis  with  '  baptism.' and  translate  '  by  our  baptism 
unto  death  we  were  buried  with  Him.'  Glorious  pozver]  Cp.  Johnxi.  40. 


ROMANS   VI.  363 

glorious  power,    we  also  should   live  an   entirely  new   life,  for     5 
since  we  have  become  one  with  Him  by  sharing  in  His  death, 
we  shall  also  be  one  with  Him  by  sharing  in  His  resurrection. 
This  we  know— that  our  old  self  was  nailed  to  the  cross  with     6 
Him,   in  order  that  our  sinful  nature  might  be  deprived  of  its 
power,  so  that  we  should  no  longer  be  the  slaves  of  sin  ;  for  he     7 
who  has  paid  the  penalty  of  death  stands  absolved  from  his  sin. 

But,  seeing  that  we  have  died  with  Christ,  we  believe  that     8 
we  shall  also  live    with  Him  ;  because  we    know  that  Christ,     9 
having  come  back  to  life,  is--no  longer  hable  to  die  :  death  no 
longer  has  any  power  over  Him.      For  by  the  death  which  He     10 
died  He  became,  once  for  all,  dead  in  relation  to  sin  ;  but  by 
the  life  which  He  now  lives  He  is  alive  in  relation  to  God.     In 
the  same  way  you  also  must  regard  yourselves  as  dead  in  rela-     1 1 
tion  to  sin,  but  as  alive  in  relation  to  God,  because  you  are 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

Let  not  Sin  therefore  reign  as  king  in  your  mortal   bodies,     12 

causing  you  to    be    in  subjection  to    their   cravings  ;  and   no     13 

longer  lend  your  faculties  as  unrighteous  weapons  for  Sin  to  use  ; 

on  the  contrary  surrender  your  very  selves  to  God  as  living  men 

who  have  risen  from   the    dead,   and  surrender   your    several 

faculties  to  God,  to  be  used  as  weapons  to  maintain  the   right, 

for  Sin  shall  not  be  lord  over  you,  since  you  are  subjects  not     14 

of  Law,  but  of  grace. 

Are   we  therefore   to   sin   because    we  are    no     15 

pledjedlo  Mve  longer   under    the    authority  of  Law,    but    under 

Christlike      grace?     No,  indeed  !     Do  you  not  know  that   if     16 
Lives. 

you  surrender  yourselves  as  bondservants  to  obey 

5.  By  sharing  in\  Lit.  '  by  the  likeness  of.' 

7.  Has  paid  dr'c.^  Lit.  '  h:is  died;'  not_  'is  dead.'  The  distinction  cannot  be 
expressed  in  Latin  or  French,  but  can  be  in  EngHsh  and  in  Greek.  The  classical 
scholar  will  find  an  excellent  example  in  Euripides,  Ale.  541,  "Those  who  have 
died  (aorist)are  dead  (perfect)."  See  also  Aorisi,  p.  24.  The  sense  here  is  that  the 
past  sins  of  the  man  who  is  so  closely  united  with  Christ  that  God  regards  him  as 
having  been  nailed  to  the  very  cross  with  Him,  are  blotted  out  because  the  punish- 
ment has  been  borne,  and  God's  justice  itself  is  now  enlisted  on  the  sinner's  side. 
It  is  because  God  is  "faithful  and  just"  (i  John  i.  9)  that  He  forgives  us.  He  can- 
not with  justice  inflict  a  second  time  punishment  which  has  already  been  borne. 
So  the  sinner,  now  free  from  guilt,  makes  a  new  start  with  a  spotless  record.  Stands 
absolved]  Or  'is  justified,' in  the  Pauline  sense  of  the  word.  The  tense  is  the 
Greek  perfect— the  verdict  of  "  Not  guilty  "  has  been  pronounced,  the  charge  has 
been  for  ever  cancelled.     See  Aorist  \\\.  3,4. 

8.  Have  died]  Or  '  died  ;'  not  'are  dead.''    See  verse  7,  n. 

ID.  He  is  alive  in  relation  to  God.]  Paraphrase  thus:  'The  Lord  laid  on  Him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all,  but  with  one  mighty  effort  He  bore  away  the  hateful  load 
and  now  has  done  with  sin  for  ever.  Henceforth  He  lives  to  display  the  glorious 
perfections  of  the  Father,  and  to  enjoy  unhindered  communion  with  Him.' 
•  13.  IVeapons]  Or  'tools,'  'implements.'  As  living  &^c.]  Or  perhaps,  'as  men 
now  living  after  having  been  dead.' 

16.  Become]  Lit.  'are'  (henceforth).     Thus    no    one  can   long   remain   his    own 


364  ROMANS   VI.-VII. 

any  one,  you  become  the  bondservants  of  him  whom  you  obey, 
whether  the  bondservants  of  Sin  (with  death  as  the  result)  or 
of  Duty  (resulting  in  righteousness)?     But  thanks  be  to  God     17 
that  though  you  were  once  in  thraldom  to  Sin,  you  have  now 
yielded  a  hearty  obedience  to  that  system  of  truth  in  which  you 
have  been   instructed.     You  were  set  free  from  the  tyranny  of     1 8 
Sin,  and    became    the  bondservants    of   Righteousness — your     19 
human  infirmity  leads  me  to  employ  these  familiar  figures — and 
just  as    you  once    surrendered  your  faculties  into  bondage  to 
Impurity  and  ever-increasing  disregard  of  Law,  so  you  must  now 
surrender  them  into  bondage  to  Righteousness  ever  advancing 
towards  perfect  holiness.     For  when  you  were  the  bondservants     20 
of  Sin,  you  were  under  no  sort  of  subjection  to  Righteousness. 
At  that  time,  then,  what  benefit  did  you  get  from  conduct  which     21 
you  now  regard  with  shame  ?     Why,    such  things  finally  result 
in  death.      But  now  that    you    have    been   set  free  from  the     22 
tyranny  of  Sin,  and  have  become  the  bondservants  of  God,  you 
have  your  reward  in  being  made  holy,  and  you  have  the  Life  of 
the  ages  as  the  final  result.  For  the  wages  paid  by  Sin  are  death  ;     23 
but  God's  free  gift  is  the  Life  of  the  ages  bestowed  upon  us  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Christ  frees  us  from  mere  outward  Rules. 

Brethren,  do  you  not  know — for  I  am   writing      i   ' 
^from^Law  "^  ^°   people   acquainted    with    the   Law— that  it  is 
daring  our  lifetime  that  we  are  subject  to  the  Law  ? 
A  wife,  for  example,  whose  husband  is  living  is  bound  to  him  by     2 
the  Law  ;  but  if  her   husband  dies  the  law  that  bound  her  to 
him  has  now  no  hold  over  her.      This  accounts  for  the  fact  that     3 
if  during  her  husband's  life  she  lives  with  another  man,  she  will 
be  stigmatized  as  an  adulteress  ;  but  that  if  her  husband  is  dead 

master,  morally  and  spiritually.  He  is  only  free  to  choose,  by  repeated  acts  of  sub- 
mission, whether  he  will  become  the  slave  of  Sin,  or  the  bondservant  of  Christ  and 
Duty. 

17.  Have  yielded]  More  exactly,  'have  begun  to  yield.'  See  Aorist  yi.  6. 
Systevt  of  truth]  Lit.  '  model  of  teaching.'  That  there  were  false  teachers  in  the 
early  church,  even  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  is  abundantly  evident  ;  see  Eph. 
iv.  20  ;  I  John  iv.  i.  Instructed]  Cp.  the  use  of  the  cognate  noun  in  Matt.  xv.  ; 
Mark  vii.  ;  where  the  tradition  of  the  Elders  is  referred  to,  and  other  passages  in 
which  it  indicates  oral  instruction  in  Christian  truth,  though,  strictly  speaking,  it 
is  not  the  person  taught,  but  the  thing  taught,  that  is  handed  over.  Cp.  vii.  2,  6  ; 
Gal.  V.  4  ;  and  the  common  though  inaccurate  expression,  "  He  has  been  given  a 
good  appointment." 

2.  The  law  has  now  no  hold  over  her]  Lit.  '  she  is  abrogated  from  the  law.  Cp. 
verse  6  ;  vi.  17. 

3.  No  longer  under  the  old  prohibition]  Lit.  '  free  from  the  law.' 


ROMANS   VII.  365 

she  is  no  longer  under  the  old  prohibition,  and  even  though  she 
marries  again,  she  is  not  an  adulteress. 

Union  with  ^^'  ^^^  brethren,  to  you  also  the  Law  died  through     4 

Christ  frees  us  the  incarnation  of  Christ  that  you  might  be 
wedded  to  Another,  namely  to  Him  who  rose 
from  the  dead  in  order  that  we  might  yield  fruit  to  God.  For  5 
whilst  we  were  under  the  thraldom  of  our  earthly  natures,  sinful 
passions — made  sinful  by  the  Law — were  always  being  roused  to 
action  in  our  bodily  faculties  that  they  might  yield  fruit  to  death. 
But  seeing  that  we  have  died  to  that  which  once  held  us  in  6 
bondage,  the  Law  has  now  no  hold  over  us,  so  that  we  render  a 
service  which,  instead  of  being  old  and  formal,  is  new  and 
spiritual. 

^^    .  What  follows  ?     Is  the  Law  itself  a  sinful  thing  ?     7 

The  Law  3,  o         # 

good  and  holy  No,  indeed  ;  on  the  contrary,  unless  I  had  been 
Thing.         taught  by  the  Law,  I  should  have  known  nothing 
of  sin  as  sin.      For  example,  I  should  not  have  known  what 
covetousness  is,  if  the   Law  had  not  repeatedly  said,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  covet"  (Exod.  xx.  14,  17  ;  Deut.  v.  18,  21).      Sin  took     8 
advantage  of  this,  and  by  means  of  the  Commandment  stirred 
up  within   me  every  kind  of  coveting;    for   apart  from    Law 
sin  would  be  dead.      Once,  apart   from  Law,  I  was  alive,  but     9 
when  the  Commandment   came,    sin  sprang  into    life,    and   I     10 
died  ;  and,  as  it  turned  out,  the  very  Commandment  which  was 
to  bring  me  life,  brought  me  death.      For  sin  seized  the   ad-     11 
vantage,  and,  by  means  of   the  Commandment   it  completely 
deceived  me,  and  also  put  me  to  death.     So  that  the  Law  itself     12 
is  holy,  and  the  Commandment  is  holy,  just  and  good.     Did     13 
then  a  thing  which  is  good  become  death  to  me?     No,  indeed, 
but  sin  did  ;  so  that  through  its  bringing  about  death  by  means 
of  what  was  good,  it  might  be  seen  in  its  true  light  as  sin,  in 
order  that  by  means  of  the  Commandment  the  unspeakable  sin- 
fulness of  sin  might  be  plainly  shown. 


4.  Vou  .  .  we]  By  this  change  of  persons  St.  Paul  associates  himself  with  the 
rest  of  "  God's  loved  ones  "  (i.  7).  To  yon  also  the  Law  died]  Lit.  *  you  also  were  put 
to  death  in  relation  to  the  Law.'     Incarnation]  Lit.  'body.' 

5.  Made  sinful  ^^^c]  See  verses  7-13.      Being  aroused  to  action]  Or,  'at  work.' 

6.  The  Law  has  no%v  &^c.]  Lit.  '  we  have  been  abrogated  from  the  Law.'  Cp. 
verse  2.     Formal]  Or  '  ceren.'onial.' 

7.  Should  have  known]  Or  'knew.'  For  the  thought  cp.  iii.  20.  Repeatedly] 
Whenever  the  Decalogue  was  read.     The  Greek  tense  is  the  imperfect. 

8.  The  Comniajtdment]  The  one  just  quoted  as  a  specimen  of  the  whole  Law. 
Every  hind  0/  coveting]  See  Exod.  xx.  17  ;  Mark  i.  5,  n. 

9.  Sprang]  Or  'returned.'     Cp.  Mark  x.  51,  52,  n. 
II.  Also]  Lit.  '  by  means  of  it.' 


366  ROMANS   VII. 

Man's  iii'^her       ^'^^  ^^'*^  know  that  the  Law  is  a  spiritual  thin<^  ;      14 
and   lower    but  I  am  unspiritual— the  slave,  bought  and  sold, 

Natures.  r     •  t-  1     ^  t    j       t    i 

ot  Sin.     tor  wliat  I  do,  I  do  not   recognize  as  my     15 
own  action  :  what  I    desire  to  do  is  not  what  I   do,  but  what 
I  am  averse  to  is  what  I  do.      But  if  I  do  that  which  I  do  not     16 
desire  to  do,   I  admit  the  excellence  of  the  Law,  and  now  it  is     17 
no  longer  I  that  do  these  things,  but  the  sin  which  has  its  home 
within  me  does  them.     For  I   know  that  in  me,  that  is,  in  my     18 
lower  self",  nothing  good  has  its  home  ;  for  while  the  will  to  do 
right  is  present  with  me,  the  power  to  carry  it  out  is  not.     For     19 
what  I  do  is  not  the  good  thing  that  I  desire  to  do  ;  but  the  evil 
thing  that  I  desire  not  to  do,  is  what  I  constantly  do.     But  if  I     20 
do  that  which  I  desire  not  to  do,  it  can  no  longer  be  said  that  it 
is  I  who  do  it,  but  the  sin  which  has  its  home  within  me  does  it. 
The  Conflict        ^    ^"*^  therefore  the  law  of   my  nature    to    be     21 
even  in  a  good  that  when    I  desire  to    do  what   is  right,  evil  is 

Man's  Heart.     ...  1        i     r  t-        •  •  .         ir 

lymg  m  ambush  for  me.     For  m  my  mmost  self    22 
all  my  sympathy  is  with  the  Law  of  God  ;  but  I  discover  within     23 
me  a  different  Law  at  war  with  the  Law  of  my  understanding, 
and  leading  me  captive  to  the  Law  which  is  everywhere  at  work 
in  my  body— the  Law  of  sin. 

(Unhappy  man  that  I  am  !  who   will  rescue  me     24 
'l^uVc^hrfsT;   from  this  death-burdened  body.?  Thanks  be  to  God     25 
gives  Deliver-  through  JesLis  Christ  our  Lord  !)    To  sum  up  then, 
with    my  understanding,   I— my  true  self — am  in 
servitude  to   the   Law  of  God,  but  with  my  lower  nature  I  am 
in  servitude  to  the  Law  of  sin. 

15.  /do  not  recognize  as  my  ozvii  aciion\  Or  '  I  do,  without  knowing  what  I  am 
doing,'  as  the  blind  slave  of  iiuiweiliiig  sin. 

18.  Lo%oer  self]  Lit.  "  flesh,' a  word  conveying  a  much  narrower  sense  than  that 
which  St.  Paul  often  intended.  Man  has  a  higher  nature  which  hnks  him  to  God, 
and  to  which  we  give  the  names  of  'spirit,'  '  con.science,'  'will.'  He  has  also  a 
lower  nature  which  makes  him  to  some  extent  akin  to  the  beasts  which  perish,  and 
includes  not  simply  his  body,  but  also  his  mind  in  the  degree  in  which  that  con- 
sists of  merely  earthly  thoughts,  feelings,  affections,  appetites  and  ambitions. 
The  apostle  gives  the  name  of  '  flesh'  to  the  whole  of  this  earthly  nature,  especially 
so  long  as  it  remains  .sinful,  i.e.  continues  in  rebellion  against  the  higher  nature, 
which  is  its  God-appointed  ruler.  Tlius  from  his  point  of  view  hatred,  envy,  bad 
lemper,  ill-natured  talk,  worldly  ambition,  pride,  selfishne.ss,  self-righteousness, 
self-v,-ill,  unbelieving  and  rebellious  thoughts  of  God,  a  lack  of  industry,  an  in- 
disposition to  pray,  deficiency  in  courage  or  straightforwardness,  all  excessive  social 
or  domestic  affections,  all  false  patriotism,  and  all  uuliealthy  curiosity  and  undue 
pursuit  of  knowledge,  are  manifestations  of  the  '  flesh,' or  sinful  earthly  nature, 
equally  with  grosser  and  more  animal  indulgences.  So  the  example  quoted  in  verse 
7  is  not  thatof  a  bodily  appetite.  Cp.  also  the  'works  of  the  fle.sh  '  enumerated 
ill  Gal.  V.    19-21.     Is  present]  Lit.  '  lies  by  my  side.'     So  in  verse  21. 

21.  Laui]  Or 'rule.'     Z,i/V/^ /«  aw^/^.y/i']  Or  '  is  present,' as  in  verse  18. 

23.  A  different  Law\  Ttiat  of  a  cohort  of  fiercely  racing  passions.  Ts  everywhere 
at  work  in  my  body\  Lit.  '  exists  in  my  members.'  It  exists  (here,  dwells  there 
(verses  17,  20),  fights  hard  there,  but  fails  to  gain  the  victory  after  all  (vi.  14). 


ROMANS   VIII.  367 

Christ  frees  us  from  Sin  and  Death. 

There   is    therefore    now   no    condemnation    to     i    Q 

Forgiveness  .        „,     .         ^  .  ,  O 

and  spiritual    those  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus  ;    for   the  Spn-it's     2 

°^^''-        Law — telhng  of  Life  in  Christ  Jesus — has  set  me  free 
from  the   Law  that  deals  only  with  sin  and  death.     For   what     3 
was  impossible  to  the  Law — powerless  as  it  was  because  it  acted 
through  frail  humanity — God  effected.    Sending  His  own  Son  in 
a  body  like  that  of  sinful  human  nature  and  as  a  sacrifice  for 
sin,   He   pronounced  sentence  upon  sin  in  human  nature  ;  in     4 
order  that  in  our  case  the  requirements  of  the  Law  might  be 
fully  met,  for  our  lives  are  regulated  not  by  our  earthly,  but  by 
our  spiritual  natures. 
^       ...  For   if    men    are    controlled    by   their    earthly     1; 

Our  sinful  ... 

Natures  bear   natures,  they  give  their  minds  to  earthly  things  ; 
ea    y    rui  .    -^  ^-^^^^  ^^.^  controlled   by  their  spiritual  natures, 
they  give  their  minds  to  spiritual  things.     Because  for  the  mind     6 
to  be  given  up  to  earthly  things  means  death  ;  but  for  it  to  be 
given  up  to  spiritual  things  means  Life  and  peace.     Abandon-     7 
ment   to   earthly  things  is  a  state  of  enmity  to  God.     Such  a 
mind  does  not  submit  to  God's  Law,  and  indeed  cannot  do  so. 
And  they  whose  hearts  are  absorbed  in  earthly  things  cannot     8 
please  God. 

God  ^ives  us       You,  howevcr,  are  not  devoted  to  earthly,  but  to     9 
His  owri  Spirit  spiritual  things,  if  the  Spirit  of  God  is  really  dwell- 
ing in  you  ;  whereas  if  any  man  has  not  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  such  a  one  does  not  belong  to  Him.     But  if  Christ  is     10 
in  you.  though  your  body  is  dead  because  of  sin,  yet  your  spirit 
has  Life  because  of  righteousness  ;  and  if  the  Spirit  of  Him  who     1 1 
raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  is  dwelling  in  you.  He  who  raised 
up  Christ  from  the  dead  will  give  Life  also  to  your  mortal  bodies 
because  of  His  Spirit  who  dwells  in  you. 

Therefore,,    brethren,    it    is    not   to   our   lower     12 

now°possibie.   ri'^^^res   that    we   are    under   obligation    that    we 

should  live  by  their  rule  ;  for  if  you  so  live,  death     13 

2.  TeUing of\  Cp.  2  Cor.  iii.  7.     Me\\.\..  'you.' 

3.  Htunanify,  htinian  nature^  Lit.  'flesh.'  Cp.  vii.  18.  n.  Pronowiced  &'c.\ 
The  sentence  falls  on  the  sin,  not  (verse  i)  on  the  sinnar  who  is  in  Christ.  Sentence^ 
of  death  ;  the  sin  shall  peri:,h — not  the  sinner,  if  he  repents.  "The  obedience  of 
Christ  '  even  unto  death  '  in  human  flesh  was  sin's  death-warrant  "  (Vaiighan). 

10.  Because  0/ sin]  Cp.  v.  15. 

11.  Because  of]  v.l.  '  liy  means  of.' 

13.  I'he  s/<iri\']  I.E.  '  your  higher  spiritual  nature,'  as  in  verses  4,  5  ;  in  distinction 
from  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  also  in  verses  9,  16.  Vo7(r-  old  bodHy  kabits\  Lit.  '  the 
doings  of  the  body.' 


368  ROMANS   VIII. 

is  near  ;  but  if,  through  being  under  the  sway  of  the  spirit, 
you  are  putting  your  old  bodily  habits  to  death,  you  will 
live. 

^,         .  ^.  For  they  who  are  led  by  God's  Spirit  are,  all  of     14 

Through  the  ^  •'  1 

Spirit  we  are   them,  God's  SOUS.     You  have  not  for  the  second     15 
Sons  o     o  ,    ^.^^  acquired  the  consciousness  of  being  slaves — 
a  consciousness  which  fills  you  with  terror.     But  you  have  ac- 
quired a  deep  inward  conviction  of  having  been  adopted  as  sons 
— a  conviction   which   prompts  us  to  cry  aloud,  "  Abba  !  our 
Father!"     The  Spirit   Himself  bears  witness,  along  with  our     16 
own   spirits,  to  the  fact  that  we  are  children  of  God  ;  and  if     17 
children,  then  heirs  too — heirs  of  God  and  co-heirs  with  Christ  ; 
if  indeed  we  are  sharers  in  Christ's  sufferings,  in  order  that  we 
may  also  be  sharers  in  His  glory. 

Why,  what  we  now  suffer  I  count  as  nothing  in     18 
^to  beeper*."    comparison   with  the  glory  which  is  soon  to  be 

fected  and      manifested  in  us.     For  all  creation,  gazing  eagerly     19 
glorified,  .,      .  ,  ,      ,  ,     ,  .  .  1,         • 

as  if  with  outstretched  neck,  is  waiting  and  longing 

to  see  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God.     For  the  Creation     20 

fell  into  subjection  to  failure  and  unreality  (not  of  its  own  choice, 

but  by  the  will  of  Him  who  so  subjected  it)  ;  yet  there  was 

always  the  hope  that  at  last  the  Creation  itself  would  also  be  set     21 

free  from  the  thraldom  of  decay  so  as  to  enjoy  the  liberty  that 

will  attend  the  glory  of  the  children  of  God, 

.    ,  For  we  know  that   the  whole    of  Creation  is     22 

Man'swhoie  ,  .       ,  r     1    1  i,  •     1  -i 

Nature  will     groaning  together  in  the  pains  of  childbirth  until 

be  glorified.    ^^^   \i0ViX.     And   more   than    that,  we   ourselves,     23 
though  we  possess  the  Spirit  as  a  foretaste  and  pledge  of  the 
glorious  future,  yet  we  ourselves  inwardly  sigh  as  we  wait  and 
long  for  open  recognition  as  sons  through  the  deliverance  of  our 
bodies.      It  is  in  hope  that  we  have  been  saved  ;  but  an  object     24 
of  hope  is  such  no  longer  when  it  is  present  to  view  ;  for  when 
a  man  has  a  thing  before  his  eyes,  how  can  he  be  said  to  hope 
for  it  ?     But  if  v/e  hope  for  something  which  we  do  not  see,  then     25 
we  eagerly  and  patiently  wait  for  it. 

20.  FeU- &=€.]  Or  'was  condemned  to  have  its  energies  marred  and  frustrated' 
(S.H.).  See  Gen.  iii.  17-19.  "  The  whole  book  of  Ecclesiastes  is  a  commentary  upon 
this  verse  "  ( Vaughan). 

23.  IVe  ourselves}  Lit.  '  we  ourselves  also.'  The  Spirit  .  .future]  Lit.  'the  first- 
fruits  of  the  Spirit.'  A  similar  expression  occurs  in  2  Cor.  i.  22  ;  v.  5  ;  Eph,  i.  14. 
Deliverance]  Lit.  'ransoming,'  as  of  prisoners  of  war  reduced  to  slavery,  whose  free- 
dom however  is  now  purchased. 

24.  An  object  of  hope]  Lit.  'a  hope.'  The  same  word  is  used  in  Tit.  ii.  13,  and 
'promises  '  is  used  for  '  things  promised  'in  Heb.  xi.  13.  For  when  <Sr»c.]  v.L.  'for 
who  hopes  for  that  which  he  has  before  his  eyes  ?' 


ROMANS    VIII.  369 

The  Help  of         ^^^  ^^^^  same  way  the  Spirit  also  helps  us  in  our     26 
the  Holy  Spirit  weakness  ;   for  we  do  not  know  what  prayers  to 
rayer.      ^^^^  ^^^  .^  what  way  to  offer  them,  but  the  Spirit 
Himself  pleads  for  us  in  yearnings  that  can  find  no  words,  and  the     27 
Searcher  of  hearts  knows  what  the  Spirit's  meaning  is,  because 
His  intercessions  for  God's  people  are  in  harmony  with  God's  will. 

Now  we  know  that  for  those  who  love  God  all     28 
*^°he^one*far"  things  are  working  together  for  good— for  those,  I 
off  Divine     mean,    whom    with    deliberate   purpose    He     has 

called.  For  those  whom  He  has  known  before-  29 
hand  He  has  also  pre-destined  to  bear  the  likeness  of  His  Son, 
that  He  might  be  the  Eldest  in  a  vast  family  of  brothers  ;  and  30 
those  whom  He  has  pre-destined  He  also  has  called  ;  and  those 
whom  He  has  called  He  has  also  declared  free  from  guilt  ;  and 
those  whom  He  has  declared  free  from  guilt  He  has  also 
crowned  with  glory. 

What  then  shall  we  say  to  this  ?     If  God  is  on     31 
veMou^s  Love.    °^"'  ^''^^'  ^^^  ^^  there  to  appear  against  us  ?     He     32 

who  did  not  withhold  even  His  own  Son,  but  gave 
Him  up  for  all  of  us,  will  He  not  also  with  Him  freely  give  us 
all  things.?     Who  shall  impeach  those  whom  God  has  chosen?     33 
God  declares  them  free  from  guilt.      Who  is  there  to  condemn     34 
them  ?     Christ  Jesus  died,  or  rather  has  risen  to  life  again.     He 
is  also  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  is  interceding  for  us.     Who     35 
shall  separate  us  from  Christ's  love  ?     Shall  affliction  or  distress, 
persecution  or  hunger,  nakedness  or  danger  or  the  sword  ?     As     36 
it  stands  written  in»lhe  Scripture, 
"For   Thv  sake  they  are,  all  day  long,  trying  to 

KILL    us  ; 

We  have  been  looked  upon  as  sheep  destined  for 
slaughter  "  (Ps.  xliv.  22). 
Yet  amid  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors  through     37 
Him  who  has  loved  us.     For  I  am  convinced  that  neither  death     38 

27.  Becanse]  Or  'that.' 

28.  A/^  (kings  arc  working &>€.]  v.L.  'in  all  things  God  is  working  foY  good  with 
those." 

29.  30.  Known  beforehand]  Cp.  Luther's  German  rendering,  Diodati's  Italian, 
De  Sacy's  French,  as  well  as  Segond's  and  Stapfer's,  and  the  Diitch  of  the  Synod  of 
Dordrecht.  Or  "knew  beforehand,'  'called,'  &c.  The  last  of  these  eight 
verbs  may  be  understood  as  anticipating  the  future  or  as  signifying  a  representative 
glorification.  "  He  who  represented  them  in  death  continues  still  to  represent  them 
in  glory."  Cp.  Eph.  ii.  6.  But  the  consecrated  Christian  already  wears  upon  his 
brow  an  unseen  crown  of  glory. 

34.  Jesus]  v.L.  omits.     He  is  also]  Lit.  'who  is  also.'     v.L.  omits  'also.' 

37.  More  than  comjiierors]  Or  '  gloriously  tiimnphant.' 

38.  'J' kings  future]  Lit.  '  things  soon  to  be.'     Forces  0/ nature]     Cp.  Job  x.vxviii. 

B  Ii 


370  ROMANS   VIIL-IX. 

nor  life,  neither  the  lower  ranks  of  evil  angels  nor  the  higher, 
neither  things  present  nor  things  future,  nor  the  forces  of  nature, 
nor  height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  created  thing,  will  be  able  to     39 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  rests  upon  us  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 

The  Unbelief  of  the  Jews, 

„     ,,       .  ^   ^       I  am  telling  you  the  truth  as  a  Christian  man—     i   9 

Paul's  grief  at   ..  r,fjr  •  v    ^  .         a 

the  Rejection    it  IS  no  falsehood,  for  my  conscience  enlightened, 
of  the  Jews,    ^g  j^  jg^  ^^  ^^^  p^Q^y  t^pj^j^  ^^^g  jj.g  testimony  to 

mine— when   I   declare  that  1   have  deep  grief  and  unceasing     2 
anguish  of  heart.     For  I  could  pray  to  be  accursed  from  Christ     3 
on  behalf  of  my  brethren,  my  human   kinsfolk — for  such  the     4 
Israelites  are.     To  them  belongs  recognition  as  God's  sons,  and 
they  have   His  glorious   Presence  and  the  Covenants,  and  the 
giving  of  the  Law,  and  the  Temple  service,  and  the  ancient  Pro- 
mises.    To  them   the    Patriarchs    belong,  and   from  them   in     5 
respect  of  His  human  lineage  came  the  Christ,  who  is  exalted 
above  all,  God  blessed  throughout  the  ages.     Amen. 

^,     „       .  Not  however  that  God's  word  has  failed  ;  for  all     6 

The  Promises       ,        ,  r  t  i     1 

of  God  had     who   have   sprung   from    Israel  do  not  count  as 
Limitations,    jg^.^^]^  ^or  because  they  are  Abraham's  posterity     7 
do  they  all  count  as  Abraham's  true  children  ;  but  the  promise 
was  "  Through  Isaac  shall  your  posterity  be  reckoned" 
(Gen.  xxi.  12).     In  other  words,  it  is  not  the  children  by  natural     8 
descent  who  count  as   God's  children,  but  the  children  made 
such    by   the    promise    are    regarded  as  Abraham's    posterity. 
For  the   words   are   the  language   of  promise  and   run   thus,     9 
"About  this  time  next  year  I  will  come,  and  Sarah 
shall  have  a  son"  (Gen.  xviii.  10).     Nor  is  that  all  :  later  on     10 
there  was  Rebecca  too.     She  was  soon  to  bear  two  children  to 
her  husband,  our  forefather  Isaac— and  even  then,  though  they     11 
were  not  then  born  and  had  not  done  anything  either  good  or 
evil,  yet  in  order  that  God's  electing  purpose  might  not  be  frus- 
trated, based,  as  it  was,  not  on  their  actions  but  on  the  will  of     12 
Him  who  called  them,  she  was  told,  "  The  elder  of  them 
will  be  bondservant  to  the  younger  "  (Gen.  XXV.  23)  ; 

31  (A.V.  and  R.V.  margin),   33,  R.V.  and  Rodwell's  Translation;  Dan.  x.  13,   20; 
Matt.  xxiv.  29  ;  Mark  xiii.  25  ;  Luke  xxi.  26  ;  Eph.  ii.  2  ;  Rev.  ix.  11  ;  xvi.  5. 

3.  /   cou!d  pray\    Were    it  not  an   impossibility  for  the   request  to  be   granted. 
Acc7irsrdf>-om  Christ]  Severed  from  Christ  and  devoted  to  destruction. 

4.  The  ancient  Pf-omises]  Lit.  'the  Promises.' 
10.   Later  on   there  was]  Lit.  'but.' 


ROMANS   IX,  371 

which  agrees   with   the   other  Scripture    which  says,    "Jacob     13 

I  HAVE  LOVED,  BUT  ESAU  I  HAVE  HATED  "  (Mai.  i.  2,  3). 

God's  Free-         What  then   are  we   to    infer?      That    there    is     14 
dom  of  Action  injustice   in  God?     No,  indeed;    the  solution    is     15 

defended.  ^^^^^^  j^  ^.^^  ^^^^^^  ^^  MoseS,  "WHEREVER  I 
SHOW  MERCY  IT  SHALL  BE  NOTHING  BUT  MERCV,  AND  WHER- 
EVER I  SHOW  COMPASSION  IT  SHALL  BE  SIMPLY  COMPASSION  " 
(Exod.  xxxiii.  19).  And  from  this  we  learn  that  every  tiling  is  16 
dependent  not  on  man's  will  or  endeavour,  but  upon  God  who 
has  mercy.  For  the  Scripture  said  to  Pharaoh,  "It  IS  FOR  17 
THIS  VERY  PURPOSE  THAT  I  HAVE  LIFTED  YOU  SO  HIGH — 
THAT  I  MAY  MAKE  MANIFEST  IN  YOU  MY  POWER,  AND  THAT 
My  NAME   MAY  BE   PROCLAIMED    FAR   AND   WIDE   IN   ALL   THE 

EARTH"  (Exod.  ix.    16);    which  is  a  proof  that  wherever  He     18 
chooses  He  shows  mercy,  and  wherever  He  chooses  He  hardens 
the  heart. 

"Why  then  does  God  still  find  fault  ? "  you  will     19 
andthl^cily.    ^^^  5  "  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  resisting  His  will?"     Nay,  but     20 

who  are  you,  a  mere  man,  that  you  should  cavil 
against  GOD  ?    Shall  the  thing  moulded   say  to  him 

WHO  MOULDED  IT,  "WHY  HAVE  YOU  MADE  ME  THUS?" 

(Isa.  xxix.  16.)     Or  has  not  the  potter  rightful  power  over  the     21 
clay  to  make  out  of  the  same  lump  one  vessel  for  more  honour- 
able and  another  for  less  honourable  uses  ?     And  what  if  God,     22 
while  choosing  to  make  m.anifest  the  terrors  of  His  anger  and 
to  show  what  is  possible  with  Him,  has  yet  borne  with  long- 
forbearing  patience  with  the  subjects  of   His  anger  who  stand 
ready  for  destruction,  in  order  to  make  known  His  infinite  good-     23 
ness  towards  the  subjects  of  His  mercy  whom  He  has  prepared 
beforehand  for  glory,  even  towards  us  whom  He  has  called  not     24 
only  from  among  the  Jews  but  also  from  among  the  Gentiles  ? 
i-ii^-i-    *         u      So  also  in  Hosea  He  sa\s,  25 

Old  Testament  '    '  ^ 

Predictions  on        "I     WILL     CALL     THAT     NATION     MY     PEOPLE 
the  Subject.  WHICH   WAS   NOT   MY   PEOPLE, 

13.  Have  loved  .  .  have  hatedS  If  the  'have'  were  omitted,  the  English  would 
represent  the  Greek  imperfect,  but  we  have  the  aorist  here.  See  Aorist  xi.  3,  and 
cp.  Roin.  viii.  29,  30,  n. 

16.  Is  dependent  not  dr'c.']  Or  '  rests  not  with  the  man  who  is  willing  or  who  runs 
(the  race),  but  with  &c.'  Endeavour]  Lit.  'the  (man)  running,'  as  in  the  foot- 
race. The  '  will  and  endeavour'  of  Paul,  like  those  of  Moses,  were  for  his  brethren's 
salvation,  but  as  yet  they  had  been  in  vain. 

18.  Hardens]  See  Vaughan's  admirable  note. 

20.  A  tnere  man]  Lit.  '  O  man.' 

22.  Stand  ready]  Greek  perfect.     See  Aor/st  v'n.  3.  4. 

23.  In  order  &^c.]  v.l.  '  and  in  order  &c.'  His  injinite  soodness\W\..   '  the  wealth 


372  ROMANS   IX.-X. 

And    I    WILL     CALL     HER    BELOVED    WHO     WAS     NOT    BE- 
LOVED ; 

And  in  the  place  where  it  was  said  to  them,  26 

'No  PEOPLE  OF  Mine  are  you,' 
There   shall   they  be   called  sons  of  the  ever- 
living  God  "  (Hos.  ii.  23). 
And    Isaiah   cries   aloud  concerning     Israel,    '"THOUGH    THE     27 
number  of  the  sons  of  israel  be  like  the  sands  of  the 
sea,  only  a  remnant  of  them  shall  be  saved  ;  for  the    28 
Lord  will  hold  a  reckoning  upon  the  earth,  making 
IT  efficacious  and  brief"  (Isa.  X.  22  ;  xxviii.  22).      Even  as     29 
Isaiah  says  in  an  earlier  place,  "Were  it  NOT  that  the 
Lord,  the  God  of  Hosts,  had  left  us  some  few  descend- 
ants, WE  should  have  become  like  Sodom,  and  have 
come  to  resemble  Gomorrah  "  (Isa.  i.  9). 

To  what  conclusion  does  this  bring  us  ?     Why,     30 
Acceptlr?c"e^    that  the  Gentiles,  who  were  not  in  pursuit  of  right- 

The  Jews      eousness,     have    overtaken    it — a    righteousness, 
do  not.  .  .  . 

however,  which  arises  from  faith  ;  while  the  chil-     31 

dren  of   Israel,  who  were  in  pursuit  of  a  Law  that  could  give 

righteousness   have  not  arrived  at  one.     Why  not .''     Because     32 

they  were  pursuing  a  righteousness  which  should  arise  not  from 

faith,  but  from  what  they  regarded  as  merit.     They  struck  their     33 

foot  against  the  stone   which  lay  in  their  way  ;    in  agreement 

with   the  statement   of   Scripture, 

"  See,  I  AM  placing  on  Mount  Zion  a  stone  for  people 

to  stumble  at,  and  a  rock  for  them  to  trip  over,  and 

yet  he  whose  faith  rests  upon  it  shall  never  have 

reason  to  feel  ashamed"  (Isa.  viii.  14  ;  xxviii.  16). 

Brethren,  the  longing  of  my  heart,  and  my  prayer  to  God,  on     i 

behalf  of  my  countrymen  is  for  their  salvation.     For  I  bear     2 

of  His  glory.'    God's  essential  '  glory  '  is  His  self-sacrificing  goodness  and  love.  Pre- 
pared] Or  '  destined."     See  Hatch,  Biblical  Greek,  p.  54. 
26.   Ever-living]  Lit.  'living.' 

28.  Hold  a  reckoning]  Or  'execute  a  sentence.'  Making  ii  efficacious]  Or 
'  finishing  it  up.'  The  figure  is  apparently  taken  from  the  final  operations  in  weaving, 
the  etymological  meaning  being  'bringing  the  ends  together.'  See  Matt,  xxviii. 
20,  n. 

29.  Says]  Lit.  '  has  said.'  See  Aorist  vii.  8.  Hosts]  The  armies  either  of  Heaven 
or  of  Israel.     Cp.  Jas.  v.  4. 

30.  The  Gentiles]  Or  perhaps  '  Gentiles/  without  the  article.  But  the  Greek 
idiom,  in  speaking  of  any  nation  or  group  of  nations  as  a  whole,  not  only  permits  but 
prefers  the  omission  of  the  article  ("  the  Hellenes"  alone  excepted),  and  as  'Israel ' 
I  verse  31)  is  named  as  a  whole,  it  is  most  natural  to  understand  similarly  this  men- 
tion of  the  Gentile  race  as  a  whole.     Pursuit]  As  in  the  foot-race.     Cp.  verse  16,  n. 

31.  The  chihh-en  of  Israel]  Lit.  simply  '  Isriel.' 

32.  IF/int  t/ier  regarded  as  7/:erit]  Lit.  '  works.\ 

1.  Loi'ging]  Lit.  '  good  pleasure.'     There  isa  mixture  of  constructions  here.     We 


ROMANS   X.  373 

witness  that  they  possess  an  enthusiasm  for  God, 
'^''saivSlon*^  ^"^  ^^  ^^  ^^  unenlightened  enthusiasm.     Ignorant     3 
through       of  the  righteousness  which  God  provides  and  build- 
ing their  hopes  upon  a  righteousness  of  their  own, 
they  have  refused  submission  to  God's  righteousness.     For  as  a     4 
means  of  righteousness   Christ  is  the  termination   of   Law  to 
every  believer. 
^,     ^,  Moses  says  that  he  whose  actions  conform  to  the     5 

The  Nearness      .    ,  ^  .      .    .         .        ^  1     ,,    ,.         , 

of  Christ  and  righteousness  requned  by  the   Law  shall  live  by 
His  Salvation.  ^^^^  righteousness.     But  the  righteousness  which     6 
is  based  on  faith  speaks  in  a  different  tone.     "  Say  not  in  your 
heart,"  it  declares,  ''Who  shall  ascend  to  heaven  ?"— that  is  to 
bring  Christ  down  ;  "  nor  Who  shall  go  down  into  the  abyss  ?" —     7 
that  is,  to  bring  Christ  up  again  from  the  grave.     But  what  does     8 
it  say  ?  "  The  Message  is  close  to  you,  in  your  mouth  and  in  your 
heart"  (Deut.  xxx.  12-14)  ;  that  is,  the  Message  which  we  are 
pubhshing  about  the  faith — that  if  with  your  mouth  you  confess     9 
Jesus  as  Lord  and  in  your  heart  believe  that  God  brought  Him 
back  to  life,  you  shall  be  saved.     For  with  the  heart  men  believe     10 
and  obtain  righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  they  make  con- 
fession and  obtain  salvation. 

The  Scripture  says,  "No  ONE  who  believes     ii 

The  Promise    jj^    HiM  SHALL  HAVE  REASON  TO  FEEL  ASHAMED" 

IS    for    all.  ...  ..  r  -,     r^  '1 

(Isa.  xxvni.  16).     Jew  and  Gentile  are  on  precisely     12 
the  same  footing ;  for  the  same  Lord  is  Lord  over  all,  and  is 
infinitely  kind  to  all  who  call  upon  Him  for  deliverance.     For     13 

"every    one,     without    EXCEPTION,   WHO     CALLS     ON     THE 
NAME  OF  THE   LORD   SHALL   BE   SAVED  "   (Joel  ii.  32). 

But  how  are  they  to  call  on  One  in  whom  they     14 
makes  known  have  not  believed  ?  And  how  are  they  to  believe  in 
**^^Name"'^'^    One  whose  voice  they  have  never  heard  ?  And  how 

are  they  to  hear  without  a  preacher.''  And  how  are     15 
men  to  preach  unless  they  have  been  sent  to  do  so  ?  As  it  is 
written,  "  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  those  who 
BRING  glad  tidings  OF  GOOD"  (Isa.  lii.  7)! 


may  render  more  freely,   *  that  which  would  delight  my  heart,  and  for   which  my 
prayer  rises  to  God  on  their  behalf,  is  their  salvation.' 

3.  Building-  dr'c.^    Lit.  '  endeavouring  to  make  their  own  (rigliteousness)  stand.' 
Righteousness]  Or  'method  of  righteousness.' 

4.  Termination  of  La7v]  Or  'the  end  the  Law  had  in  view.' 

5.  ^'M\s]  Lit.  'writes.' 

7.  Abyss]  Or  '  Bottomless  Pit.'  Cp.  Lukd  viii.  31  ;  Rev.  ix.  r,  2,  11  ;  xi.  7  ;  xvii.  8  ; 
XX.  I,  3.      Up  again]  Cp    Eph.  iv.  8,  n. 

12.  And  is  infinitely  kind]  Lit.  'being  rich.' 


374  ROMANS   X.-XI. 

But,  some  will  say,  they  have  not  all  hearkened     i6 
The  World-  ,     '^        ,  ^^  ^  \^       r        t      •    ,         ,         .t 

wide  Diffusion  to  the  Good  News.     No,  for  Isaiah  asks,     LORD, 

of  the   Gospel.  ^^^   j^^g   RELIEVED   THE    MESSAGE    THEY    HAVE 

HEARD  FROM  US  "  (Isa.    liii.    i)?     And  this  proves  that  faith     17 
comes   from  a  message   heard,   and  that  the  message  comes 
through  its  having  been  spoken  by  Christ.     But,  I  ask,  have  they     18 
not  heard  ?  Yes,  indeed  : 
"  To    THE    WHOLE    WORLD    THE  PREACHERS'   VOICES     HAVE 
SOUNDED   FORTH, 
And    THEIR     WORDS    TO    THE     REMOTEST     PARTS   OF  THE 
EARTH"  (Ps.  xix.  4). 
But  again,  did  Israel  fail  to  understand  ?  Listen  to  Moses  first :     19 
he  says, 
"  I   WILL  FIRE  YOU  WITH  JEALOUSY  AGAINST  A  NATION  WHICH 

is  no  nation, 
And  with  fury  against  a  nation  devoid  of  under- 
standing "  (Deut.  xxxii.  21). 
And  Isaiah,  with  strange  boldness,  exclaims,  20 

"  I  have  been  found  by  those  who  were  not  looking 
FOR  Me, 

I     HAVE     revealed     MVSELF    TO     THOSE   WHO   WERE   NOT 

inquiring  of  Me"  (Isa.  Ixv.  i). 
While  as    to    Israel   he    says,    "All    day    LONG    I    HAVE     21 
stretched  out  My  arms  to  a  self-willed  and  fault- 
finding people"  (Isa.  Ixv.  2). 

I  ask  then.  Has  God  cast  off  His  people?  i 
lasTbe'^ale^d.  No,  indeed.  Why,  I  myself  am  an  Israelite,  of  the 
posterity  of  Abraham  and  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 
God  has  not  cast  off  His  people  whom  He  knew  before-  2 
hand.  Or  are  you  ignorant  of  what  Scripture  says  in  speaking 
of  Elijah — how  he  pleaded  with  God  against  Israel,  saying, 
"  Lord,  they   have   put   Thy  prophets  to  death,  and    3 

HAVE   overthrown    THY   ALTARS  ;    AND   NOW   THAT   I  ALONE 
remain     they    ARE    THIRSTING     FOR     MY     BLOOD"   (l     Kings 

xix.    10).     But  what  did  God  say  to  him   in  reply  ?  "  I  HAVE     4 

RESERVED    FOR    MYSELF    SEVEN    THOUSAND    MEN   WHO    HAVE 

NEVER  BENT  THE  KNEE  TO  Baal"  (i  Kings  xix.  1 8).     In  the     5 
same   way   also   at    the   present  time  there  has  come  to  be  a 

18.  T/ie  preachers']  Lit.   '  their  ; '  referring  in  the  original  Hebrew  to  the  works  of 
nature,  but  here  applied  by  the  apostle  to  the  heralds  of  the  Good  News. 

19.  Undcrstand\  How  their  privileges  were  invaded. 
21.  Arms]  'i&eAorist,  p.  5. 

3.  Overthrown]  Lit.  'dug  down.' 


ROMANS   XI.  375 

remnant  whom  God  in  His  grace  has  selected.     But  if  it  is  in     6 

His  grace  that  He  has  selected  them,  then  His  choice  is  no  longer 

determined  by  human  actions  ;  otherwise  grace  would  be  grace 

no  longer. 

,     .  .  How  then  does  the  matter  stand  ?  It  stands  thus  :     7 

Jewish  ,  •  ,     r         ,  .        ^    , 

Believers  few   that  which   Israel  are  m  earnest  pursuit  of,  they 

^^  y®*"        have  not   obtained  ;    but    God's   chosen    servants 
have  obtained  it,  and  the  rest  have  become  hardened.     And  so     8 
Scripture  says,  "  GOD  HAS  GIVEN  them  a  spirit  of  drowsi- 
ness—eyes  TO  see    nothing   with  and    ears  to   hear 

NOTHING   WITH— even    UNTIL    NOW  "     (Isa.   xxix.    lO  ;     Deut. 

xxix.  4).     And  David  says,  9 

"  Let  their  very  food  become  a  snare  and  a  trap  to 

THEM, 

a  stumbling-block  and  a  retribution. 

Let  darkness  come  over  their  eyes  that  they  may     iq 

BE  unable  to   see, 

And  make  Thou  their  backs  continually  to  stoop" 

(Ps.  Ixix.   22,  23). 

I  ask,  however,  "  Have  they  stumbled  so  as  to  be     11 

^Pros^'ect"^     finally  ruined  ? "  No,  indeed  ;  but  by  their  lapse 

salvation  has  come  to  the  Gentiles  in    order  to 

arouse  the  jealousy  of  the  Children  of  Israel  ;  and  if  their  lapse     12 

is  the  enriching  of  the  world,  and  their  overthrow  the  enriching 

of  the  Gentiles,  will  not  still  greater  good  follow  their  restoration .? 

But  to  you  Gentiles  I  say  that,  since  I  am  an  apostle  specially     13 

sent  to  the  Gentiles,  I  take  pride  in  my  ministry,  trying  whether     14 

I  can  succeed  in  rousing  my  own  countrymen  to  jealousy  and 

thus  save  some  of  them.     For  if  their  having  been  cast  aside  has     15 

carried  with  it  the  reconciliation  of  the  world,  what  will  their 

being  accepted  again  be  but  Life  out  of  death  ? 

^    ^.,  Now  if  the  firstfruits  of  the  dough  are  holy,  so     16 

Gentiles  °  -^ ' 

warned  not  to  also  is  the  whole  mass  (Num.  xv.  19-21)  ;  and  if 
be  proud.      ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^  ^^^^  -^  ^oiy^  so  aiso  are  the  branches. 

And  if  some  of  the  branches  have  been  pruned  away,  and  you,     17 
although  you  were  but  a  wild  olive,  have  been  grafted  in  among 
them  and  have  become  a  sharer  with  others  in  the  rich  sap  of 
the  root  of  the  olive  tree,  beware  of  glorying  over  the  natural     18 

6.  v.L.  adds  'But  if  it  is  through  works,  then  it  is  no  longer  grace  ;  since  work  is 
work  no  longer.' 

12.  Fiiricking']  Lit.  'riches.' 

13.  Since]  Lit.  'since  therefore.'     But  se«  Aan'si,  Appendix  B,  4. 

17.  Jiic/t  sa/>  0/ t/te  root]  Lit,  '  root  of  the  fatness.'    v.L.  'root  and  of  the  fatness.' 


376  ROMANS   XI. 

branches ;  or  if  you  are  so  glorying-,  do  not  forget  that  it  is  not 

you  who  uphold  the  root  :  the  root  upholds  you, 

^.     „.    .  "  Branches  have  been  lopped  off,"  you  will  say,     lo 

The  Kindness    ^,  ^         ,  ,  ^  ,     .  r    \    -     ,,     r^,  .     ■ 

and  Severity     '  for  the  sake  of  my  being  grafted  in."    This  is     20 
of  God.        ^j.yg .  yg^  j^.  ^^^g  ^.j^gjj.  m^i3giief  that  cut  them  off, 

and  you  only  stand  through  your  faith.     Do  not  be  puffed  up 
with  pride:  tremble  rather — for  if    God   did   not    spare    the     21 
natural  branches,  neither  will  He  spare  you.     Notice  therefore     22 
God's  kindness  and  God's  severity  :  on  those  who  have  fallen 
His  severity  has  descended,    but  upon  you   His  kindness  has 
come,  provided  that  you  do  not  cease  to  respond  to  that  kind- 
ness ;  otherwise  you  will   be   cut  off  also.     Moreover,  if  they     23 
turn  from  their  unbelief,  they  too  will  be  grafted  in.     For  God  is 
powerful  enough  to  graft  them  in  again  ;  and  if  you  were  cut     24 
from  that  which  by  nature  is  a  wild  olive  and  contrary  to  nature 
were  grafted  into  the  good  olive-tree,  how  much  more  certainly 
will  these  natural  branches  be  grafted  on  their  own  olive-tree  ? 

_  ^,    „  For  there   is   a  truth,   brethren,   not    revealed     25 

God's  Purpose  ,.,  -,.,^'  .',  .  ■' 

one  of  Mercy    hitherto,  of  vvhich   I  do  not  wish  to  leave  you  in 

to  all  all  e.     ignorance,  for  fear  you  should  attribute  superior 

wisdom  to  yourselves — the  truth,  I  mean,  that  partial  blindness 

has  fallen  upon  Israel  until  the  great  mass  of  the  Gentiles  have 

come  in  ;  and  so  all  Israel  will  be  saved  ;  as  is  declared  in     26 

Scripture, 

"  From  Mount  Zion  a  Deliverer  will  come  : 

He  will    remove    all    ungodliness    from     Jacob  " 

(Isa,  lix.  20,  21). 

"And  this  shall  be  My  Covenant  with  them,  27 

When  I  have  taken  away  their  sins"  (Isa.  xxvii.  9). 

In  relation  to  the  Good  News,  the  Jews  are  God's  enemies  for     28 

your  sakes  ;  but  in  relation  to  God's  choice  they  are  dearly  loved 

for  the  sake  of  their  forefathers.     For  God  does  not  repent  of    29 

His  free  gifts  nor  of  His  call  ;  but  just  as  you  were  formerly  dis-     30 

obedient  to  Him,  but  now  have  received  mercy  at  a  time  when 

24.  And  if]  Lit.  '  for  if.'     See  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  ii. 

25.  Gentiles\  Or  '  nations.' 

26.  A  Deliverer]  'A'  not 'the.'  In  the  Greek,  '  Deliverer,'  being  a  participle 
used  as  a  noun,  has  of  necessity  the  definite  article.  In  the  Hebrew  of  Isa.  lix.  20, 
as  in  the  R.V.,  there  is  no  article.  All  ungodliness]  Lit.  'ungodlinesses.'  Jacob] 
I.E.  tlie  descendants  of  Jacob. 

30.  But]  Lit.  'for.'     ^te:  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  11. 

30.31.  At  the  time]  "God's  plan  is  to  make  obedience  an  opportunity  of  show- 
ing mercy"  (S.H.!.  The  dative  case  in  the  Greek  here  is  what  is  called  the  'circum- 
stantial' or  '  modal'  dative,  of  which  neither  'by'  nor  '  through'  conveys  the  true 
force  in  English.      See  jtM,  Greek  Gram  mar,   §  603. 


ROMANS   XI.-XII.  377 

they   are  disobedient,  so  now  they  also  have  been  disobedient  at     31 
a  time  when  you  are  receiving  mercy  ;  so  that  to  them  too  there 
may  now  be  mercy.     For  God  has  locked  up  all  in  the  prison  of    32 
unbelief,  that  upon  all  alike  He  may  have  mercy. 
^,  ..  Oh,  how  inexhaustible  are  God's  resources  and     33 

The  marvellous  ^     ,,         .     ,  ,     ^     ,,      ,  ,     -,        ■    xt  • 

Wisdom  of      God  s  wisdom  and  God's  knowledge  !  How  im- 
God's  Methods,  pogsj^ig  jj-  jg  ^q  search  into  His  decrees  or  trace 
His  footsteps  ! 
"Who   has  ever  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  or        34 

SHARED  His  counsels"  (Isa.  xl.  13,  14).? 
"Who    has    first   given    God    anything,   so    as  to     35 

RECEIVE   PAYMENT   IN    RETURN"  (Job  XXXV.  7  ;   xli.   II)? 
For  the  universe  owes  its  origin  to  Him,  was  created  by  Him,     36 
and  has  its  aim  and  purpose  in  Him.     To  Him  be  the  glory 
throughout  the  ages  !     Amen. 


Practical  Exhortations, 

I   plead  with    you   therefore,    brethren,   by   the 
Self  Surrender  ^        .  rA     ^  .,  r        /• 

to  the  Love     compassions  of  God,  to  present  all  your  faculties  to 

of  God.        Him  as  a  living  and  holy  sacrifice  acceptable  to 

Him.    This  with  you  will  be  an  act  of  reasonable  worship.    And 

do  not  follow  the  customs  of  the  present  age,  but  be  transformed 

by  the  entire  renewal  of  your  minds,  so  that  you  may  learn  by 

experience   what    God's   will  is — that  will  which  is  good  and 

beautiful  and  perfect. 

...         .„  For  through  the  authority  graciously  given  to  me 

Union  with  °    ......       -^  °  °  , 

the  one  Christ  I  warn  every  mdividual  among  you  not  to  value 
forbids  Pride,  himself  unduly,  but  to  cultivate  sobriety  of  judge- 
ment in  accordance  with  the  amount  of  faith  which  God  has 
allotted  to  each  one.  For  just  as  there  are  in  the  one  human 
body  many  parts,  and  these  parts  have  not  all  the  same  function  ; 

31.  May  now  be]  v.l.  omits  this  second  'now.' 

1.  Compassions]  Or  'compassion.'  The  phiral  may  be  simply  a  Hebraism,  the 
Hebrew  for  '  compassion  '   hft'wg  aXwiiys  Y)\nrA\.  All  your/acuities]  Lit.  '  your  bodies.' 

2.  Learn  by  experience]  Or 'habitually  discriminate.' 

3.  Authority  ^raciously]\Ai.  'grace.'  St.  Paul  regarded  it  as  a  crowning  illustra- 
tion of  the  grace  (i.e.  the  unearned,  unmerited  kindness)  of  God  that  he — the  chief 
of  sinners — who  had  been  a  perseciUor  of  the  saints  and  a  blasphemer,  should  not 
only  have  found  forgiveness  through  Christ  but  should  also  have  liad  the  work  and 
divine  authority  of  an  apostle  entrusted  to  him.  As  the  result  he  sometimes,  as  here, 
applies  the  word  'grace'  to  his  apostleship  itself.  Cp.  verse  6  ;  xv.  15  ;  i  Cor.  iii.  10; 
Gal.  ii.  9  ;  Ephes  iii.  2,  7,  8.  Not  to  value  himself  &'c.]  There  is  a  curious  play 
upon  words  here,  the  literal  rendering  being,.'  not  to  be  too  high-minded  compared 
with  what  he  ought  to  be  minded,  but  to  give  his  mind  to  being  sober-minded.' 


378  ROMANS    XII. 

so  collectively  we  form  one  body  in  Christ,  while  individually  we     5 
are  linked  to  one  another  as  its  members.     But  since  we  have     6 
specialgiftswhich  differ  in  accordance  with  the  diversified  work 
graciously  entrusted  to  us,  if  it  is  prophecy,  let  the  prophet  speak 
in  exact  proportion  to  his  faith  ;  if  it  is  the  gift  of  administra-     7 
tion,  let  the  administrator  exercise  a  sound   judgement  in  his 
duties.     The  teacher  must  do  the  same  in  his  teaching  ;    and  he     8 
who  exhorts  others,  in  his  exhortation.     He  who  gives  should  be 
liberal  ;  he  who  is  in  authority  should  be  energetic  and  alert  ; 
and  he  who  succours  the  afflicted  should  do  it  cheerfully. 

Let  your  love  be  perfectly  sincere.     Regard  with     9 

Brotherly  Love  ,  "^     ,        .         .,         ,.  ,        •       •    ,  *      r 

and  brotherly  horror  what  IS  cvil  ;  cling  to  what  IS  right.     As  for     10 

Conduct.      brotherly  love,  be  affectionate  to  one  another  ;  in 
matters  of  worldly  honour,  yield  to  one  another.     Do  not  be  in-     11 
dolent  when  zeal  is  required.     Be  thoroughly  warm-hearted,  the 
Lord's  own  servants,  full  of  joyful  hope,  patient  under  persecu-     12 
tion,  earnest  and  persistent  in  prayer.     Relieve  the  necessities  of     13 
God's  people  ;  always  practise  hospitality.     Invoke  blessings  on     14 
your  persecutors  -blessings,  not  curses.     Rejoice  with  those  who     1 5 
rejoice  ;    weep    with    those   who  weep.     Have    full    sympathy     16 
with  one  another.     Do  not  give  your  mind  to  high  things,  but 
let  humble  ways   content   you.        Do  NOT  BE  WISE  IN  YOUR 
OWN  CONCEITS  (Prov.  iii.  7). 

Pay   back  to   no    man   evil  for  evil.     TAKE  THOUGHT  FOR     17 

WHAT     IS     RIGHT     AND     SEEMLY     IN      EVERY     ONE'S    ESTEEM 

(Prov.  iii.  4  ;  LXX.).  If  you  can,  so  far  as  it  depends  on  you,  live     18 
at  peace  with  all  the  world.     Do  not  be  revengeful,  my  dear     19 
friends,  but  give  way  before  anger  ;  for  it  is  written,  "'  Revenge 
BELONGS  TO  Me  :  I  WILL  PAY  BACK,'  says  the  Lord"  (Deut. 
xxxii.    35).     On   the  contrary,   therefore,    IF    YOUR    ENEMY  IS     20 
HUNGRY,   GIVE   HIM   FOOD  ;    IF  HE    IS    THIRSTY,   QUENCH    HIS 
THIRST  :    FOR   BY   DOING  THIS  YOU  WILL   BE   HEAPING  BURJf- 
ING   COALS  UPON   HIS   HEAD  (Prov.   XXV.   21,  22).      Do    not    be     21 
overcome  by  evil,  but  overcome  the  evil  with  goodness. 

6.  IVork  oraciatisly]  Lit.  'grace.'  See  verse  3,  n.  /«  exaci  ^t'c]  Cp.  verses. 
Let  there  be  no  word  spoken  but  from  the  conviction  that  God  gives  it. 

7  AdinhiisU-atioii]  Or  perhaps,  '  deaconship.'  But  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that 
either  'bishop'  or  'deacon'  had  acquired  its  special  and  limited  sense  when  this 
Letter  was  written.  ,         ,         %     -  •      . 

II.    The  Lord's  own  servants]  v.l.  'servants  (or,  skives)  01  opportunity. 

16.  Let  humble  mays  dr^c]    Or  'associate  freely  with  humble  brethren.' 

19'  An^er]  Lit.  '  the  anger,'  of  your  opponent.  Or  '  leave  room  for  the  anger '  of 
God,  so  that  He  may  punish.  ,        .,,    ,  , 

20.  Heapingbiiynin^;  coals  &^c.\  And  so  your  enemy,  as  such,  will  be  utterly 
destroyed  ! 


ROMANS   XITI. 


379 


_  ^p,  .    .  Let  every  individual  be  obedient  to  those  who     i    IQ 

Uur  Duty  in  •'  _  I  «  a 

Relation  to  the  rule  Over  him;   for  no  one  is  a  ruler  except  by 
tate.         God's  permission,  and  our  present  rulers  have  had 
their  rank  and  power  assigned  to  them  by  Him.     Therefore  the     2 
man  who  rebels  against  his  ruler  is  resisting  God's  will  ;  and 
those  who  thus  resist  will  bring  punishment  upon   themselves. 
For  judges  and  magistrates  are  to  be  feared  not  by  right-doers     3 
but   by  wrong-doers.     You    desire — do  you  not .?— to  have   no 
reason  to  fear  your  ruler.     Well,  do  the  thing  that  is  right,  and 
then  he  will  commend  you.     For  he  is  God's  servant  for  your     4 
benefit.     But  if  you  do  what  is  wrong,  be  afraid  :  he  does  not 
wear  the  sword  to  no  purpose  :  he  is  God's  servant — an  admin- 
istrator to  inflict  punishment  upon  evil-doers.     We  must  obey     5 
therefore,  not  only  in  order  to  escape  punishment,  but  also  for 
conscience'  sake. 

The  prompt        ^^Y,  this  is  really  the  reason  you  pay  taxes  ;  for     6 
Payment  of  all  tax-gatherers  are  ministers  of  God,  devoting  .their 

energies  to  this  very  work.     Pay  promptly  to  all     7 
men  what  is  due  to  them  :  taxes  to  those  to  whom  taxes  are  due, 
toll  to  those  to  whom  toll  is  due,  respect  to  those  to  whom 
respect  is  due,  honour  to  those  to  whom  honour  is  due. 
True  Love  is        ^^^  nothing  to  any  one  except  mutual  love  ;     8 
perfect        for  he  who  loves  his  fellow  man  has  satisfied  the 

demands    of  Law.      For   the    precepts,    "  Thou     9 

SHALT  NOT  COMMIT  ADULTERY,"  "  THOU  SHALT  DO  NO 
MURDER,"  ^'THOU  SHALT  NOT  STEAL,"  "  THOU  SHALT  NOT 

covet"  (Exod.  XX.  13-17  ;  Deut.  v.  17-21),  and  all  other  pre- 
cepts, are  summed  up  in  this  one  command,  "  Thou  SHALT 

LOVE    THY    fellow     MAN   AS     MUCH   AS    THOLT    LOVEST   THY- 
SELF" (Lev.  xix.  18).     Love  avoids  doing  any  wrong  to  one's     10 
fellow  man,  and  is  therefore  complete  obedience  to   Law. 
The  Nearness       ^^^^^  out  these  injunctions  because  you  know     11 
of  the  Day  of   the  Critical  period  at  which  we  are  living,  and  that 
it  is  now  high  time  to  rouse  yourselves  from  sleep  ; 

3.  Are  to  he  feared  no(\  "This  was  written  before  the  Imperial  government  had 
begun  to  persecute  Christianity  "  (Conybeare). 

4.  Puiiishmeni\  Cp.  iv.  15. 

6.  Tax-gatherers\  This  word  is  not  expressed  in  the  Greek,  but  must  be  under- 
stood. Taxes^  Not  tribute.  Rome,  the  imperial  city,  received  tribute,  but  paid 
none.  Ministers]  The  word  here  emploj'ed  (which  in  its  Latin  form  is  '  liturgus,' 
whence  '  liturgy ')  means  service  in  sacred  things.  It  occurs  xv.  16;  Phil.  ii.  25'; 
Heb.  i.  7  ;  viii.  2. 

7.  P}-omptly\  Or  '  punctually.'     The  aorlst  tense  of  the  verb  implies  this. 

II.  To  rouse  yourselves]  Briskly  and  sharply;  not  after  the  fashion  of  the  slug- 
gard (Prov.  xxvi.  14).  The  tense  implies  this;  cp.  verse  7.  First]  See  Aorist 
vi.  6. 


380  ROMANS   XIII.-XIV. 

for  salvation  is  now  nearer  to  us  than  when  we  first  became 
believers.     The    night   is  far   advanced,  and   day   is   about  to     12 
dawn.     We  must  therefore  lay  aside  the  deeds  of  darkness,  and 
clothe  ourselves  with  the  armour  of  Light.     Living  as  we  do  in     13 
broad  daylight  let  us  conduct  ourselves  becomingly,  not  indulg- 
ing in  revelry  and  drunkenness,  nor  in  lust  and  debauchery,  nor 
in  quarrelling  and  jealousy.     On  the  contrary,  clothe  yourselves     14 
with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  no  provision  for  gratify- 
ing your  earthly  cravings. 

Conscientious       ^  ^°^  P^^^  ^°  another  subject.     Receive  as  a     i   ] 
Differences  of  friend  a  man  whose  faith  is  weak,  but  not  for  the 

pinion.       purpose  of  deciding  mere  matters  of  opinion.     One     2 
man's  faith  allows  him  to  eat  anything,  while  a  man  of  weaker 
faith  eats  nothing  but  vegetables.    Let  not  him  who  eats  certain     3 
food  look  down  upon  him  who  abstains  from  it,  nor  him   who 
abstains  from  it  find  fault  with  him  who  eats  it  ;  for  God  has 
received  both  of  them.     Who  are  you  that  you  should  find  fault     4 
with  the  servant  of  another  ?     Whether  he  stands  or  falls   is  a 
matter  which  concerns  his  own  master.     But  stand  he  will ;  for 
the  Master  can  give  him  power  to  stand.    One  man  esteems  one     5 
day  more  highly  than  another  :  another  esteems  all  days  alike. 
Let  every  one  be  thoroughly  convinced  in   his  own  mind.     He     6 
who  regards  the  day  as  sacred,  so  regards  it  for  the   Master's 
sake  ;    and  he  who  eats  certain  food  eats  it  for  the   Master's 
sake,  for  he  gives  thanks  to  God  ;  and  he  who  refrains   from 
eating  it  refrains  for  the  Master's  sake,  and  he  also  gives  thanks 
to  God. 

,,  o  For  not  one  of  us  lives  to  himself,  and  not  one     7 

We  are  all  Ser-  '  ' 

vantsofone     dies  to  himself.     If  we  live,  we  live  to  the  Lord:     8 

Master.        -^  ^^^  ^-^^  ^^^  ^j^  ^^  ^^^  Lord.     So  whether  we  live 

or  die,  we  belong  to  the   Lord.     For  this  was  the  purpose   of    9 
Christ's  dying  and  coming  to  life— namely  that   He  might  be 
Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  the  living. 

.  .  .^  I  But   you,   why   do    you    find    fault   with    your     10 

Responsibility  brother.?  or  you,  why  do  you  look  down  upon  your 
to  God.        brother?    We  shall  all  stand  before   God  to  be 
judged;  for  it  is  written,  '"As  I  live,' says  the  Lord,  'TO  Me     i: 

13.  Jcalousy\  The  late  Sergeant  Cox,  towards  the  end  of  his  long  life,  remarked, 
as  the  result  uf  many  years'  experience  at  the  bar  and  on  the  bench,  "  I  consider  the 
strongest  of  all  human  passions  to  be  jealousy." 

I.   Mere  matters  of  opinion^  Lit.  'thoughts.' 

4.  Whether  he  stands  or  fatls\  In  his  too  great  scrupulousness  (as  you  who  eat 
may  suppose),  or  his  too  little  (as  the  abstainer  may  judge).  Retaining  the  metaphor 
we  might  substitute  for  these  words  '  his  uprightness  or  lack  of  uprightness.' 


ROMANS  XIV.-XV.  381 

EVERY  KNEE  SHALL  BOW,  AND  EVERY  TONGUE  SHALL  MAKE 

CONFESSION  TO  GOD ' "  (Isa.  xlv.  23).     So  we  see  that   every     12 

one  of  us  will  give  account  of  himself  to  God. 

„.    .  Therefore  let  us  no  longer  iudare  one  another;     13 

Hinder  no  .  c       j      o  »        j 

one's  Christian  but  instead  of  that,  you  should  come  to  this  judge- 
rogress.  ^nQ^^ — that  we  must  not  put  a  stumbling-block  in 
our  brother's  path,  nor  anything  to  trip  him  up.  As  one  who  14 
lives  in  union  with  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  know  and  am  convinced 
that  in  its  own  nature  no  food  is  '  impure'  ;  but  if  people  regard 
any  food  as  impure,  to  them  it  is. 

Brotherly  Love      ^!  your  brother  is  pained  by  the  food  you  are     15 
limits  Freedom  eating,  your  conduct  is  no  longer  controlled  by 
love.     Take  care  lest,  by  the  food  you  eat,  you 
lead  to  ruin  a  man  for  whom  Christ  died.     Therefore  do  not  let     16 
the  boon  which   is  yours  in  common  be  exposed  to  reproach. 
For  the  Kingdom  of  God  does  not  consist  of  eating  and  drink-     17 
ing,  but  of  right  conduct,   peace  and  joy,  through  the    Holy 
Spirit  ;  and  whoever  in  this  way  devotedly  serves  Christ,  God     18 
takes  pleasure  in  him,  and  men  highly  commend  him. 

Therefore  let  us  aim  at  whatever  makes  for  peace  and  mutual     19 
upbuilding  of  character.     Do  not  for  food's  sake  be  throwing     20 
down  God's  work.     All  food  is  pure  ;  but  a  man  is  in  the  wrong 
if  his  food  is  a  snare  to  others.     The  right  course  is  to  forego     21 
eating  meat  or  drinking  wine  or  doing  anything  that  tends  to 
your  brother's  fall. 

As  for  you  and  your  faith,  keep  your  faith   to  yourself  in  the     22 
presence  of  God.     The  man  is  to  be  congratulated  who  does 
not  pronounce  judgement  on  himself  in  what   his  actions  sanc- 
tion.    But  he  who  has  misgivings   and  yet  eats  meat  is  con-     23 
demned  already,  because  his  conduct  is  not  based  on  faith  ;  for 
all  conduct  not  based  on  faith  is  sinful. 

Christlike  ^^  ^°^  '^^  ^^°  ^^^  Strong,  our  duty  is  to  bear  with     i   Xo 

Sympathy  and  the  weaknesses  of  those  who  are  not  strong,  and 

not  seekour  own  pleasure.  Let  each  of  us  endeavour    2 

14.  Nofood\  Lit.  '  nothing  ; '  but  the  English  word  '  thing '  is  broad  enough  to 
include  not  only  what  is  here  referred  to,  but  sin  itself,  the  one  thing  in  the  universe 
which  is  essentially  impure. 

15.  Take  care  <5r»<:.]  The  Greek  tense  (present  imperative)  implies  '  as  in  fact  you 
are  leading  him.'  Cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  5. 

16.  The  boon]  The  consciousness  of  Christian  freedom  which  you  may  all  have. 
/«  common]  The  '  yours '  in  this  verse  is  plural.  Be  exposed]  '  As  you  are  expos- 
ing it'  is  implied.     Cp.  verse  15,  n. 

18.  Highly  co7mnend]   In  their  consciences,  even  when  they  persecute. 

20.  All  food]  Lit.  'everything.'  Cp.  verse  14,  n.  Toothers]  Or  perhaps,  'to 
his  own  conscience.' 

21.  Fali\  V.L.  adds  'or  stumbling  or  enfeeblement.' 


382  ROMANS   XV. 

to  please  his  fellow  Christian,  aiming  at  that  which  is  calculated 
to  build  him  up.     For  even  the   Christ   did  not  seek  His  own     3 
pleasure.      His    principle   was,    "  The    reproaches     which 

THEV  ADDRESSED  TO  THEE  HAVE  FALLEN  ON  ME"    (Ps.  Ixix.  9). 

For  all  that  was  written  of  old    has    been  written  for  our  in-     4 
struction,  so  that  we  may  always  have  hope  through  the  power 
of    endurance    and    the  encouragement   which    the    Scriptures 
afford.     And  may  God,  the  giver  of  power  of  endurance  and     5 
of  that  encouragement,  grant  you  to  be  in  full  sympathy  with 
one  another  in  accordance  with  the  example  of  Christ  Jesus,  so     6 
that  with  oneness  both  of  heart  and  voice  you  may  glorify  the 
God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Habitually  therefore  give  one  another  a  friendly     7 

Christ  has  wel-  .  /  ^,     •  i         ,  •       j 

comad  Jews    reception,  just  as    Christ    also  has  received  you, 
and  Gentiles.  ^^^  ^^ins  promote  the  glory  of  God.     My  meaning     8 
is  that  Christ  has  become  a  servant  to  the  people  of  Israel  in 
vindication  of  God's  truthfulness — in  showing  how  sure  are  the 
promises  made  to  our  forefathers — and   that   the  Gentiles  also     9 
have  glorified  God  in  acknowledgment  of  His  mercy.     So  it  is 
written, 
"For   this  reason    I   will   praise  Thee   among   the 
Gentiles,  and  sing  psalms    in  honour  of    Thy 
Name"  (Ps.  xviii.  49). 
And  again  the  Psalmist  says,  10 

"  Be  glad,  ye  Gentiles,  in  company  with  His  people  " 

(Deut.  xxxii.  43). 
And  again,  li 

"Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  Gentiles, 
And  let  all  the  people  extol  Him  "  (Ps.  cxvii.  i). 
And  again  Isaiah  says,  12 

"  There  shall  be  the  Root  of  Jesse 
And  One  who  rises  up  to  rule  the  Gentiles  : 
On    Him  shall  the  Gentiles  build  their  hopes" 

(Isa.  xi.  I,  10). 
May  God,  the  giver  of  hope,  fill  you  with  continual  joy  and     13 

3.  Addressed]  Or  '  were  addressing.' 

4.  5.   Encoiiragement\  Or  'consolation.'     Cp.  Acts  iv.  37,  n. 

5.  The  giver  0/]  Such  also  seems  to  be  the  true  force  of  the  genitive  in  the  expres- 
sions '  the  God  of  hope  '  (verse  13),  '  of  peace  '  (verse  33),  "of  confusion  '  (i  Cor.  xiv. 
33),  'of  love  and  peace'  (2  Cor.  xiii.  11),  '  of  all  grace'  (i  Pet.  v.  10),  and  possibly 
'  of  glory  '  (Acts  vii.  2,  but  see  note  there). 

8.  My  meaning  is\  Cp.  i  Cor.  i.  12.  A  serz'nttt]  i.e.  'God's  servant.'  Cp.  the 
often  misunderstood  and  often  misquoted  verse,  Heb.  i.  14.  In  showing]  Lit.  'in 
order  to  show,  &c.,'  this  clause  being  apparently  parallel  to  the  preceding  one  in 
vindication  of  God's  faithfulness. 

13.  Continual]  Lit.  'all.'    Because  you  trust  in  Hhn\  Lit  '  in  believing.' 


ROMANS   XV.  383 

P^^ce  because  you  trust  in    Him  —  so   that  you 

Joy,   Peace    may  have  abundant  hope  through  the  power  of 
and    Hope.      ^^^  p^^jy  gpjj^j^ 

Personal  Explanations. 

^^    ,       ^,        But  as  to  you,  brethren,  I   am  convinced — yes,     14 

The  Apostle  .    ^      ,  ^       .  .        ,   '  -  •'      '        ^ 

and         I   Paul  am  convmced — that,  even  apart  from   my 

his  Readers,  teaching,  you  are  aheady  full  of  goodness  of  heart, 
and  enriched  with  complete  Christian  knowledge,  and  are  also 
competent  to  instruct  one  another.    But  I  write  to  you  the  more     15 
boldly— partly  as  reminding  you  of  what  you  already  know — 
because  of  the  authority  graciously  entrusted  to  me  by  God,  that     16 
I   should  be  a  minister  of  Christ  Jesus   among  the   Gentiles, 
doing  priestly  duties  in  connexion  with  God's  Good  News  so 
that  the   sacrifice — namely  the  Gentiles — may  be  acceptable  to 
Him,  being  as  it  is  an  offering  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  made 
holy.     I  can  therefore  glory  in  Christ  Jesus  concerning  the  work     17 
for  God  in  which  I  am  engaged. 

The  Results  of     ^°^  ^  ^'^^^  "*^^  presume    to  mention  any  of  the     18 
Paul's  Min-     results    that   Christ  has   brought   about  by   other 
^"  agency  than  mine  in  securing  the  obedience  of  the 

Gentiles  by  word  or  deed,  with  power  manifested  in  signs  and  19 
marvels,  and  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  But — 
to  speak  simply  of  my  own  labours — beginning  at  Jerusalem 
and  the  outlying  districts,  I  have  proclaimed  without  reserve, 
even  as  far  as  lUyricum,  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ  ;  making  20 
it  my  ambition,  however,  not  to  tell  the  Good  News  where 
Christ's  name  was  already  known,  for  fear  I  should  be  building 
on  another  man's  foundation.     But,  as  Scripture  says,  21 

"  Those  shall  see,  to  whom  no  report  about  Him  has 
hitherto  come, 
And  those  who  until  now  have  not  heard  shall 
understand"  (Isa.  lii.  15). 

And  it  is  really  this  which  has  again  and  again     22 
^anticipated"^  prevented  my  coming  to  you.    But  now,  as  there  is     23 

no  more  unoccupied  ground  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
and  I  have  for  years  past  been  eager  to  pay  you  a  visit,  I  hope     24 

14.  Yes,  I  Paul]  Who  may  have  seemed  to  be  rebuking  you. 

15.  Authority g?-acioHsly]  Lit.  'grace.'     See  xii.  3,  n. 

19.  Bttt  to  speak  &=€.]  Lit.  '  so  that.'  Have  proclaimed]  The  tense  (the  Greek 
perfect)  implies  'where  the  Glad  Tidings  are  echoing  and  re-echoing  still.'  See 
Aorist\\\.  3,  4. 

22.    This]  This  unresting  evangelistic  labour,  always  breaking  new  soil. 


384  ROMANS   XV.-XVI. 

as  soon  as  ever   I   extend   my  travels   into  Spain,  to  see  you 
on  my  way  and  be  helped  forward  by  you  on  my  journey,  when 
I  have  first  enjoyed  being  with  you  for  a  time. 
_.     -  ,,    ..  But  at  present  I  am  going  to  Jerusalem  to  serve     25 

The  Collection  '■  t^        a  j  j 

for  the  Poor  at  God's  people,  for    Macedonia    and   Greece    have     26 

Jerusa  em.     ^^jj^^^jy  contributed  a  certain  sum  in  relief  of  the 
poor  among  God's  people  at  Jerusalem.     Yes,  they  have  kindly     27 
done  this,  and,  in  fact,  it  was  a  debt  they  owed  them.     For  seeing 
that  the  Gentiles  have  been  admitted  into  partnership  with  the 
Jews  in  their  spiritual  blessings,  they  in  turn  are  under  an  obli- 
gation to  render  sacred  service  to  the  Jews  in  temporal  things. 
So  after  discharging  this  duty,  and  making  sure  that  these  kind     28 
gifts  reach  those  for  whom  they  are  intended,  I  shall  start  for 
Spain,  passing  through  Rome  on  my  way  there  ;  and  I  know     29 
that  when  I  come  it  will  be  with  a  vast  amount  of  blessing  from 
Christ. 

But  I  entreat  you,  brethren,  in  the  name  of  our     30 

A  Request  for  Lord    Jesus    Christ    and    by  the    love  which  His 
Prayer.  .         . 

Spirit  inspires,  to  help  me  by  wrestling  in  prayer 

to  God  on  my  behalf,  asking  that  I  may  escape  unhurt  from     31 

those  in  Judaea  who  are  disobedient,  and  that  the  service  which 

I  am  going  to  Jerusalem  to  render  may  be  well  received  by  the 

church  there,  in  order  that  if  God  be  willing  I  may  come  to  you     32 

with  a  glad  heart,  and  may  enjoy  a  time  of  rest  with  you.  May     33 

God,  who  gives  peace,  be  with  you  all  !     Amen. 

Conclusion. 

Herewith  I  introduce  our  sister  Phoebe  to  you,     i 

The  Bearer  of  yy^o  is  a  servant  of  the  church  at  Cenchreae,  that     2 
this  Letter.  .  .       '  . 

you  may  receive  her  as  a  fellow  Christian  in  a 
manner  worthy  of  God's  people,  and  may  assist  her  in  any  matter 
in  which  she  may  need  help.  For  she  has  indeed  been  a  kind 
friend  to  many,  including  myself. 

Greetings    to     Prisca    and    Aquila    my     fellow     3 
Kindly        labourers  in    the    work    ot    Christ    Jesus — friends     4 
who  have  endangered  their  own  lives  for  mine.     I 

28.  Discharging  this  duty]  The  expression  here  used  by  St.  Paul  was  peihaps 
intended  to  suggest  that  the  gift  he  brought  was  a  religious  offering.  'J  hose /or  whom 
they  are  intended]  Lit.  'them.' 

30.  But]  The  apostle  was  anticipating  (verses  29,  32)  a  happy  visit  to  Rome,  but 
he  had  grave  fears  as  to  his  own  safety  ui  going  to  Jerusalem  first. 

I.  il^o  is]  v.L.  adds  '  also,'  i.e.  in  addition  to  her  1  eing  recognised  as  a  Christian 
sister.    Servant]  Or  'deaconess.'    Cp.  xiii.  4,  n. 


ROMANS   XVI.  385 

am  grateful  to  them,  and  not  I  alone,  but  all  the  Gentile  churches 
also.     Greetings  too  to  the  church  that  meets  at  their  house.     5 

Greetings  to  my  dear  Epaenetus,  who  was  the  earliest  con- 
vert to   Christ   in    the   province  of  Asia  ;    to    Mary   who   has     6 
laboured  strenuously  among  you  ;  and  to  Andronicus  and  Junia,     7 
my  countrymen,  who  once  shared  my  imprisonment.     They  are 
of  note    among    the   apostles,    and   are   Christians    of   longer 
standing  than  myself.     Greetings  to  Ampliatus,  dear  to  me  in     8 
the  Lord  ;  to  Urban,  our  fellow  labourer  in  Christ,  and  to  my     9 
dear  Stachys.     Greetings  to  Apella,  that  veteran  believer  ;  and     10 
to  the  members  of  the  household  of  Aristobulus.     Greetings  to     i  r 
my  countryman,  Herodian  ;  and  to  the  believing  members  of 
the  household  of   Narcissus.      Greetings    to    those    Christian     12 
workers,   Tryphaena  and  Tryphosa  ;  also  to  dear  Persis,  who 
has  laboured  strenuously  in  the  Lord's  work.  Greetings  to  Rufus,     13 
who  is  one  of  the  Lord's  chosen  people  ;  and  to  his  mother,  who 
has  also  been  a  mother  to  me.   Greetings  to  Asyncritus,  Phlegon,     14 
Hermes,  Patrobas,  Hermas,  and  to  the  brethren  associated  with 
them;  to   Philologus   and   Julia,    Nereus   and  his    sister  and     15 
Olympas,  and  to  all  God's  people  associated  with  them. 

Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss.  16 

All  the  churches  of  Christ  send  greetings  to  you. 
But  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  keep  a  watch  on  those  who     17 
are  causing  the  divisions  among  you,  and  are  leading  others  into 
sin,  in  defiance  of  the  instruction  which  you  have  received  ;  and 
habitually  to  shun  them.     For  men  of  that  stamp  are  not  bond-     18 
servants  of  Christ  our  Lord,  but  are  slaves  to  their  own  appetites  ; 
and  by  their  plausible  words  and  their  flattery  they  utterly  deceive 
the  minds  of  the  simple.     Your  fidelity  to  the  truth  is  everywhere     19 
known.     I  rejoice  over  you,  therefore,  but  I  wish  you  to  be  wise 
as  to  what  is  good,  and  simple-minded  as  to  what  is  evil.     And,     20 

5.  The  church  ^'c^  l:\i^  trade  that  Aquila  and  Priscilla  and  St.  Paul  followed  no 
doubt  necessitated  their  occupation,  if  not  of  a  large  house,  at  any  rate  of  a  house 
that  contained  one  large  room,  probably  the  entire  top  story.  We  liave  not  similar 
inforniation  concerning  Nymphas  (Col.  iv.  15),  or  Philemon  (Philem.  2).  See  also 
Acts  ii.  46  ;  xviii.  3. 

7.  Junia]  Or  '  Junias.'  Countrymen]  Or  perhaps  'relatives.'  Cp.  verses  ri,  21  ; 
ix.  3.  Are  0/ note  a7nong  the  apostles]  Cp.  2  Cor.  viii.  23.  Or  'are  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  apostles.'  Are  Christians  ^'c]  Lit.  '  were  in  Christ  (as  they  still  are) 
before  me.'     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

17.   Habitually  shun]  v.l.  '  promptly  turn  from.' 

19.  Fidelity  to  the  truth]  Lit.  '  obedience.'  Thus  Paul  obliquely  warns  his  readers 
to  beware  lest  their  unsuspicious  thirst  for  knowledge  become  a  weakness  on  which 
those  false  teachers  may  practise. 

20.  Before  long]  i.e.  at  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  in  70  a.d.,  when  the  Evil  one  was 
dethroned  (Rev.  xii.  9  ;  xx.  2),  and  Christ's  unseen,  heavenly  kingdom  established 
over  the  earth.  The  giver  o/]  Cp.  xv.  5.  Christ]  \.i..  omiis.  Another  v.l.  omits  the 
whole  verse. 

c  c 


386  ROMANS   XVI. 

before  long,  God  the  giver  of  peace  will  crush  Satan  under  your 
feet.     The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  ! 

Timothy,  my  fellow  worker,  sends  greetings  to  you,  and  so  do     21 
my  countrymen  Lucius  and  Sosipater.      I,    Tertius,  who   write     22 
this  letter,  send  you  Christian  greetings  ;  Gains,   my  host,  who     23 
is  also  the  host  of  the  whole  church,  greets  you.    So  do  Erastus, 
the  treasurer  of  the  city,  and  Ouartus,  our  brother. 

To  Him  who  has  it  in  his  power  to  make  you     25 
0x0  ogy.    g^j.^j^g^   ^g   declared    in    the    Good  News  which  I 
am  spreading,  and  the  proclamation  concerning  Jesus  Christ, 
in  harmony  with  the  unveiling  of  the  Truth  which  in  the  periods 
of  past   ages  remained  unuttered,  but  has  now  been  brought     26 
fully  to  hght,  and  by  the  command  of  the  God  of  the  ages  has 
been  made  known  by  the  writings  of  the  Prophets  among  all 
the  Gentiles  to  win   them  to  obedience  to  the  faith — to  God, 
the  only  wise,  through  Jesus  Christ,  even  to  Him  be  the  glory     27 
through  all  the  ages  !     Amen. 

23.  Of  the  whole  church^  Hence  it  is  possible  that  the  A.V.  rendering  of  i   Cor. 
xi.  20  ("when  you  come  together  into  one  place  ")  is  correct.  _ 

24.  v.L.  inserts:   '  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all  !     Amen.' 
25-27.   "  The  doxology  sums  up  all  the  great  ideas  of  the  Epistle"    (S.H.). 

26.  Obedience  to  the/aith^  Cp.  i.  5,  n. 

27.  Even  to  Hun]   Lit.  '  to  whom.'    Ecstatic  fervour  triumphs  over  grammar  ! 


PAUL'S    FIRST   LETTER    TO    THE 
CORINTHIANS 


The  genuineness  of  the  two  Letters  to  the  Corinthians  has  never 
been  seriously  disputed.  The  first  was  written  by  the  apostle 
Paul,  probably  in  the  early  spring  of  56  A.D.,  just  before  he  left 
Ephesus  for  Troas  in  the  course  of  his  third  missionary  journey 
(Acts  xix.).  The  church  at  Corinth  had  been  founded  by  him 
during  his  previous  tour  (Acts  xviii.).  After  some  hesitation  he 
had  been  induced  to  preach  at  Corinth,  and  in  spite  of  the  op- 
position of  the  Jews  such  great  success  attended  his  efforts  that 
he  remained  there  for  more  than  eighteen  months.  The  furious 
attack  upon  him  which  was  frustrated  by  Gallio,  gave  impetus 
to  the  new  cause,  so  that  when  the  apostle  left,  there  was  a  com- 
paratively strong  church  there,  consisting  mostly  of  Greeks,  but 
including  not  a  few  Jews  also.  The  dangers,  however,  arising 
out  of  the  temperament  and  circumstances  of  the  Corinthians 
soon  manifested  themselves.  The  city  was  the  capital  of 
Roman  Greece,  a  wealthy  commercial  centre,  and  the  home  of 
a  restless,  superficial  intellectualism.  Exuberant  verbosity, 
selfish  display,  excesses  at  the  Lord's  table,  unseemly  behaviour 
of  women  at  meetings  for  worship,  and  also  abuse  of  spiritual 
gifts,  were  complicated  by  heathen  influences  and  the  corrupt- 
ing customs  of  idolatry,  more  especially  under  the  supposed 
protection  of  Poseidon  and  Aphrodite.  Hence  the  apostle's 
pleas,  rebukes  and  exhortations.  Most  of  all  noteworthy  is  his 
forceful  treatment  of  the  subject  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ ; 
and  this  only  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  event,  Corinth 
being  all  the  time  easily  accessible  from  Jerusalem.  Of  the 
Letter  mentioned  in  v.  9  we  know  nothing. 


PAUL'S  FIRST  LETTER  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

Introduction, 

Paul,  called   to   be  an   apostle  of  Christ  Jesus     i 
through  the  will  of  God — and  our   brother  Sos- 
thenes  : 

To  the  church    of  God  at    Corinth,   men  and  women  con-     2 
secrated  in  Christ  Jesus,  called  to  be  saints,  with  all  in  every 
place  who  call  on  the  name  of  our   Lord  Jesus    Christ — their 
Lord  as  well  as  ours.     May  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you     3 
from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I  thank  my  God  continually  on  your  behalf  for  the     4 
Thankftfiness,  g^^^e  of  God  bestowed  on  you  in  Christ  Jesus — that 

you  have  been  so  richly  blessed  in  Him,  with  readi-     5 
ness  of  speech  and  fulness  of  knowledge.     Thus  my  testimony     6 
as  to  the  Christ  has  been  confirmed  in  your  experience,  so  that     7 
there  is  no  gift  of  God  in  which  you  consciously  come  short  while 
patiently  waiting  for  the  re-appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  will  also  keep  you  stedfast  to  the  very  end,  so  that  you  will     8 
be  free  from  reproach  on  the  day  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  God     9 
is  ever  true  to  His  promises,  and  it  was  by  Him  that  you  were, 
one  and  all,  called  into  fellowship  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
our  Lord. 

The  Divisions  in  tfie  Corintliian  Cliurcli, 

Now  I  entreat  you,  brethren,  in  the  name  of  our     10 
'^"  ^Pjity.'  ^^^  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  cultivate  a  spirit  of  harmony- 
all  of  you — and  that  there  be  no  divisions  among  you, 

1.  Christ  Jesus]  v.l.  '  Jesus  Christ,' 

2.  Cotisecrated]  Or  'sanctified.'  Saints]  Or 'holy.'  To  be  saints]  Through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  primarily,  and  to  do  and  dare  and  bear  great  things 
for  God  and  speak  for  Him,  only  secondarily  and  as  the  result  of  being  saints. 
Their  Lord  as  well  as  ours]  Or  '  their  place  and  ours  no  less.' 

4.  In  Christ  Jesus]  Through  your  vital  union  with  Him.     Cp.  John  xv.  2,  4. 

5.  So  richly]  Or  '  in  every  respect.'     But  cp.  2  Cor.  xi.  6,  n. 
7.  Consciously]  Cp.  Luke  xv.  14,  n. 

g.  Inio/ellozvship]  Lit.  '  into  partnership.'     Cp.  i  John  i.  3,  n. 
10.  Cultivate  a  spirit  0/ harmony]  Lit,  'speak  the  same  tiling.' 

389 


390  I.    CORINTHIANS   I. 

but  rather  a  perfect  union  through  your  having  one  mind  and  one 
judgement.     For  I  have  been  distinctly  informed,  my  brethren,     ii 
about  you  by  Chloe's  people,  that  there  are  dissensions  among 
you.     What  I  mean  is  that  each  of  you  is  a  partisan.     One  man     12 
says  "  I  belong  to  Paul  ; "  another  "  I  belong  to  Apollos  ; "    a 
third  "  1  belong  to  Peter  ;"  a  fourth  "  I  belong  to  Christ."    Is     13 
the  Christ  in  fragments  ?     Is  it  Paul  who  was  crucified  on  your 
behalf?  or  were  you  baptized  to  be  Paul's  adherents?     I  thank     14 
God  that  I  did  not  baptize  any  of  you  except  Crispus  and  Gaius 
— for  fear  people  should  say  that  you  were  baptized  to  be  my     1 5 
adherents.     I  did,  however,  baptize  Stephanas'  household  also  :     16 
but  I  do  not  think  that  I  baptized  any  one  else. 

Christ  did  not  send  me  to  baptize,  but  to  proclaim     1 7 
of  thTcfrofs^    the  Good  News  ;  not  in  mere  learned  language — 
lest  the  Cross  of  Christ  should  be  deprived  of  its 
power.     For  the  Message  of  the  Cross  is  foolishness  to  those     18 
who  are  on  the  way  to  perdition,  but  it  is  the  power  of  God  to 
those  whom  He  is  saving.     For  so  it  stands  written,  "  I  WILL     19 
EXHIBIT  THE  NOTHINGNESS   OF    THE   WISDOM   OF  THE  WISE, 
AND   THE   INTELLIGENCE   OF   THE  INTELLIGENT  I  WILL  BRING 

TO    nought"   (Isa.   xxix,    14).      Where   is    your  wise    man?    20 
where  your  expounder  of  the  Law  ?  where  your  investigator  of 
the  questions  of  this  present  age  ?     Has  not  God  shown  the 
world's  wisdom  to  be  utter  foolishness  ? 

For  after  the  world  by  its  wisdom— as  God  in  His  wisdom  had     21 
ordained — had  failed  to  gain  the  knowledge  of  God,  God  was 
pleased,  by  the  apparent  foolishness  of  the  Message  which  we 
preach,  to  save  those  who  accepted  it ;  seeing  that  Jews  demand     22 

12.  Peter]  Lit.  '  Cephas.' 

13.  In/ragfuents]  See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4.  To  be  Pauls  adherents]  Lit.  '  unto  (or, 
into)  Paul's  name.'     Cp.  xii.  13  ;  Matt,  xxviii.  19  ;  and  see  Ellicott  on  Gal.  iii.  27. 

15.   To  be  my  adherents]  Lit.  '  unto  (or,  into)  my  name.' 

18.  The  Message  of, the  Cross]  Not  merely  the  facts  as  to  Christ's  death  and 
the  doctrines  involved  therein,  but  also  the  truth  expressed  in  Luke  ix.  23  :  ''  If  any 
man  would  come  after  me  let  him  ignore  self,  and  take  up  his  cross  dailv,  and 
follow  me  ;  for  whoever  would  save  his  life  shall  lose  it,  but  whoever  shall  lose  his 
life  for  my  sake,  the  same  shall  save  it."  We  do  not  get  the  full  benefit  of  Christ's 
atoning  sacrifice  unless  we  are  willing,  through  faith,  to  die  with  Him  to  sin  and  the 
world  (Gal.  vi.  14). 

18-27.  Foolishness,  foolish]  Or  'absurdity,  absurd.'  These  words,  signifying  a 
high  degree  of  folly,  were  probably  more  or  less  frequently  flung  at  the  apostle  by 
the  '  wise  men '  who  heard — or  heard  of— his  preaching  at  Corinth. 

19.  The  wise]  Or  '  the  philosophers '  (Acts  xvii.  18).  This  latter  title,  the  true 
and  modest  meaning  of  which  is  '  lover  of  knowledge,'  was  first  adopted  by  Pytha- 
goras, but  many  men,  far  inferior  to  Pythagoras,  claimed  to  be  not  mere  lovers  of 
wisdom  but  actual  possessors  of  it  (' j^/Z/c/,' wise),  and  Paul  here  allows  them  to 
stand  on  this  loftier  pedestal  that  their  fall,  when  God  abases  them,  may  be  the 
more  cnnsoicuous.     Cp.  Col.  ii.  8. 

22.  JlJirades]  Lit.  'signs,' as  everywhere  in  John's  Gospel. 


I.    CORINTHIANS   I.-II.  391 

miracles,  and  Greeks  go  in  search  of  wisdom,  while  we  pro-     23 
claim  a  Christ  who  has  been  crucified — to  Jews  a  stumbhng- 
block,  to  Gentiles  foolishness,  but  to  those  who  have  received     24 
the  Call,  whether  Jews  or  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and 
the  wisdom  of  God  ;  because  that  which  the  world  deems  foolish     25 
in  God  is   wiser  than  men's  wisdom,  and  that  which  it  deems 
feeble  in  God  is  mightier  than  men's  might. 

Facts  as  t    th        ^^^  consider,  brethren,  God's  call  to  you.     Not     26 
Church  at      many  who  are  wise  with   merely  human  wisdom, 
not  many  of  position  and  influence,  not  many  of 
noble  birth  have  been  called  ;  but  God  has  chosen  the  things     27 
which  the  world  regards  as  foolish,  in  order  to  put  its  wise  men 
to  shame  ;  and  God  has   chosen  the  things  which   the   world 
regards  as  destitute  of  influence,  in  order  to  put   its  powerful 
things  to  shame  ;  and  the  things  which  the  world   regards  as     28 
base,  and  those  which  it  sets  utterly  at  nought — things  that  have 
no  existence — God  has  chosen,  in  order  to  reduce  to  nothing 
things  that  do  exist ;  to  prevent  any  mortal  man  from  boasting     29 
in  the  presence  of  God.     But  you — and  it  is  all  God's  doing —     30 
are  in  Christ  Jesus :  He  has  become  for  us  a  wisdom  which  is 
from  God,   consisting  of  righteousness  and  sanctification  and 
deliverance  ;  in  order  that  it  m.ay   be  as  Scripture  says,  "He     31 
WHO   BOASTS — LET   HIS    BOAST  BE  IN   THE  LORD  "  (Jer.  ix.  24). 

And  as  for  myself,  brethren,  when  I  came  to  you,     i   ' 

The  spirit  m     .  ...  -      .  •'       '  4 

which  Paul     It  was  not  With  surpassing  power  of  eloquence  or 
'"corilvtli^*    earthly   wisdom  that   I  came  announcing  to  you 
that  which  God  had  commanded  me  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  ;  for  I  determined  to  be   utterly  ignorant,  when  among     2 
you,  of  everything  except  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  Him  as  having 
been  crucified.     And  so  far  as  I  myself  was  concerned,  I  came     3 
to  you  in  conscious  feebleness  and  in  fear  and  in  deep  anxiety  ; 
and  my  language  and  the  Message  that  I  proclaimed  were  not     4 
adorned  with  persuasive  words  of  earthly  wisdom,  but  depended 
upon  truths  which  the  Spirit  taught  and  mightily  carried  home  ; 

26.  Not  many  .  .  kave  been  called]  Or  '  Not  many  of  you  are  wise,  &c.' 
28.   That  have  no  existence]  Slaves  for  example,  of  whom  there  were  many  in  the 
early  Christian  church.     According  to  the  popular  language  of  those  days  the  slave 
was  a  thing  that  was  not.     "  He   had  no  side   of  his  existence  distinct   fronr  his 
master's  "  (1.  C.  Edwards). 

30.   Deliverance]  Cp.  Rom.  iii.  24  ;  Eph.  i.  7,  14,  n. 

1.  That  which  God  dr'c.]  v.L.  '  the  mystery  (or,  secret  truth)  of  God.' 

2.  Perhaps  the  comparative  failure  of  his  preaching  at  Athens  (Acts  xvii.  34)  had 
taught  the  apostle  how  little  men's  hearts  and  consciences  are  touched  by  even  the 
cleveiest  arguments  on  behalf  of  the  truth. 

3.  Powerful  as  the  Message  was,  the  bearer  was  himself  weak. 


392  I.    CORINTHIANS   II.-III. 

so  that  your  trust  might  rest  not  on  the  wisdom  of  man  but  on     5 
the  power  of  God. 

The  true  ^^^  when  we  are  among  mature  behevers  we  do     6 

Divine  Wis-     speak  words  of  wisdom  ;  a  wisdom  not  belonging, 
°'"'  however,  to  the  present  age  nor  to  the  leaders  of 

the  present  age  who  are  soon  to  pass  away.  But  in  dealing  7 
with  truths  hitherto  kept  secret  we  speak  of  God's  wisdom — 
that  hidden  wisdom  which,  before  the  world  began,  God  pre- 
destined, so  that  it  should  result  in  glory  to  us  ;  a  wisdom  which  8 
not  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  present  age  possesses,  for  if  they 
had  possessed  it,  they  would  never  have  crucified  the  Lord  of 
glory.      But  —  to    use    the  words    of  Scripture  —  we   speak   of    9 

THINGS     WHICH     EYE     HAS   NOT   SEEN    NOR   EAR   HEARD,    and 

which  have  never  entered  the  heart  of  man  :  ALL  THAT  GOD 

HAS    IN    READINESS    FOR   THEM    THAT   LOVE    HiM  (Isa.  Ixiv.  4). 

For  us,  however,  God  has  drawn  aside   the   veil  through   the     10 
teaching  of  the    Spirit ;    for   the  Spirit    searches    everything, 
including  the  depths  of  the  divine  nature. 

_.    ^      j^.^         For,  among  human  beings,  who  knows  a  man's     11 
of  the  Holy     inner  thoughts  except  the  man's  own  spirit  within 
^''"^'*"         him.?    In  the  same  way,  also,  only  God's   Spirit 
is  acquainted   with    God's   inner  thoughts.     But    we  have   not     12 
received  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  comes 
forth  from  God,  that  we  may  know  the  blessings  that  have 
been  so  freely  given  to  us  by  God.     Of  these  we  speak — not  in     13 
language  which  man's  wisdom  teaches  us,  but  in  that  which  the 
Spirit  teaches — adapting,  as  we  do,  spiritual  words  to  spiritual 
truths.     The  unspiritual  man  rejects  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of    14 
God,  and  cannot  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  them,  because  they 
are  spiritually  judged  ;  but  the  spiritual  man  judges  of  every-     15 
thing,  although  he  is  himself  judged  by  no  one.     For  WHO  HAS     16 

PENETRATED  THE   MIND   OF  THE    LORD,  AND    WILL    INSTRUCT 

Him  (Isa.  xl.  13)  ?    But  we  have  the  mind  of  Christ. 
_.  .  .  And  as  for  myself,  brethren,  I   found  it  impos-     i    ' 

Divisions  a  j  i  i  r  ^ 

sure  proof  of  sible  to  speak  to  YOU  as  spiritual  men  :  it  had  to 
Unspirituaiity.  j^^  ^^  ^^  worldlings— mere  babes  in  Christ.     I  fed     2 

8.  Pos'iesses]  Lit.  'learnt.'     Possessed]  Lit.  'learnt.' 

12.  The  spirit  of  the  world]  Cp.  Eph.  ii.  2. 

13.  Truths]  or 'men.' 

14.  Unspiritual]  Or  'psychical  ;'  or,  if  we  had  such  a  word,  '.soulish.'  In  the 
psychical  man  "  the  spirit,  being  unvivified  and  uninformed  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  is 
overborne  by  the  animal  soul  with  its  desires — and  is  in  abeyance,  so  tliat  he  may  be 
said  not  to  have  it  "  (Alford).      Things]  Teachings,  suggestions,  warnings,  promises. 

2.  I/edyomvith]  Lit.  'I  caused  you  to  drink,'  an  example  of  'zeugma'  Cp. 
Phil.  iv.  9. 


I.    CORINTHIANS   III.  393 

you  with  milk  and  not  with  solid  food,  since  for  this  you  were  not 
yet  strong  enough.  And  even  now  you  are  not  strong  enough  : 
you  are  still  unspiritual  ;  for  so  long  as  jealousy  and  strife  con-  3 
tinue  among  you,  can  it  be  denied  that  you  are  unspiritual  and 
are  hving  and  acting  like  mere  men  of  the  world  ?  For  when  4 
some  one  says,  "  I  belong  to  Paul,"  and  another  says,  "  I 
belong  to  Apollos,"  is  not  this  the  way  men  of  the  world  speak  ? 
„  What   then   is   Apollos  ?    and   what    is   Paul  ?     5 

Human  '^  -' 

Teachers  mere  They   are  just    God's    servants,    through    whose 
'cod^s^Hrnds!"  efforts,  and  as  the  Lord  granted  power  to  each, 

you  accepted  the  faith.     I   planted  and   Apollos     6 
watered  ;  but  it  was  God  who  was,  ail  the  time,  giving  the 
increase.     So  that  neither  the  planter  nor  the  waterer  is  of  any     7 
importance  :  God  who  gives  the  increase  is  all  in  all.     Now  in     8 
aim  and  purpose  the  planter  and  the  waterer  are  one  ;  and  yet 
each  will  receive  his  own  special  reward  answering  to  his  own 
special  work.     Apollos  and  I  are  simply  fellow  workers  for  and     9 
with  God,  and  you  are  Goiil's  field — God^s  building. 
The  Responsi-      ^"  discharge  of  the  task  which  God  graciously     10 
biiity  of       entrusted   to   me,    I — like    a   competent    master- 
eac  ers.      buiij^^j- — have  laid   a  foundation,    and  others  are 
building  upon  it.     But  let  every  one  be  careful  how  and  what 
he  builds.     For  no  one  can  lay  any  other  foundation  in  addition     11 
to  that  which  is  already  laid,  namely  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  whether     12 
the  building  which  any  one  is  erecting  on  that  foundation  be  of 
gold  or  silver  or  costly  stones,  of  timber  or  hay  or  straw- -the     13 
true  character  of  each  individual's  work  will  become  manifest. 
For  the  day  of  Christ  will  disclose  it,  because  that  day  is  soon 
to  come  upon  us  clothed  in  fire,  and  as  for  the  quality  of  every 
one's   work— the   fire  is  the  thing  which  will  test  it.     If  any     14 
one's  work — the   building    which    he   has   erected — stands  the 
test,  he  will  be  rewarded.     If  any  one's  work  is  burnt  up,  he     15 
will  suffer  the  loss  of  it  ;  yet  he  will  himself  be  rescued,  but 
only,  as  it  were,  by  passing  through  the  fire. 

Do  you  not  know  that  you  are  God's  Sanctuary,  and  that  the     16 


3.  So  long  as  .   .  continue]  Lit.  '  where  .  .  are,' 

9.  ApoUos  and  I  are  simply]  Lit.  '  we  are.'     For  and  with]  Lit.  'of.' 

10.  In  discha7-ge  .  .  entrusted]  Lit.  '  In  accordance  with  the  grace  of  God  which 
was  given.'     See  Rom.  .xii.  3,  n.     H  oiv  and  zvhat]  Lit.  'how.' 

72.  Is  building]  The  apostle  refers  to  the  teaching-work  (good,  bad,  or  indiffer- 
ent) which  was  going  on  in  the  Corinthian  church  at  the  time  he  wrote. 

13.  The  day  of  Christ]  Lit.  simply  '  the  day.'  Is  soon  .  .  clothed]  Lit.  '  is  being 
revealed.' 

15.  "  The  fire  is  not  the  punishment,  but  the  test "  (Edwards). 


394  I.    CORINTHIANS   III.-IV. 

Spirit  of  God  has  His  home  within   you?    If  any     17 
God's"peopie    one   is   marring  the   Sanctuary  of  God,  him  will 
*s  ^Sin"^^"'     ^°^    ^^^ '    ^°^   ^^^    Sanctuary  of  God   is   holy, 
which  you  all  are. 

Let    no    on6    deceive    himself.      If   any    man     18 

Mere  human  ,         ,       .  .  ^        •  ,       ^ 

Wisdom       imagmes  that  he  is  wise,  compared  with  the  rest 
worthless.     ^^  ^^^^  ^j^j^  ^j^^  wisdom  of  the  present  age,  let 
him  become  "  foolish  "  so  that  he  may  be  wise.     This  world's     19 
wisdom  is  "  foolishness"  in  God's  sight  ;  for  it  is  written,  "  He 

SNARES   THE   WISE   WITH   THEIR   OWN    CUNNING"   (Job   V.   I3), 

and  again,  "  The  Lord  takes  knowledge  of  the  reason-     20 

INGS  OF  THE  WISE— how    USELESS  THEY  ARE"  (Ps.   xciv.  II ). 

Therefore  let  no  one  boast  about  his   human  teachers.     For     21 
everything  belongs  to  you — be  it  Paul  or  Apollos  or  Peter,  the    22 
world  or  life   or   death,  things   present   or  future — everything 
belongs  to  you  ;  and  you  belong  to  Christ,  and  Christ  belongs     23 
to  God. 

As  for  us  apostles,  let  any  one  take  this  view  of     i   , 
"'"'^^bmtv'of"^'"  "^ — '^^  ^^^  Christ's  officers,  and  stewards  of  God's 
Preachers  is    secret  truths.     This  being  so,  it  follows  that  fidel-     2 
ity  is  what  is  required  in   stewards.     I  however     3 
am  very  little  concerned  at  undergoing  your  scrutiny,  or  that  of 
other  men  ;  in  fact  I  do  not  even  scrutinize  myself.     Though  I     4 
am  not  conscious  of  having  been  in  any  way  unfaithful,  yet  I  do 
not  for  that  reason  stand  acquitted  ;  but   He  whose  scrutiny 
I  must   undergo   is   the    Lord.     Therefore  form  no  premature     5 
judgements,    but   wait   until   the  Lord  returns.     He  will  both 
bring  to  light  the  secrets  of  darkness  and  will   openly  disclose 
the  motives  that  have  been  in  people's  hearts  ;  and  then  the 
praise  which  each  man  deserves  will  come  to  him  from  God. 

In  writing  this  much,  brethren,  with  special  refer-     6 
Party  L.Tade'rs  ^^^^  ^°  Apollos  and  myself,  I  have  done  so  for 
are  not       your  sakes,  in  order  to  teach  you  by  our  example 
speci  le  .      ^jj^|.   ti^ose   words  mean,   which   say,   "  Nothing 

18.   Compared  with^  Lit.  'among.' 

21.  His  h]t7nati  teachers]  lAi.  '  mex\.' 

■21.  Peter]  Lit.  'Cephas.'     Things ftdu  re]  Lit.  '  things  soon  to  be.' 

I.  Us  apostles]  Paul,  Apollos,  Peter.  See  verse  6.  Lit.  simply  '  us.'  Oncers] 
See  Matt.  xxvi.  58.  The  word  occurs  twenty  times  in  all,  but  only  here  in  the 
Letters  of  Paul. 

3.  /  /nnvever]  And  no  doubt  Apollos  and  Peter  would  say  the  same. 

5.  Returns']  Lit.  *  comes.'  Both  .  .  and]  Roth  the  actions  of  men  and  their 
motives. 

6.  With  special  refere7ice  (s^c]  "  By  what  I  have  said  of  Apollos  and  myself,  I 
have  shown  what  holds  true  of  all  Christian  teachers  "  (Thayer).  To  Apollos  and 
tnyselj]  Lit.  '  to  myself  and  Apollos."     Cp.  ix.  6. 


I.   CORINTHIANS   IV.  395 

beyond  what  is  written  !  "—so  that  you  may  cease  to  take  sides 
in  boastful  rivahy,  for  one  teacher  against  another. 

Why,    who    gives    you    your    superiority,    my     7 
^°n?Jn'*y^^"     brother?     Or  what  have  you   that  you  did  not 
receive?    And   if  you   really   did  receive  it,  why 
boast  as  if  this  were  not  so  ? 

Every  one  of  you  already  has  all  that  heart   can    desire  ;     8 
already  you  have  grown  rich  ;  without  waiting  for  us,  you  have 
ascended  your  thrones  !     Yes  indeed,  would  to  God  that  you 
had  ascended  your  thrones,  that  we  also  might  reign  with  you  ! 
God,  it  seems  to  me,  has  exhibited  us  apostles  last  of  all,  as     9 
men  condemned  to  death  ;  for  we  have  come  to  be  a  spectacle 
to  all  creation— alike  to  angels  and  to  men.     We,  for  Christ's     10 
sake,  are  labelled  as  "foolish  :  "  you,  as  Christians,  are  men  of 
shrewd  intelligence  ;  we  are  mere  weaklings  :  you  are  strong  ; 
you  are  in  high  repute  :  we  are  outcasts.     To  this  very  moment     11 
we  endure  both  hunger  and  thirst,  with  scanty  clothing  and 
many  a  blow.     Homes  we  have  none  ;  wearily  we  toil,  working     12 
with  our  own  hands.     When  reviled,  we  bless  ;    when  perse- 
cuted, we  bear   it  patiently  ;  when  slandered,  we  try  to  con-     13 
ciliate.     We  have  come  to  be  regarded  as  the  mere  dirt  and 
fillh  of  the  world— the  refuse   of  the   universe,    even   to   this 
hour. 

I  am  not  writing  all  this  to  shame  you,  but  I  am     14 
E^nt?eL"y.      offering  you  advice  as  my  dearly-loved  children. 

For  even  if  you  were  to  have  ten  thousand  spiritual  15 
instructors — for  all  that  you  could  have  not  several  fathers  :  it 
is  I  who  in  Christ  Jesus  became  your  father  through  the  Good 
News.  I  entreat  you  therefore  to  become  like  me.  P'or  this  16,17 
reason  I  have  sent  Timothy  to  you.  Spiritually  he  is  my 
dearly-loved  and  faithful  child.  He  will  remind  you  of  my 
habits  as  a  Christian  teacher — the  manner  in  which  I  teach 
everywhere  in  every  church. 

7.  With  these  three  pointed  questions  Paul  turns  for  a  moment  from  the  Church 
as  a  whole  to  rebuke  some  individual  teacher  unnamed,  whom  the  flattery  of  a  party 
has  elated.     Did  receive]  Cp.  Luke  xi.  i8. 

8.  Has  all  that  heart  can  desire]  Lit.  '  is  filled  to  satiety.'  Have  gro^vn  .  . 
have  ascended]  See  Aorist  vi.  6. 

9.  Exhibited  .  .  last  0/ all]  Alluding  "  to  the  custom  of  carrying  into  effect  the 
sentence  on  men  condemned  to  death  as  a  fitting  close  to  the  day's  sport,  when  less 
sanguinary  exhibitions  had  palled  on  the  spectators'  appetite  "  (T.  C.  Edwards). 

10.  Von]  "  Party  leaders  and  party  men   '  (Alford). 
13.  Come  to  be  regarded  as]  Lit.  'become.' 

15.  Spiritual  instructors]  Lit.  '  schoolmasters  in  Christ.'  The  first  of  these 
words  also  occurs  in  Gal.  iii.  24,  25. 

17.  Have  sent]  Or  '  sent,' or  'send.'  See  T.  C.  Edwards's  note.  Spiritually] 
Lit.  '  in  the  Lord.'     Hacits  as  a  Christian  teacher]  Lit.  '  ways  in  Christ.' 


396  I.   CORINTHIANS    IV. -V. 

Tu    r,    ,:     *      But  some  of  you  have  been  puffed  up  through     i8 
The  Reality  of  ,         ,         ,        x  •  ^-     •     i 

apostolic       getting  the  idea  that  I  am  not  coming  to  Cormth. 

Authority.       ^^^^   ^^  ^^^   j^^^^  -^  ^yjuj^a   I  shall  come  to  you     19 

without  delay  ;  and  then  I  shall  know  not  the  fine  speeches  of 
these  conceited  people,  but  their  power.    For  apostoHc  authority     20 
is  not  a  thing  of  words,  but  of  power.     Which   shall  it  be.'' —     21 
shall  I   come  to  you  with  a  rod,  or  in  a  loving  and   tender 
spirit  ? 

A  stern  Rebuke, 

In  tance  of      ^^  ^^  actually  reported  that  there  is  fornication     i    1 
gross  immor-  among  you,  and  of  a  kind  unheard  of  even  among 

^  '  ^'  the  Gentiles — a  man  has  his  father's  wife  !    And     2 

you,  instead  of  mourning  and  removing  from  among  you  the 
man  who  has  done  this  deed  of  shame,  are  filled  with  self- 
complacency  !    I   for    my    part,    present    with    you    in    spirit     3 
although  absent  in   body,   have   already,   as   though    I    were 
present,  judged  him  who  has  so  acted.     In  the  name  of  our    4 
Lord  Jesus,  when  you  are  all  assembled  and  my  spirit  is  with 
you,  together  with  the  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  I  have  handed     5 
over  such  a  man  to  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  his  body,  that 
his  spirit  may  be  saved  on  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

.    ^  .      .^^.        It  is  no  good  thing — this  which  you  make  the     6 
The  false  Atti-  ,      ^   ^         .  *?  ^  ^        , 

tudeofthe  ground  of  your  boasting.  Do  you  not  know  that 
Corinthians.  ^  y^^^^^  ^^^^^  Corrupts  the  whole  of  the  dough  ? 
Get  rid  of  the  old  yeast  so  that  you  may  be  dough  of  a  new  7 
kind  ;  for  in  fact  you  are  free  from  corruption.  For  our  Pass- 
over Lamb  has  already  been  offered  in  sacrifice — even  Christ. 
Therefore  let  us  keep  our  festival  not  with  old  yeast  nor  with  8 
the  yeast  of  what  is  evil  and  mischievous,  but  with  bread  free 
from  yeast — the  bread  of  transparent  sincerity  and  of  truth. 

I  wrote  to  you  in  that  letter  that  you  were  not     0 

A  previous  ■'  ]  -y 

Warning dis-   to  associate  With   fornicators;    not   that    in    this     10 

regar  e  .  ^qj-j^j  yQ^  ^^^  |-q  ijeep  wholly  aloof  from  such  as 
they,  any  more  than  from  people  who  are  avaricious  and  greedy 

18.  Corinth]  Lit.  'you.' 

20.  Apostolic  authority]  Lit.  '  the  kingdom  of  God.' 

5.  Body]  Lit.  '  flesh  ; '  the  word  which  Paul  applies  to  the  whole  of  man's  earthly 
nature.  See  Rom.  vii.  i8,  n.  Destruction  of  his  body]  Or  possibly  'marring  of  his 
earthly  life.'    Jesus]  v.l.  omits. 

6.  Yeast]  i.e.  'leaven'  or  'barm.'  Corrupts]  Or  'puts  .  .  into  a  ferment.' 
Lit.  '  leavens.' 

7.  Free/roin  corruption]  i.e.  in  inmost  motive  and  intention. 

8.  Transparent]  Cp.  2  Cor.  ii.  17,  n. 

9.  In  that  letter]  Lit.  '  in  the  letter  ;'  one  now  lost. 

10.  Not  <Sr»c.]  Lit.  '  not  (meaning)  that  you  were  wholly  (not-to-associate),'  &c. 


I.    CORINTHIANS   V.-VI.  397 

of  gain,  or  from  worshippers  of  idols.     For  that  would  mean 
that  you  would  be  compelled  to  go  out  of  the  world  altogether. 
But  what  I  meant  was  that  you  were  not  to  associate  with  any     11 
one  bearing  the  name  of  "  brother,"  if  he  was  addicted  to  forni- 
cation or  avarice  or  idol-worship  or  abusive  language  or  hard- 
drinking  or  greed  of  gain.     With  such  a  man  you  ought  not 
even   to  eat.     For  what  business  of  mine  is  it  to  judge  out-     12 
siders  ?    Is  it  not  for  you  to  judge  those  who  are  within  the 
church  while  you   leave  to    God's  judgement  those    who   are     13 
outside?    Remove  the    wicked  man   from   among  you   (Deut. 
xxii.  24), 

Litigation  at  Corinth, 

Liti  ation  in        ^^  °^^  °^  ^^^  ^^^  ^  grievance  against  an  oppo-     i   g 
heathen  Law    nent,  does  he  dare  to  go  to  law  before  irreligious 

°"''  ®"        men  and  not  before  God's  people  ?    Do  you  not     2 
know  that  God's  people  will  sit  in  judgement  upon  the  world  ? 
And  if  you  are  the  court  before  which  the  world  is  to  be  judged, 
are  you  unfit  to  deal  with  these  petty  matters  "^    Do  you  not     3 
know  that  we  are  to  sit  in  judgement   upon   angels — to  say 
nothing  of  things  belonging  to  this  life  ?    If  therefore  you  have     4 
things  belonging  to  this  life  which  need  to  be  decided,  is  it  men 
who  are  absolutely  nothing  in  the  church — is  it  they  whom  you 
make  your  judges  ?    I  say  this  to  put  you  to  shame.     Has  it     5 
come  to  this,  that  there  does  not  exist  among  you  a  single  wise 
man  competent  to  decide  between  a  man  and  his  brother,  but    6 
brother  goes  to  law  with  brother,  and  that  before  unbehevers  ? 
,„  ,  .^.     ^.  To  say  no  more,  then,  it  is  altogether  a  defect  in     7 

All  Litigation  ,     -^  ,  ,  •  ^  ^  , 

between       you   that   you  have   law-suits   with   one  another. 
^''cotJragld!'^"  W^y  ^ot  rather  endure  injustice  ?  Why  not  rather 

submit  to  being  defrauded  ?    On  the  contrary  you     8 
yourselves   inflict  injustice  and  fraud,  and  upon  brethren  too.     9 
Do  you  not  know   that  unrighteous  men  will  not  inherit  God's 
Kingdom  ? 

Cherish  no  delusion  here.     Neither  fornicators,  nor  idolaters, 
nor  adulterers,  nor  any  who  are  guilty  of  unnatural  crime,  nor     10 

2.  Is  to  be  judged]  Or  '  is  (even  now)  being  judged.' 

4.  Men  who  &=€.]  i.e.  the  heathen  magistrates  of  your  city.  No  Christian,  how- 
ever poor  and  weak,  could  possibly  be  described  by  the  apostle  as  nothing  in  the 
church.     Each  one  is  still  (viii.  ii)  "  the  brother  for  whom  Christ  died." 

5.  A  man  and]  Words  not  in  the  Greek,  but  necessarily  inserted  in  the  English. 
See /<7«r«a/«?/"/'/i//^^^_j/ (Cambridge,  1869),  vol.  ii.,  p.  321. 

7.  To  say  no  7nore]  Lit.  '  already.'  Before  going  any  further  in  showing  how  your 
excellences  (i.  5-7)  are  counterbalanced  by  many  faults. 


398  I.   CORINTHIANS   VI. -VII. 

thieves,  nor  avaricious  people,  nor  any  who  are 
Righteousness       ,  ,.       '  ,        ,,•,-,       •       , 

ot  Life  abso-    addicted  to  hard  drinking,  to  abusive  language  or 

'"pJiUbie!"     to    greed   of  gain,    will    inherit   God's   Kingdom. 

And   all  this  describes   what  some   of  you  were,     ii 

But  now  you  have  had  every  stain  washed  off :  now  you  have 

been  set  apart  as  holy  :  now  you  have  been  pronounced  free 

from  gnilt  ;  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  through 

the  Spirit  of  our  God. 

.  Everything  is  allowable  to  me,  but  not  every-     12 

Freedom  no    thing  is  profitable.     Everything  is  allowable  to  me, 

i^^'^f.^J^w     but  to  nothing  will  I  become  a  slave.     Food  of  all     13 

Immorality.  o  ^ 

kinds  is  meant  for  the  stomach,  and  the  stomach 
is  meant  for  food,  and  God  will  cause  both  of  them  to  perish. 
Yet  the  body  does  not  exist  for  the  purpose  of  fornication,  but 
for  the  Master's  service,  and  the  Master  exists  for  the  body  ; 
and  as  God  by  His  power  raised  the  Master  to  life,  so  He  will  14 
also  raise  us  up. 

,  Do  you  not  know  that  your  bodies  are  members     15 

Guilt  of  such    of  Christ.?     Shall  I  then  take  away  the  members 
'"^"  of  Christ  and  make  them  the  members  of  a  prosti- 

tute ?     No,  indeed.     Or  do  you  not  know  that  a  man  who  has  to     16 
do  with  a  prostitute  is  one  with  her  in  body .?     For  God  says, 
"The  two  shall  become  one"  (Gen.  ii.  24).     But  he  who     17 
is  in  union  with  the  Master  is  one  with  Him  in  spirit.     Flee     18 
from  fornication.     Any  other  sin  that  a  human  being  commits 
lies  outside  the  body  ;  but  he  who  commits  fornication    sins 
against  his  own  body.     Or  do  you  not  know  that  your  bodies     19 
are  a  sanctuary  of  the  Holy   Spirit  which  is  within  you — the 
Spirit  which  you  have  from  God .''     And  you  are  not  your  own,     20 
for  you  have  been  redeemed  at  infinite  cost.     Therefore  glorify 
God  in  your  bodies. 

The  Subject  of  Marriage. 

The  Apostle's        ^  "°^^  ^^^^  ^'^^  ^^^  Subjects  mentioned  in  your     i   17 
own  View  of   letter.     It  is  well  for  a  man  to  abstain  altogether 
the  Matter.    ^^^^   marriage.      But  because  there  is  so  much     2 

11.  But  no7v]  Ov  '  y&t.'  Lit,  the  most  emphatic  word  for  'but.'  Bui  now  .  . 
H07V  .  .  no7u]  Lit.  '  But  now  .  .  but  now  .  .  but  now,'  thrice  repeated,  to  accen- 
tuate the  greatness  of  the  contrast  and  God's  marvellous  grace. 

12.  7o  7tothing  &r>c.\  Lit.  '  I  will  not  be  brought  under  its  power  by  any- 
thing.' 

15.  Meinbers\  Cp.  "  For  Antony  is  but  a  limb  of  Caesar"  (Julius  Caesar,  ii, 
I,  165). 

20.  Redeemed  at  infinite  ccst^  Lit.  '  bought  for  a  price.' 


I.    CORINTHIANS   VII.  399 

fornication  every  man  should  have  a  wife  of  his  own,  and  every 
woman  should  have  a  husband.     Let  a  man  pay  his  wife  her     3 
due,  and  let  a  woman  also  pay  her  husband  his.     A  married     4 
woman  is  not  mistress   of  her  own  person  :  her  husband  has 
certain  rights.     In  the  same  way  a  married  man  is  not  master  of 
his  own  person  :  his  wife  has  certain  rights.     Do  not  refuse  one     5 
another,  unless  perhaps  it  is  just  for  a  time  and  by  mutual  con- 
sent, so  that  you  may  devote  yourselves  to  prayer  and  may  then 
associate  again  ;  lest  the  Adversary  begin  to  tempt  you  because 
of  your  deficiency  in  self-control. 

Thus  much  in  the  way  of  concession,  not  of  command.     Yet  6,  7 
I  would  that  everybody  lived  as  I   do  ;  but  each  of  us  has  his 
own  special  gift  from  God — one  in  one  direction  and  one  in 
another. 
,  ,  .     ^  But  I  tell  the  unmarried,  and  women  who  are     8 

Advice  to  un-        .,  ...  ,,  ^        , 

married  and    widows,  that  it  IS  well  for  them  to  remam  as  I  am. 

married.       jf^  however,  they  cannot  maintain  self-control,  by     9 
all  means  let  them  marry  ;  for  marriage  is  better  than  the  fever 
of  passion.     But  to  those  already  married  my  instructions  are —     10 
yet  not  mine,  but  the  Lord's — that  a  wife  is  not  to  leave  her  hus- 
band ;  or  if  she  has  already  left  him,  let  her  either  remain  as  she     1 1 
is  or  be  reconciled  to  him  ;  and  that  a  husband  is  not  to  send 
away  his  wife. 

Advice  to  those      ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  '^  ^^  ^  ^^^  speak — not  the  Lord.     If     12 
married  to     a  brother  has  a  wife  who  is  an  unbeliever,  and  she 
e  levers.    j^Qj^sg^ts  to  live  with  him,  let  him  not  send  her 
away.     And  a  woman  who  has  an  unbelieving  husband — if  he     13 
consents  to  live  with  her,  let  her  not  separate  from  him.     For,     14 
in  such  cases,  the  unbelieving  husband  has  become — and  is — 
holy  through  union  with  a  Christian  woman,  and  the  unbeliev- 
ing wife  is  holy  through  union  with  a  Christian  brother.     Other- 
wise your  children  would  be  unholy,  but  in  reality  they  have  a 
place  among  God's  people.     If,  however,  the  unbeliever  is  deter-     15 

5.  Do  not  re/use]  The  tense  seems  to  imply  (cp.  Matt,  xxviii.  5,  n.j  a  statement  in 
the  letter  from  the  church  that  this  asceticism  was  practised  among  its  married  mem- 
bers. Of  the  tense  may  be  understood  as  significant  of  habitual  and  permanent 
obligation  ;  as  also  the  present  imperative  in  verse  3 

12.    The  rest]  Where  only  one  of  the  parties  is  a  Christian. 

14.  Has  become,  and  is,  holy]  See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

15.  Is  determined  to  leave]  The  rendering  "  if  the  unbelieving  one  leaves  "  repre- 
sents a  different  word  in  the  Greek  for  '  if  and  a  part  of  the  verb  which  Paul  does 
not  here  use.  Has  called  us]  '  And  we  are  His  called  ones '  is  implied  in  the  tense 
of  the  Greek  verb,  which  the  English  perfect  quite  inadequately  represents.  See 
Aorist  vii.  3,  4,  9.  To  live  lives  of  peace]  Lit.  simply  'in  peace.'  Not  'to'  or 
'into'  "peace  ;'  the  sense  seems  to  be,  'do  not  live  in  an  atmosphere  of  strife,  being 
free  to  escape  from  it  ;  for  God  eternally  dwells  in  an  atmosphere  of  peace  and  He 
calls  us  to  participate  and  rejoice  in  it.' 


400  I.    CORINTHIANS   VII. 

mined  to  leave,  let  him  or  her  do  so.  Under  such  circum- 
stances the  Christian  man  or  woman  is  no  slave  ;  God  has 
called  us  to  live  lives  of  peace.  For  what  assurance  have  you,  i6 
O  woman,  as  to  whether  you  will  save  your  husband  ?  or  what 
assurance  have  you,  O  man,  as  to  whether  you  will  save  your 
wife  ? 

Only,  whatever  be  the  condition  in  life  which  the     17 
lationshTps  to   Lord  has  assigned  to  each  individual — and  what- 
beaccjuiesced  ever  the  Condition  in  which  he  was  living  when 
God  called  him — in  that  let  him  continue.     This  is 
what   I  command  in  all  the  churches.     Was  any  one  already     18 
circumcised  when  called  ?     Let  him  not  have  recourse  to  the 
surgeons.     Was  any  one  uncircumcised  when  called  ?     Let  him 
remain   uncircumcised.      Circumcision  is  nothing,  and  uncir-     19 
cumcision  is  nothing  :  obedience   to  God's  commandments   is 
everything.     Whatever  be  the  condition  in  life  in  which  a  man     20 
was,  when  he  was  called,  in  that  let  him  continue.     Were  you  a     21 
slave  when  God  called  you  ?     Let  not  that  weigh  on  your  mind. 
And  yet  if  you  can  get  your  freedom,  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunity.     For  a  Christian,  if  he  was  a  slave  when  called,  is     22 
the  Lord's  freed  man,  and  in  the  same  way  a  free  man,  if  called, 
becomes  the  slave  of  Christ.     You  have  all  been  redeemed  at     23 
infinite  cost :  do  not  become  slaves  to  men.     Where  each  one     24 
stood  when  he  was  called,  there,  brethren,  let  him  still  stand — 
close  to  God. 

Concerning  unmarried  women  I  have  no  command  to  give     25 
you  from  the  Lord  ;  but  I  offer  you  my  opinion,  which  is  that  of 
a  man  who,  through  the  Lord's  mercy,  is  deserving  of  your  con- 
fidence.    I   think  then  that,  taking  into  consideration  the  dis-     26 
tress  which  is  now  upon  us,  it  is  well  for  a  man  to  remain  as  he 
is.    Are  you  bound  to  a  wife?     Do  not  seek  to  get  free.     Are     27 
you  free  from  the  marriage  bond  ?     Do  not  seek  for  a  wife.   Yet     28 

16.  Vou  will  sa7>e]  Or  possibly  '  you  will  not  save.' 

17.  On/jy]  Marking  an  exception  to  the  '  is  not  a  slave  '  of  verse  15.  The  Greek 
expression  (like  the  equivalent  '  sino'  in  Spanish)  is  limited  in  the  N.T.  to  use  after 
a  negative,  with  the  solitary  exception  of. Acts  xxvi.  32.  The  condition]  In  the 
sense  shown  by  the  examples  in  verses  18,  21  ;  not  meaning  '  trade'  or  'occupation.' 

20.  Condition]  In  Gal.  iii.  28,  "  the  apostle  enumerates  the  three  fundamental 
conceptions  which  at  once  divide  and  unite  the  race,  that  of  Jew  or  Greek  (the 
national  distinction),  that  of  slave  and  free  (the  social  distinction),  and  that  of  male 
and  female  (the  physical  distinction)  "  (Edwards). 

22.  A  Christian]  Lit.  '  the  (man)  in  the  Lord.' 

23.  Redeemed  at  infinite  cost]  Lit.  '  bought  for  a  price.'  Do  not  become]  Not  '  do 
not  be,'  which  is  inexact  and  would  be  a  direct  incentive  to  revolt.  If  you  are  free, 
do  not  sell  your  freedom. 

28.  I/youfnarry]  Cp.  Luke  xi.  18.  The  literal  rendering  of  the  verb  is  'shall 
have  married  ; '  and  so  in  the.next  clause.  Outward  trouble]  Lit.  '  affliction  for  the 
flesh.' 


I.    CORINTHIANS   VII.  401 

if  you  marry,  you  have  not  sinned  ;  and  if  a  maiden  marries, 
she  has  not  sinned.  Such  people,  however,  will  have  outward 
trouble.     But  I  am  for  sparing  you. 

Yet  of  this  I   warn  you,  brethren  :  the  time  has     29 
""cha^rTcter  o7  been  shortened— SO  that  henceforth  those  who  have 
all  that  is      wives  should  be  as  though  they  had  none,  those     ■^o 

earthly.  ,  i  i       ,  ,•  i  ,  , 

who  weep  as  though  they  did  not  weep,  those  who 

rejoice  as  though  they  did  not  rejoice,  those  who  buy  as  though 

they  did  not  possess,  and  those  who  use  the  world  as  not  using     31 

it  to  the  full  ;  for  the  world  as  it  now  exists  is  passing  away. 

And  I  would  have  you  free  from  worldly  anxiety.  An  unmarried     32 

man  concerns  himself  with  the  Lord's  business — how  he  shall 

please  the  Lord  ;  but  a  married  man  concerns  himself  with  the     33 

business  of  the  world — how  he  shall  please  his  wife.     There  is  a 

difference  too  between  a  married  and  an  unmarried  woman.    She     34 

who  is  unmarried  concerns  herself  with  the  Lord's  business — 

that  she  may  be  holy  both  in  body  and  spirit  ;  but  the  married 

woman  concerns  herself  with  the  business   of  the  world— how 

she  shall  please  her  husband.     Thus  much  I  say  in  your  own     35 

interest  ;  not  to  lay  a  trap  for  you,  but  to  help  towards  what  is 

becoming,  and  enable  you  to  wait  on  the  Lord  without  distraction. 

.  ^  ,.     ,  If,  however,  a  father  thinks  he  is  acting  unbe-     36 

A  Father's  '.       ,  '       ,     ,  .  .,,  •     ,     ,         ,  -r 

Duty  to  his      comingly  towards  his  still  unmarried  daughter  if 

DaiTghtlr!*      ^^^^  b^  P^^^  t^^  bloom  of  her  youth,  and  so  the 

matter  is  urgent,  let  him  do  what   she   desires  ; 

he  commits  no  sin  ;  she  and  her  suitor  should  be  allowed  to 

marry.     But  if  a  father  stands  firm  in  his  resolve,  being  free     37 

from  all  external  constraint  and  having  a  legal  right  to  act  as  he 

pleases,  and  in  his  own  mind  has  come  to  the  decision  to  keep 

his  daughter  unmarried,  he  will  do  well.     So  that  he  who  gives     38 

his  daughter  in  marriage  does  well,  and  yet  he  who  does  not 

give  her  in  marriage  will  do  better. 

Should  ^  woman  is  bound  to  her  husband  during  the     39 

Widows  marry  whole  period  that  he  lives  ;  but  if  her  husband 

aga'"  dies,  she  is  at  liberty  to  marry  whom  she  will,  pro- 

vided that  he  is  a  Christian.     But  in  my  judgement,  her  state     40 
is  a  more  enviable  one  if  she  remains  as  she  is  ;  and  I  also 
think  that  I  have  the  Spirit  of  God. 

29.  Shortened — so  that  henceforth^  v.l.  'is  henceforth  shortened  .  .  so  that.' 
29-31.  The  nearness,  yet  uncertainty,  of  the  time  of  Christ's  coming  was  the  regu- 
lative element  in  their  Christian  lives. 
36.   She  and  her  suitor]  Lit.  '  they.' 

39.  Dies]  L;t.  *  shall  have  fallen  asleep.' 

40.  More  enviable]  Lit.  'more  ble.ssed.'     See  Matt.  v.  3-11,  n. 

DD 


402  I.    CORINTHIANS   VIIL 

Idol  Sacrifices. 

r.     -,  xu  ^ .-  Now  as  to  things  which  have  been  sacrificed  to     i   f 

Food  that  has  ^,  .     .  ,  .  ,  •   ,  i        j  j  '' 

been  sacrificed  idols.     This  IS  a  suDjcct  which  we  already  under- 

to  Idols.        stand — because    we    all   have    knowledge    of    it. 
Knowledge,  however,  tends    to    make  people  conceited  ;  it  is 
love  that  builds  us  up.     If  any  one  imagines  that  he  already     2 
possesses  any  true  knowledge,  he  has   as  yet  attained  to  no 
knowledge  of  the  kind  to  which  he  ought  to  have  attained  ; 
but  if  any  one  loves  God,  that  man  is  known  by  God.     As  to  3,  4 
eating  things  which  have  been  sacrificed  to  idols,  we  are  fully 
aware  that  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world,  and  that  there  is  no 
God  but  One.     For  if  so-called  gods  do  exist,  either  in  heaven     5 
or  on  earth — and  in  fact  there  are  many  such  gods  and  many 
such  lords — yet  we  have  but  one  God,  the  Father,  who  is  the     6 
source  of  all  things  and  for  whose  service  we  exist,  and  but  one 
Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  through  whom  we  and  all  things  exist. 
Brotheri    Love      "^"^  ^^^  believers  do  not  recognize  these  facts.     7 
must  solve  the  Some,  from  force  of  habit  in  relation  to  the  idol, 

Problem.      ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  -^^^    sacrifices  as  such,  and  their 

consciences,  being  but  weak,  are  polluted.     It  is  true  that  a     8 
particular  kind  of  food  will  not  bring  us  into  God's  presence  ; 
we   are  neither  inferior  to  others  if  w^e  abstain   from    it,  nor 
superior  to  them  if  we  eat  it.     But  take  care  lest  this  liberty     9 
of  yours  should   prove  a   hindrance   to  the  progress   of  weak 
believers.     For  if  any  one  were  to  see  you,  who  know  the  real     10 
truth  of  this  matter,  reclining  at  table  in  an  idol's  temple,  would 
not  his  conscience  (supposing  him  to  be  a  weak  believer)  be 
emboldened  to  eat  the  food  which  has  been  sacrificed  to  the 
idol?    Why,   your  knowledge   becomes    the   ruin   of  the  weak     11 
believer— your  brother,  for  whom  Christ  died  !    Moreover  when     12 
you  thus  sin  against  the  brethren  and  wound  their  weak  con- 
sciences, you  are,  in  reaHty,  sinning  against  Christ.     Therefore     13 

I.  Already  understand  .  .  because']  Or  '  already  understand  that.' 

4.  lliat  an  idol  is  nothing]  Or  possiblj',  'that  there  is  no  idol  ;  '  though  it  is  hard 
to  reconcile  the  latter  rendering  with  Acts  xvii.  i6.  i  Cor.  x.  19  also  favours  the 
'  is  nothing,' and  so  do  the  ancient  Versions.  Another  interpretation  is  that  in  all 
Creation  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  visible  image  of  the  true  God  ;  but  this  would 
require  the  insertion  here  of  an  important  word  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  is 
absent. 

7.  All  believers]  Or  'all  of  you.'  Some  brethren  are  weak,  verse  11.  From/orce 
of  habit]  v.L.  '  through  (or,  in)  their  consciousness  of  the  idol.' 

10.  At  table]  At  a  sacrificial  banquet  with  a  party  of  heathen  friends.  Be  embol- 
dened]  Lk.  'be  edified'  by  your  (supposed)  good  example.  Influenced  by  you  he 
will  eat  although  he  believes  he  is  sinning  by  so  doing  ! 

II.  i'our  knowledge  .  .  ruin  of  the  weak  believe?-]  Lit.  'the  weak  (believer)  is 
ruined  through  (or,  through  acting  on)  your  knowledge." 


I.    CORINTHIANS   VIII.-IX.  403 

if  what  I  eat  causes  my  brother  to  fall,  never  again  to  the  end 
of  my  days  will  I  touch  any  kind  of  animal  food,  for  fear  I 
should  cause  my  brother  to  fall. 

Paul's  own         ^^  ^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^    ^"^  ^  ^^^  ^^  apostle  ?    Can  it     i  Q 
Example  of    be  denied  that  I  have  seen  Jesus,  our  Lord  ?    Are 

Self  Restraint.         ^  i  i      •       ^i        t        j  i     rr  ^ 

not  you  yourselves  my  work  m  the  Lord  :    If  to     2 

other  men   I  am  not  an  apostle,  yet  at  any  rate  I  am  one    to 

you  ;  for  your  very  existence  as  a  Christian  church  is   the  seal 

oi   my  apostleship.     That  is  how  I  vindicate  myself  to  those     3 

who  criticize  me. 

„•  4.  ,.  Have  we  not  a  riefht  to  claim  food  and  drink?     4 

His  apostolic  ^  ^ 

Position  and    Have  we  not  a  right  to  take  with  us  on  our  jour-     5 

'^  ^'  neys  a  Christian  sister  as  our  wife,  as  the  rest  of 
the  apostles  do — and  the  Lord's  brothers  and  Peter  ?  Or  again,  6 
is  it  only  Barnabas  and  myself  who  are  not  at  liberty  to  give  up 
working  with  our  hands  ?  What  soldier  ever  serves  at  his  own  7 
cost  ?  Who  plants  a  vineyard  and  yet  does  not  eat  any  of  the 
grapes  ?  Or  who  tends  a  herd  of  cattle  and  yet  does  not  taste 
their  milk.'' 

Am  I  making  use  of  merely  worldly  illustrations?    Does  not     8 
the  Law  speak  in  the  same  tone  ?    For  in  the  Law  of  Moses  it  is     9 
written,    "  ThOU    SHALT    NOT    MUZZLE    AN    OX    WHILE    IT    IS 
TREADING  OUT  THE  GRAIN  "  (Deut.  XXV.  4.)     Is  God  thinking 
about  the  oxen  ?    or  is  it  really  in  our  interest  that  He  speaks  ?     10 
Of  course,  it  was  written  in  our  interest,  because  it  is   His  will 
that   when  a  ploughman  ploughs,  and   a   thrasher  thrashs,   it 
should   be   in   the   hope   of  sharing  that  which  comes  as  the 
result. 

If  it  is  we  who  sowed  the  spiritual  grain  in  you,  is  it  a  great     ii 
thing  that  we  should  reap  a  temporal  harvest  from  you?    If     12 
other  teachers  possess  that  right  over  you,  do  not  we  possess  it 
much  more  ?    Yet  we  have  not  availed  ourselves  of  the  right, 
but  we  patiently  endure  all  things  rather   than  hinder  in  the 
least  degree  the  progress  of  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ.     Do     13 

I.  Have  seen]  Greek  perfect.     See  Aorist  vii.  6. 

4.  To  clauufood  and  drink\  At  the  expense  of  the  Churches. 

5.  Peter]  Lit.  '  Cephas.' 

6.  Barnabas  and  niysel/]  Lit.  *  myself  and  Barnabas.'     Cp.  iv.  6,  n. 

7.  Herd  o_f  cattle]  Or  ^^ock.'     In  Gen.  xxxii.   16,   LXX.,  the  word  is  appHed  to 
goats,  sheep,  camels,  oxen,  and  asses.     A.V.  '  drove.' 

10.   It  is  His  will &=•€]  Lit.  '  the  ploughman  ought.'     God's   righteous,  loving  will 
is  the  ultimate  criterion  of  human  duty. 

12.  Possess]  Not  collectively,  but  individually.      That  right]  See  Luke  xvii.  34,  n.. 
Acts  xvii.  II.  n. 

13.  The  sacred  place]  Or  '  the  Temple.'     Cp.  Malt.  xxi.  12,  n. 


404  I.    CORINTHIANS    IX. 

you  not  know  that  those  who  perform  the  sacred  rites  have 
their  food  from  the  sacred  place,  and  that  those  who  serve  at 
the  altar  all  alike  share  with  the  altar  ?    In  the  same  way  the     14 
Lord   also   directed   those   who   proclaim   the    Good   News  to 
maintain  themselves  by  the  Good  News. 
„     ,,   ^  But  I,  for  my  part,  have  not  used,  and  do  not     15 

Paul's  For-  r   ,,       ■    ,  •  r     ,  ,  •  J 

bearance  in     use,  my  full  rights  m  any  of  these  thmgs  ;  nor  do 
*^his  mghts.  °^  I  now  write  with  that  object  so  far  as  I  myself  am 
concerned,  for  I  would  rather  die  than  have  any- 
body make  this  boast  of  mine  an  empty  one.     If  I  go  on  preach-     16 
ing  the  Good  News,  that  is  nothing  for  me  to  boast  of ;  for  the 
necessity  is  imposed  upon  me  ;  and  alas   for  me,  if  I  fail  to 
preach  it  !    And  if  I  preach  willingly,  I  receive  my  wages  ;  but     17 
if  against  my  will,  a  stewardship  has  nevertheless  been  entrusted 
to  me.     What  are  my   wages   then.''    The    very  fact  that  the     18 
Good  News  which  I  preach  will  cost  my  hearers  nothing,  so 
that  I   cannot  be  charged   with  abuse  of  my  privileges  as    a 
Christian  preacher. 

...   ..  ,.  Though  free  from   all  human   control,    I   have     19 

His  Motives.  •,,.,,  r    ,,  •       1      i.  r     •       • 

(1)  Eagerness    made  mvself  the  slave  of  all  m  the  hope  of  wmnmg 

*°  ^hHst"  *°  ^^   many   converts   as   possible.     To  the  Jews   I     20 

have  become  like  a  Jew  in  order  to  win  Jews  ;  to 

men  under  the  Law  as  if  I  were  under  the  Law — although  I  am 

not — in  order  to  win  those  who  are  under  the  Law;  to  men     21 

without   Law  as  if  I   were  without  Law — although   I   am  not 

without  Law  in  relation  to  God  but  am  abiding  in  Christ's  Law 

—in  order  to  win  those  who  are  without  Law.     To  the  weak  I     22 

have  become  weak,  so  as  to  gain  the  weak.     To  all  men  I  have 

become  all  things,  in  the  hope  that  in  every  one  of  these  ways  I 

may  save  some  :  and  I  do  everything  for  the  sake  of  the  Good     23 

News,  that  I  may  share  with  my  hearers  in  its  benefits. 

14.  Directed]  Twice  at  well  understood  and  definite  times,  when  sending  out  the 
Twelve  (Matt.  x.  lo),  and  when  sending  out  the  Seventy  (Luke  x.  7).  See  Aorist 
V.  6  and  footnote. 

15.  Have  not  used,  do  not  use]  Such  is  the  force  of  the  Greek  perfect.  Cp.  verse  22  ; 
2  Cor.  i.  19.  These  things]  "  Freedom  from  restrictions  as  to  food,  freedom  to 
marrj^  and  authority  to  clAim  maintenance  from  the  Churches  "  (T.  C.  Edwards). 

18.  My  wages]  "  The  consciousness  of  preaching  freely  a  free  gospel  was  the 
apostli's  pay  for  declining  to  be  paid  "  (T.  C.  Edwards).  So  that  I  cannot]  Or  '  in 
order  that  I  may  not.'     Abuse]  Or  '  making  full  use  ; '  as  in  vii.  31. 

19-22.  Have  7nade  .  .  have  become]  At  some  past  time,  indefinite.  See  Aorist 
vii.  2. 

19.  As  many  .  .  as  possible]  Lit.  'the  greater  part'  (of  my  hearers).  The  last 
clause  of  verse  22  shows  that  Paul's  ambition  was  to  save  some.  That  others  would 
remain  hostile  and  unconverted  he  knew.  The  English  'the  more'  (as  in  the 
familiar  phrase  'I'he  more  the  merrier')  is  inexact.  Such  is  never  the  sense  of  the 
article  in  Greek  when  it  precedes  a  comparative  and  agrees  with  it.  In  '  the  more' 
(which  looks  literal,  but  is  not)  llie  article  is  the  old  ablative  and  does  not  agree  with 
ihe  adjective. 


I.    CORINTHIANS    IX.-X.  405 

Do  you  not   know   that   in   the   foot-race  the     24 

(2)  His  own  •'     „  ,  ,  ,  ,  .       , 

Desire  to       iTinners  all  run,  but  that  only  one  gets  the  prize  ? 
Crrnvn'^o/ufe.  ^°^  must  run  like  him,  in  order  to  win  with  cer- 
tainty.   But  every  competitor  in  an  athletic  contest     25 
practices  abstemiousness    in    all    directions.     They  indeed  do 
this  for  the  sake  of  securing  a  perishable  wreath,  but  we  for  the 
sake  of  securing  one  that  will  not  perish.     That  is  how  I  run,     26 
not  being  in  any  doubt  as  to  my  goal.     I  am  a  boxer  who  does 
not  inflict  blows  on  the  air,  but  I  hit  hard  and  straight  at  my     27 
own  body  and  lead  it  off  into  slavery,  lest  possibly,  after  I  have 
been  a  herald  to  others,  I  should  myself  be  rejected. 
Israelites  who       ^^^  ^  would  have  you  remember,  brethren,  how     i   1  Q 
for  want  of     our  forefathers  were  all  of  them  sheltered  by  the 
missed* the'    cloud,  and  all  got  safely  through  the  Red  Sea.    All     2 
Prize.         were  baptized  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea  to  be 
followers  of  Moses.     All  ate  the  same   spiritual  food,  and  all  3,  4 
drank  the  same  spiritual  drink  ;  for  they  long  drank  the  water 
that  flowed  from  the  spiritual  rock  that  went  with  them — and 
that  rock  was  the  Christ.     But  with  most  of  them  God  was  not     5 
well  pleased  ;  for  they  were  laid  low  in  the  desert. 
The  Lessons        ^^^   ^^    "^^^  ^^^^^  became  a  warning  to  us,  to     6 
taught  by      teach  US  not  to  be  eager,  as  they  were  eager,  in 

theirExample.  .^      -      ,     ^  .  -i         a      j  .  ^ 

pursuit  of  what  is  evil.     And  you  must  not  be  wor-     7 

shippers  of  idols,  as  some  of  them  were  ;  for  it  is  written,  "  The 

People  sat  down  to  eat  and  drink,  and  stood  up  to 

24.   Do  you  not  know]  This  formula  occurs  here  for  the  tenth  time  in  this  Letter. 
27.  After  I  have  been  a  /lerahi]   "  Apres  avoir  fait  le  heraut  "  (Stapfer).  Rejected^ 
"  As  unworthy  of  the  crown  and  the  prize"  (Ellicott). 

1.  Sheltered  by}  Lit.  'under.'  i'he  division  of  chapters  at  this  point  is  unfortu- 
nate. Paul  proceeds  to  give  an  illustration  from  the  history  of  his  own  nation  of 
some  who,  after  beginning  well,  did  not  run  so  as  to  obtain  the  prize.  Red  Sea]  Lit. 
'  sea.' 

2.  To  be  follotvers  of]  Or  '  to  be  adherents  of.'  Lit.  '  into  '  or  '  unto.'  Cp.  Gal. 
iii.  27.  ''VVhen  they  saw  JNIoses  cross  first,  they  too  braved  the  waters"  (Chry- 
sostom). 

Among  the  ideas  involved  in  Christian  Baptism  are  those  of  complete  separa- 
tion from  the  world  and  intimate  union  with  the  Saviour.  Possibly  St.  Paul,  in  the 
same  way,  thought  of  the  Israelites  as  having  been  permanently  cut  off  from  Egypt 
and  compelled  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  Moses — first  by  the  cloud  which  was  bright  to 
them  but  dark  to  the  Egyptians  (Exod.  xiv.  20),  and  then  by  the  Red  Sea  as  soon  as 
the  waters,  having  closed  up  again,  rolled  between  them  and  the  land  of  bondage. 
Two  facts  add  to  the  likelihood  of  the  apostle  having  thus  regarded  the  cloud  and 
the  Sea  as  instruments  by  which  the  Israelites  were  separated  from  Egypt  and  linked 
to  Moses  rather  than  as  watery  elements  in  which  they  were  immersed  or  by  which 
they  were  sprinkled,  (i)  The  people  are  expressly  recorded  to  have  been  untouched 
by  the  water — the  sea  was  as  dry  land  to  them  (Exod.  xiv.  21,  22  ;  xv.  8,  19).  (2) 
The  Greek  preposition  for  the  '  in  '  of  '  baptized  in  '  frequently  denotes  simple  in- 
strumentality. 'Separated  from  Egypt  by  means  of  the  cloud  and  the  Red  Sea 
to  become  followers  of  Moses'  would  then  be  the  real  meaning  here. 

3.  4.  Spiritual]  Or,  perhaps,  'miraculous.' 

7.    To  dance]  Lit.  '  to  play.'     Cp.  Exod.  xxxii.  6,  18,  19. 


4o6  I.    CORINTHIANS   X. 

dance"  (Exod.  xxxii.  6).    Nor  may  we  be  fornicators,  like  some     8 
of  them  who  committed  fornication  and  on  a  single  day  three 
and  twenty  thousand  of  them  fell  dead.     And  do  not  let  us  test     9 
the   Lord  too  far,  as  some  of  them  tested   Him  and  were  de- 
stroyed by  the  serpents.     And  do  not  be  discontented,  as  some     10 
of  them  were,  and  they  were  destroyed  by  the  Destroyer.     All     1 1 
this  kept  happening  to  them  with  a  figurative  meaning ;  but  it 
was  put  on  record  by  way  of  admonition  to  us  upon  whom  the 
ends  of  the  ages  have  come. 

So  then  let  him  who  thinks  he  is  standing  se-  12 
^tkTn  ma7bl^"  curely  beware  of  falling.  No  temptation  has  you  13 
successfully  in  its  power  but  such  as  is  common  to  human 
nature  ;  and  God  is  faithful  and  will  not  allow  you 
to  be  tempted  beyond  your  strength,  but,  when  the  temptation 
comes,  will  also  give  the  way  of  escape,  so  that  you  may  be 
able  to  endure. 

...  ■  X     *    u         Therefore,  my  dear  friends,  avoid  all  connexion     14 
rdolatry  to  be  '       r         ^  .  ,    ,  '  ,  -. 

scrupulously    with  the  worship  of  idols.     I  speak  as  to  men  of     15 

shunned.      gense  :  judge  for  yourselves  of  what  I  say.     The     16 
cup  of  blessing,  which  we  bless,  does  it  not  mean  a  joint-partici- 
pation in  the  blood  of  Christ?     The  loaf  of  bread  which  we 
break,  does   it  not  mean  a  joint-participation  in  the  body  of 
Christ .? 

Since  there  is  one  loaf,  we  who  are  many  are  one  body  ;  we,     17 
all  of  us,  share  in  that  one  loaf.     Look  at  the  Israehtes — the     18 
nation  and   their  ritual  :  are  not  those  who  eat  the  sacrifices 
joint-partakers  in  the  altar?     Do   I  mean  that  a  thing  sacri-     19 
ficed  to  an  idol  is  what  it  claims  to  be  ?  or  that  an  idol  is  a  real 
thing  ?     No,  but  that  which  the  Gentiles  sacrifice,  they  sacrifice     20 
to  demons,  not  to  God  ;  and  I  would  not  have  you  have  fellow- 
ship with  one  another  through  the  demons.     You  cannot  drink     2i 
the  Lord's  cup  and  the  cup  of  demons  :  you  cannot  be  joint- 
partakers  both  in  the  table  of  the  Lord  and  in  the  table  of 

g.  Test  .  .  too  far  .  .  tes^ted]  Or  '  try  how  far  we  can  possibly  go  with  .  .  tried 
how  far  they  could  go  with  ; '  the  first  verb  being  stronger  than  the  second. 

II.  U/'on  ivhovi  Et'c.'\  Or  'in  wliose  time  the  ends  of  the  a^es  have  arrived  ;'  the 
exact  sense  of  the  verb  is  '  have  come  into  port,'  as  at  the  end  of  a  voyage.  Ends  of 
the  ag-es]  Cp.  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 

13.  Temptation^  Or  '  trial.'  Has  you  in  its  po^ver\  Lit.  'has  taken  you  and  still 
liolds  you,'  the  Greek  perfect.     Cp.  ix.  15. 

17.  The  first  part  of  this  verse  may  be  paraphrased — '  Since  by  the  Lord's  appoint- 
ment there  is  only  a  single  loaf  which  is  broken  into  frai^ments  when  the  Supper  is 
celebrated,  so  we,  many  though  we  are,  are  yet  mystically  and  spiritually  one  body 
through  our  union  with  Him.' 

20.  'J  he  Gentiles\  v.l.  'they.'  Have  fellowship  with  one  another  through\  Oc 
*  participate  with.' 


I.    CORINTHIANS   X.-XI.  407 

demons.     Or  are  we  actually  arousing  the   Lord  to  jealousy?     22 

are  we  stronger  than  He  is  ? 

Brotherly  Love      Everything  is  allowable,  but  not  everything  is     23 

limits  Chris-    profitable.    Everything  is  allowable,  but  everything 

ree  om.  ^^^^  ^^^  build  Others  up.     Let  no  one  be  for  ever     24 
seeking  his  own  good,  but  let  each  seek  that  of  his  fellow  man. 

Anything  that  is  for  sale  in  the  meat  market,  eat,  and  ask  no     25 
questions  for  conscience'  sake  ;  for  THE  EARTH  is  the  Lord's,     26 
AND  ALL  THAT  IT  CONTAINS  (Ps.  xxiv.  i).      If  an  unbeliever     27 
gives  you  an  invitation  and  you  are  disposed  to  accept  it,  eat 
whatever  is  put  before  you,  and  ask  no  questions  for  conscience' 
sake.     But  if  any  one  tells  you,  "  This  food  has  been  offered  in     28 
sacrifice,"  abstain  from  eating  it — out  of  respect  for  him  who 
warned  you,  and,  as  before,  for  conscience'  sake.     But  now  I     29 
mean  his  conscience,  not  your  own.     "  Why,  on  what  ground," 
you  may  object,  "  is  the  question  of  my  liberty  of  action  to  be 
decided  by  a  conscience  not  my  own  ?     If,  so  far  as  I  am  con-     30 
cerned,  I  partake  with  a  grateful  heart,  why  am  I   to  be  found 
fault  with  in  regard  to  a  thing  for  which  I  give  thanks  ? " 
TrueReiigion       Whether,  then,  you  are  eating  or  drinking,  or     31 

must  inspire    whatever  you  are  doing,  let  everything  be  done  to 

^"  the  glory  of  God.      Do  not  be  causes  of  stumbling     32 

either  to  Jews  or  to  Gentiles,  nor  to  the  church  of  God.      That     ^^ 

is  the  way  that  I  also  seek  in  everything  the  approval  of  all  men, 

not  aiming  at  my  own  profit,  but  at  that  of  the  many,  in   the 

hope  that  they  may  be  saved.     Be  imitators  of  me,  as  I  in  turn     i   ] 

am  an  imitator  of  Christ. 

...  .  Now   I   commend  you  for  remembering  me  in     2 

Women  at  jo 

Meetings  of    everything,  and  because  you  hold  fast  truths  and 
"'^^  ■     practices  precisely  as  I  have  taught  them  to  you. 
I  would  have  you  know,  however,  that  of  every  man,  Christ  is     3 
the  Head,  that  of  a  woman  her  husband  is  the  Head,  and  that 
God  is  Christ's  Head.      A  man  who  wears  a  veil  when  praying     4 

22.  Z'^_;Vrt/,o«i'>']  To  be  jealous  of  demon  rivals.  Cp.  Deut.  xxxii.  21.  The  verb 
here  used  is  found  elsewhere  in  the  N.  T.  only  in  Rom.  x.  19  (quoted  from  Deut.)  ; 
xi.  II,  14. 

25.  For  conscience  sake]  'Thus  doing  honour  to  your  own  strong  and  healthy 
conscience,  which  is  justly  clear,  for.' 

28.  If  any  one]  Some  Christian  fellow  guest  whose  faith  is  weak. 

29,  30.  Why,  on  ivhat  ground  &^c.  ]  Tiie  'you  may  object '  is  not  in  the  Greek.  In 
our  idiom  the  whole  question  would  more  naturally  be  put  in  the  second  person — 
'  Why  should  your  liberty  .  .  not  your  own  ?  If  you  partake  .  .  why  are  you  .  . 
you  give  thanks?' 

4.  Who  wears  a  veil]  Or  '  long  hair  ; '  so  Chrysostom.  Lit.  '  having  (anything 
hanging)  from  his  head.'  Prophesying]  Cp.  xii.  10,  28,  and  notes.  A  wotnanivho 
prays]  See  xiv.  34,  n 


4o8  I.    CORINTHIANS   XI. 

or  prophesying  dishonours  his  Head  ;  but  a  woman  who  prays     5 
or  prophesies  with  her  head  uncovered  dishonours  her  Head, 
for  it  is  exactly  the  same  as  if  she  had  her  hair  cut  short. 

If  a  woman  will  not  wear  a  veil,  let  her  also  cut  off  her  hair  ;     6 
but  since  it  is  a  dishonour  to  a  woman  to  have  her  hair  cut  off 
or  her  head  shaved,  let  her  wear  a  veil.     For  a  man  ought  not     7 
to  have  a  veil  on  his  head,  since  he  is  the  image  and  glory  of 
God  ;  while  woman  is  the  glory  of  man.     Man  does  not  take  his     8 
origin  from  woman,  but  woman  takes  hers  from  man.     For  man     9 
was  not  created  for  woman's  sake,  but  woman  for  man's.     That     10 
is  why  a  woman  ought  to  have  on  her  head  a  symbol  of  subjec- 
tion, because  of  the  angels.     Yet,  in  the  Lord,  woman  is  not     11 
independent  of  man  nor  man  independent  of  woman.     For  just     12 
as  woman  originates  from  man,  so  also  man  comes  into  exist- 
ence through  woman,  but  everything  springs  originally  from 
God. 

Judge  of  this  for  your  own  selves  :  is  it  seemly  for  a  woman  13 
to  pray  to  God  when  she  is  unveiled  ?  Does  not  nature  itself  14 
teach  you  that  if  a  man  has  long  hair  it  is  a  dishonour  to  him, 
but  that  if  a  woman  has  long  hair  it  is  her  glory,  because  her  15 
hair  was  given  her  for  a  covering  ?  But  if  any  one  is  inclined  to  16 
be  contentious  on  the  point,  we  have  no  such  custom,  nor  have 
the  churches  of  God. 


Matters  relating  to  Christian  Worship, 

But  while  giving  you  these  instructions,  there  is     17 
Dissensions  at  &         o  7  ?  / 

Meetings  of    one  thing  I  cannot  praise — your  meetmg  together, 
the  Church,     ^.^j^  ^^^  rather  than  good  results.    For,  in  the  first     18 
place,  when  you  meet  as  a  church,  there  are  divisions  among 
you.     This  is  what  I  am  told,  and  I  believe  that  there  is  some 
truth   in   it.     For  there   must   of  necessity   be    differences   of     19 

5.  It  2s]  Lit.  '  she  is.* 

10.  A  symbol  of  subjection']  i.e.  (a  symbol  of)  her  husband's  authority.  Lit. 
'authority.'  "Authority  and  subjection  are  opposite  sides  of  tlie  same  fact"  (T.  C. 
Edwards).     Because  of  the  angels\   Who  are  conceived  of  as  spectators. 

11.  In  the  Lord]  In  the  Christian  order  of  things. 

12.  Just  as  6r'c.]  See  Gen.  ii.  21-23. 

14.  Nature  itself  d^^c]  A  woman  "is  instinctively  conscious  that  nature's  gift  of 
long  hair  is  for  a  covering  "  (T.  C.  Edwards). 

15.  Was  given]  A  gift  which  she  keeps  and  glories  in — so  the  Greek  tense  (perfect) 
implies.     See  Aorist  vii.  9. 

18  As  a  church]  Lit.  '  in  church,'  certainly  not  meaning  in  any  building  so  called. 

19.  Or  perhaps  the  sense  is,  '  For  in  order  for  there  to  be— as  I  understand  that 
there  are — party-leaders  among  you,  there  must,  of  course,  needs  even  be  parties.' 
The  'must'  in  that  case  expresses  logical  necessity.  The  Greek  word  dochimoi 
translated  in  the  text  '  men  of  sterling  worth '  has  a  meaning  approaching  that  of 
'  party  leaders  '  in  some  classical  authors. 


I.    CORINTHIANS   XI.  409 

opinion  among  you,  in  order  that  it  may  be  plainly  seen  who 
are  the  men  of  sterhng  worth  among  you. 

When,  however,  you  meet  in  one  place,  there  is     20 

Disorder  at  .     '      ,        r.  /-,t         ^       r       •     ■     ^  ■ 

the  Lord's     no  eatmg  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  ;  for  It  IS  his  own     21 
Supper.        supper  of  which  each  of  you  is  in  a  hurry  to  par- 
take, and  one  eats  like  a  hungry  man,  while  another  has  already 
drunk  to  excess.     Why,  have  you  no  homes  in  which  to  eat  and     22 
drink  ?  or  do  you  wish  to  show  your  contempt  for  the  church  of 
God  and  make  those  who  have  no  homes  feel  ashamed  ?     What 
shall  I  say  to  you  ?     Shall  I  praise  you?     In  this  matter  I  cer- 
tainly do  not  praise  you. 
^^    ^    ,  For  it  was  from  the  Lord  that   I  received  the     23 

The  Facts  as 

to  the  Origin  facts  which,  m  turn,  I  handed  on  to  you  ;  how 
of  the  Supper.  ^^^^  ^^^  Lord  Jesus,  on  the  night  He  was  to  be 
betrayed,  took  some  bread,  and  after  giving  thanks  He  broke  it  24 
and  said,  "This  is  my  body  which  is  about  to  be  broken  for 
you  ;  do  this  in  memory  of  me."  In  the  same  way,  when  the  25 
meal  was  over,  He  also  took  the  cup.  "This  cup,"  He  said, 
"is  the  new  Covenant  of  which  my  blood  is  the  pledge  ;  do  this, 
every  time  that  you  drink  it,  in  memory  of  me.' 

For   every  time   that  you  eat  this   bread   and     26 

"ca^n?e^rnd  drink  from  the  cup,  you  are  proclaiming  the  Lord's 
Sacredness  of  death — until   He  returns.     Whoever  therefore,  in     27 

an  unworthy  manner,  eats  the  bread  or  drinks  from 
the  cup  of  the  Lord  sins  against  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord.     But  let  a  man  examine  himself,  and,  having  done  that,     28 
then  let  him  eat  the  bread  and  drink  from  the  cup.     For  any     29 
one  who  eats  and  drinks,  eats  and  drinks  judgement  to  himself, 
if  he  fails  to  estimate  the  body  aright.     That  is   why  many     30 
among  you  are  sickly  and  out  of  health,  and  why  not  a  few  die. 

21.  O^ie  .  .  anotJter]  Some  explain,  'the  poor  man  .  .  the  ricii  one;'  but  this 
does  not  harmonize  with  ver.-e  34. 

23.  IVoLS  to  be  betrayed]  Or  "  was  being  betrayed.'  In  English,  to  convey  this 
meaning,  we  should  more  naturally  employ  the  active  voice,  'Judas  was  betraying 
Him.' 

24.  About  to  be  broken]  This  word  (for  it  is  only  one  in  the  Greek)  is  omitted  by 
the  majority  of  modern  commentators.     But  in  Engli?h  it  seems  indispensable. 

25.  Of  which  my  blood  is  the  pledge]  Lit.  '  in  my  blood." 

26.  Returns]  Lit.  'comes.' 

27.  In  an  unworthy  tnanner]  See  verses  21,  22.  Sins  against ^^'c]  i.e.  possibly, 
'  is  guilty  of  an  offence  againft  the  imity  and  brotherhood  of  the  church  which  has 
been  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Chriit. '  Paul  emphasizes  the  unity  and  brotherhood 
of  the  church  by  calling  the  church  the  '  body  of  Christ.' 

29,  31.  Estimate  aright]  Or 'discern.'  By  failure  to  discern  the  body  of  Christ 
Paul  may  possibly  mean  failure  to  recognize  the  unity  and  brotherhood  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 

3a  Die]  Lit.  'fall  asleep.'  Or  'are  dead.'  Lit.  'have  fallen  asleep.*  But  the 
present  tense  of  this  verb  appears  not  to  be  so  used  by  Paul.     Cp.  i  Thess.  iv.  13. 


4IO  I.    CORINTHIANS    XI.-XII.       . 

If,  however,  we  estimated  ourselves  aright,  we  should  not  be  31 
judged  ;  but  when  we  are  judged  by  the  Lord,  chastisement  32 
follows,  to  save  us  from  being  condemned  along  with  the  world. 

Therefore,  brethren,  when  you  come  together  for  this  meal,  33 
wait  for  one  another.  If  any  one  is  hungry,  let  him  eat  at  34 
home  ;  so  that  your  coming  together  may  not  lead  to  judgement. 

The  other  matters  I  will  deal  with  whenever  I  come. 

It  is  important,  brethren,  that  you  should  have     I   1  2 

Spiritual  Gifts.     ,  ,  ,     ,  .  .•      .       r        •   •.      i      -r. 

The  Need  of    Clear  knowledge  on  the  subject  of  spiritual  gifts. 
Discrimi-      You  know   that   when    you   were   heathens   you     2 

nation.  ^  •' 

went  astray  after  dumb  idols,  wherever  you  hap- 
pened to  be  led.     For  this  reason  I  would  have  you  understand     3 
that  no  one  speaking  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
ever  says,  "Jesus   is  accursed,"  and  that  no  one  is  able  to  say, 
"Jesus  is  Lord,"  except  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Now  there  are  various   kinds  of  gifts,  but  there     4 
^Gifts"^'       '^  °"^   ^^^  t^^   same    Spirit ;    various    forms  of    5 
Their         official  service,  and  yet  one  and  the  same  Lord  ; 

Divcrsitv*  ... 

diversities  in  work,  and  yet  one  and  the  same  God 
— He  who  in  each  person  brings  about  the  whole  result.     But  6,  7 
to  each  of  us  a  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  has  been  granted 
for  the  common  good.     To  one  the  utterance  of  wisdom  has     8 
been  granted  through  the  Spirit ;  to  another  the  utterance  of 
knowledge  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  same  Spirit  ;  to  a     9 
third  man,  by  means  of  the  same  Spirit,  special  faith  ;  to  another 
various  gifts  of  healing,  by  means  of  the  one  Spirit ;  to  another     10 
the    exercise   of   miraculous    powers  ;    to  another   the   gift    of 
prophecy  ;  to  another  the  power  of  discriminating  between  pro- 
phetic  utterances  ;  to  another  varieties  of  the  gift  of  '  tongues; ' 
to  another  the  interpretation  of  tongues.     But  these  results  arc     1 1 
all  brought  about  by  one  and  the  same  Spirit,  who  bestows  His 
gifts  upon  each  of  us  in  accordance  with  His  own  will. 
The  organic        ^^^  \^^^  ^'^  ^^^  human  body  is  one  and  yet  has     12 
Unity  of  the    many  parts,  and  all  its  parts,  many  as  they  are, 
Church.  ^.  ,  '  ,      ,      ^        .     .         .  ,       ,  ,  , 

constitute  but  one  body  ;  so  it  is  with  the  church 

1.  Gifts']  Or  possibly  'men.' 

2.  Happened]  '  From  time  to  time '  is  implied  by  the  tense  ;  now  to  the  worship 
of  a  voiceless  Zeus,  now — and  more  frequently,  the  place  being  such  as  Corintli  was 
— to  that  of  Aphrodite. 

8.  In  accordance  with  the  will  o/\  Cp.  verse  ii  ;  Rom.  viii.  27  ;  Eph.  iv.  24  ; 
I  Pet.  iv.  6  ;  v.  2. 

10.  Prophecy]  Christian  prophets  were  preachers  and  expounders  who  spoke  under 
the  immediate  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

11.  Bestows  upon  each]  Lit.  '  distributes  to.' 

12.  So  it  is  with]  Such  is  the    English   idiom,    which   might   also   be  used  with 


I.    CORINTHIANS   XII.  411 

of  Christ.     For,  in  fact,  in  one  Spirit  all  of  us — whether  we  are     13 
Jews  or  Gentiles,  slaves  or  free  men — were  baptized  to  form  but 
one  body  ;  and  we  were  all  nourished  by  that  one  Spirit. 

.      ..        For  the  human  body  does  not  consist  of  one  part,     14 
make  Jealousy  but  of  many.     Were  the  foot  to  say,  "  Because  I      15 
impossible.     ^^  ^^^  ^  ^^^^  ^  ^^  ^^j.  ^  p^^^  ^j  ^^^  body,"  that 

would  not  make  it  any  the  less  a  part  of  the  body.     Or  were     16 
the  ear  to  say,  "  Because  I  am  not  an  eye,  I   am  not  a  part  of 
the  body,"  that  would  not  make  it  any  the  less  a  part  of  the  body. 
If  the  whole  body  were  an  eye,  where  would  the  hearing  he?  if     17 
the  whole  body  were  an  ear,  where  would  the  nostrils  be  ?     But,     18 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  God  has  arranged  the  parts  in  the  body — 
every  one  of  them — as  He  has  seen  fit.     If  they  were  all  one     19 
part,  where  would  the  body  be  .''     But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there     20 
are  many  parts  and  but  one  body. 
Unit  should        ^^  ^^  ^^^°  impossible  for  the  eye  to  say  to  the     21 
exclude  Pride  hand,  "  I  do  not  need  you  ; "  or  again  for  the  head 
and  Contempt.  ^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^^  ,,  j  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  „      ^^^  j^    .^      ^^ 

quite  otherwise  :  even  those  parts  of  the  body  which  are  appar- 
ently somewhat  feeble  are  yet  indispensable  ;   and  those  which     23 
we  deem  less  honourable  we  clothe  with  more  abundant  honour  ; 
and  so  our  ungraceful  parts   come  to  have   a  more  abundant 
grace,  while  our  graceful  parts  have  everything  they  need.     But     24 
it  was  God  who  built  up  the  body,  and  bestowed  more  abundant 
honour  on  the  part  that  felt  the  need,  that  there  might  be  no     25 
disunion  in  the  body,  but  that  all  the  members  might  entertain 
the  same  anxious  care  for  one  another's  welfare.     And  if  one     26 
part  is  suffering,  every  other  part  suffers  with  it  ;  or  if  one  part 
is  receiving  special    honour,    every  other   part    shares    in    the 

joy- 
Unity  involves       ^^  ^^^  y^"'  ^^^  ^^^  *^^  body  of  Christ,  and  indi-     27 
mutual  Depen-  vidually  you  are  members  of  it  ;    and  by  God's     28 

appointment  there  are  in  the  church — first  apostles, 
secondly  prophets,   thirdly   teachers ;    then    come    miraculous 

advantage  in  Hag.  ii.  14,  "So  it  is  with  this  people,  and  so  it  is  with  this  nation." 
Cp.  XV.  42.     Tke  church  0/ Christ]  Lit.  '  the  Christ.' 

13.  Geniiles\  Lit.  'Greeks.'     Nourished  by]  Lit.  '  made  to  drink.' 

IS,  21.  Hand]  Or  'arm.'     Cp.  Matt.  xii.  10,  n.  ;  Zech.  xiii.  6,  R.V. 

24.   Bttilt  u/>]  Lit.  '  mixed  together.' 

26.  Shares  in  the  joy]  e.g.  "the  head  is  crowned  with  a  garland,  and  the  whole 
man  is  conscious  of  being  glorified  ;  or  the  mouth  pronounces  an  oration,  and  at  once 
the  eyes  laugh  and  show  their  gladness  "  (Chrysostcm). 

28.  By  God's  appointuietit  there  are]  Lit.  'God  appointed  some.'  The  voice 
(middle)  of  the  verb  intimates  '  for  Himself,'  '  to  do  His  will,"  '  to  render  service  to 
Him.'     Prophets\  Or  '  inspired  teachers.'     Cp.  verse  10  and  T.  C.  Edwards's  note. 


412  I.    CORINTHIANS   XIL-XIII. 

powers,    and    then    ability   to  cure  diseases  or  render  loving 
service,  or  powers  of  organization,  or  varieties  of  the  gift  of 
'  tongues.'     Are  all  apostles  ?  are  all  prophets  ?  are  all  teachers  ?     29 
Have  all  miraculous  powers  ?  have  all  ability  to  cure  diseases  ?     30 
Do  all  speak  in  '  tongues  '  ?  do  all  interpret  ?     But  always  seek     31 
to  excel  in  the  greater  gifts.     And  now  I  will  point  out  to  you 
a  way  of  life  which  transcends  all  others. 

If  I  can  speak  all  the  languages  of  men  and  of    i  1 
Love  is  the     ansfels,  but  am  destitute  of  Love,  I  have  but  become 

supreme  Gift.        ^       '  ,.  '         .  ,     ,        ,/■ 

a  loud-soundmg  trumpet  or  a  clangmg  cymbal.  If  2 
I  possess  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  am  versed  in  all  mysteries 
and  all  knowledge,  and  have  such  absolute  faith  that  I  can 
remove  mountains,  but  am  destitute  of  Love,  I  am  nothing. 
And  if  I  distribute  all  my  possessions  to  the  poor,  and  give  up  3 
my  body  to  be  burned,  but  am  destitute  of  Love,  it  profits  me 
nothing. 

Love   is   patient  and  kind.     Love  knows  neither   envy  nor     4 
jealousy.     Love  is  not  forward  and  self-assertive,  nor  boastful 
and  conceited.     She  does  not  behave  unbecomingly,  nor  seek     5 
to  aggrandize  herself,  nor  blaze  out  in  passionate  anger,  nor 
brood  over  wrongs.     She  finds  no  pleasure  in  injustice  done  to     6 
others,  but  joyfully  sides  with  the  truth.     She  knows  how  to  be     7 
silent  ;  she  is  full  of  trust,  full  of  hope,  full  of  patient  endur- 
ance. 

Love  never  fails  :  but  if  there  are  prophecies,  they  will  be     8 
done  away  with  ;  if  there  are  languages,  they  will  cease  ;  if  there 
is  knowledge,  it  will  be  brought  to  an  end.     For  our  knowledge     9 
is  imperfect,  and  so  is  our  prophesying  ;  but  when  the  perfect     10 
state  of  things  is  come,  all  that  is  imperfect  will  be  brought  to  an 
end.     When  I  was  a  child,  I  talked  like  a  child,  felt  like  a  child,     11 
reasoned  like  a  child  :  when  I   became  a  man,  I  put  from  me 
childish  ways.     For  the  present  we  see  things  as  if  in  a  mirror,     12 
and  are  puzzled ;  but  then  we  shall  see  them  face  to  face.     For 

3.  Distribute  .  .  give  up\  The  tense  (the  aorist)  implies  the  doing  of  these  things 
once  for  all.      To  be  bu^-ned]  v.l.  '  that  I  may  make  a  boast  of  it.' 

4.  Lo7ie  is  not  forward'\  v.l.  omits  this  third  '  Love.' 

8,  10,  II.  Done  away  with  .  .  brought  to  an  end  .  .  put  from  me]  The  same 
verb  (four  times)  as  in  xv.  24,  26.  The  special  miraculous  gifts  which  characterised 
the  apostolic  age  appear  to  have  ceased  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70,  a^ev. 

11.  /^eti]  Or  'thought.'  Becaffze  a  nian\  'Such  as  I  still  am  '  is  implied  by  the" 
perfect  tense  of  the  Greek.  See  Aorist  vii.  9,  and  cp.  Homer  Iliad  xxi.  156.  / 
put  from  ine  cliildish  ways\  Again  the  perfect  tense,  signifying  'and  have  for  ever 
done  with  them.'  In  these  clauses  the  English  perfect  would  be  proper  only  if  the 
writer  had  but  recently  grown  to  full  manhood,  which  was  far  from  being  the  case 
with  Paul. 

12.  And  are  puzzled]  Lit.  'in  a  riddle.'  I  am/ully  knozvn]  Or  'I  have  conke  t» 
be  fully  known.' 


I.    CORINTHIANS    XIII.-XIV.  413 

the  present  the  knowledge  I  gain  is  imperfect  ;  but  then  I  shall 
know  fully,    even  as   I  am  fully  known.    And  so  there  remain     13 
Faith,  Hope,  Love — these  three  ;  and  of  these  the  greatest  is 
Love. 

Be  eager  in  your  pursuit  of  this  Love,  and  be     i   J 
superior  to\he  earnestly  ambitious  for  spiritual  gifts,  but  let  it 

Gift  of        be  chiefly  so  in  order  that  you  may  prophesy.  For     2 
Tongues.        ,  ,^,.  ,  .  , 

he  who  speaks  m  an  unknown  tongue  is  not  speak- 
ing to  men,  but  to  God  ;  for  no  one  understands  him.     Yet  in 
the  Spirit  he  is  speaking  secret  truths.     But  he  who  prophesies     3 
speaks  to  men  words  of  edification,  encouragement  and  comfort. 
He  who  speaks  in  an  unknown  tongue  does  good  to  himself,  but     4 
he  who  prophesies  does  good  to  the  church.     I  should  be  right     5 
glad  were  you  all  to  speak  in  '  tongues,'  but  yet  more  glad  were 
you  all  to  prophesy  ;  and,  in  fact,  the  man  who  prophesies  is 
superior  to  him  who  speaks  in  'tongues,'  except  when  the  latter 
can  interpret  in  order  that  the  church  may  get  a  blessing.     But,     6 
brethren,  as  things  are,  if  I  come  to  you  speaking  in  '  tongues,' 
what  benefit  shall  I  confer  on  you,  if  the  utterance  is  neither  in 
the   form  of  a  revelation  nor  of  additional  knowledge  nor  of 
prophecy  nor  of  teaching  ? 

Even  inanimate  things— flutes  or  harps,  for  instance — when     7 
yielding  a  sound,  if  they  make  no  distinction  in  the  notes,  how 
shall   the   tune  which   is   played  on  the  flute    or  the  harp  be 
known  ?     If  the   bugle — to    take   another   example — gives   an     8 
uncertain  sound,  who  will  prepare  for  battle  ?  And  so  with  you ;     9 
if  with  the  living  voice  you  fail  to  utter  intelligible  words,  how 
will  people  know  what  you  are  saying  ?     You  will  be  talking  to 
the  winds. 

There  are,  we  will  suppose,  a  great  number  of  languages   in     10 
the  world,  and  no  creature  is  without  a  language.     If,  however,     11 
I  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  particular  language,  I  shall 
seem  to  the  speaker  of  it,  and  he  to  me,  to  be  merely  talking 
some  foreign  tongue.     Therefore,  seeing  that  you  are  ambitious     12 

13.  "Hope  will  remain,  as  anticipation  certain  to  be  fulfilled.  Faith  will  remain, 
as  trust,  entire  and  undoubting  "  (Alford).  Love  will  remain,  as  that  subliniest  attri- 
bute which  we  shall  share  with  the  Infinite  One  Himself.     See  i  John  iv.  8,  i6. 

3.  Prophesies\  Cp.  xii.  28,  n.     Encouragement]  Cp.  Acts  iv.  36,  n. 

4.  Does  good  to]  Lit.  '  edifies,'  '  builds  up.' 

5.  Can  interpret]  Cp.  xiii.  1-3,  n. 

6.  If  the  utterance  &r'c.]  "  A  man's  spirit  may,  even  in  a  state  of  ecstasy,  receive 
a  revelation,  which,  when  interpreted,  becomes  a  prophecy  ;  or  the  ecstasy  may 
quicken  the  action  of  tliought  and  lead  to  knowledge,  which  may  be  taught  as  a 
doctrine  "  (T.  C.  Edwards). 

12.   Benefit]  Ur  '  edify,'  'build  up.' 


414  I.    CORINTHIANS   XIV. 

for  spiritual  gifts,  seek  to  excel  in  them   so  as  to  benefit  the 
church. 

Therefore  let  a  man  who  has  the  gift  of  tongues  pray  for  the      1 3 
power   of  interpreting   them.      For  if  I   pray  in  an   unknown     14 
tongue,  my  spirit  prays,  but  my  understanding  is  barren.     How      15 
then  does  the  matter  stand  ?     I  will  pray  in  spirit,  and   I   will 
pray  with  my  understanding  also.     I  will  praise  God  in  spirit, 
and  I  will  praise  Him  with  my  understanding  also.     Otherwise,     16 
if  you  bless   God  in  spirit  only,   how  shall  he  who  is   in  the 
position  of  an  ungifted  man  say  the  '  Amen '  to  your  giving  of 
thanks,    when   he   does   not    know   what   your    words    mean  ? 
Rightly  enough  you  are  giving  thanks,  and  yet  your  neighbour     17 
is  not  benefited.     I  speak  in  a  tongue,  thank  God,  more  than  all     18 
of  you  ;  but  in  the  church  I  would  rather  speak  five  words  with     19 
my  understanding — so   as  to  instruct    others    also — than   ten 
thousand  words  in  an  unknown  tongue. 

Brethren,  do  not   prove   yourselves  to  be   children  in  your     20 
minds  ;  as  regards  evil,  indeed,  be  utter  babes,  but  as  regards 
your  minds  prove  yourselves  to  be  men  of  ripe  years.     In  the     21 
Law    it    stands   written,   "'By  men  of  unknown  tongues 

AND    BY   THE    LIPS   OF     AN   UNKNOWN   NATION   WILL    I    SPEAK 
TO  THIS     PEOPLE,   BUT   EVEN   THEN    THEY   WILL   NOT   LISTEN 

TO  Me'  (Isa.  xxviii,  11),  says  the  Lord."     This  shows  that  the     22 
gift  of  tongues  is  intended  as  a  sign  not  to  those  who  believe  but 
to  unbehevers,  but  prophecy  is  intended  not  for  unbelievers  but 
for  those  who  believe.     Accordingly  if  the  whole  church  has     23 
assembled  and  all  are  speaking  in  '  tongues,'  and  there  come  in 
ungifted  men,  or  unbelievers,  will  they  not  say  that  you  are  all 
mad  ?     If,  on  the  other  hand,  every  one  is  prophesying  and  an     24 
unbeliever  or  an  ungifted  man  comes  in,  he  is  convicted  by  all 
and  closely  examined  by  all,  and  the  hidden  evils  of  his  heart     25 
are  brought  to  light  ;  and,  as  the  result,  he  will  fall  on  his  face 
and  worship  God,  and  will  report  to  others  that  of  a  truth  God 
is  among  you. 
The  orderly        What  then,  brethren  ?    Whenever  you  assemble,     26 
Exercise  of    there  is  not  one  of  you  who  is  not  ready  either 

spiritual  Gifts.        ,.1  r  •  1    .• 

With  a  song  of  praise,  a  sermon,  a  revelation,  a 
'tongue,'  or  an  interpretation.     Let  everything  be  done  with  a 

13.  Power]  Cp.  xiii.  1-3,  n. 

14.  My  spirit]  The  highest  element  of  man's  composite  nature. 

15.  Praise  God]  The  Greek  word  may  imply  an  instrumental  accompaniment. 
17.  B'nejited]  Lit.  'edified,'  'built  up.' 

22.  P  opkecy]  I.E.  'inspired  teacli'nj;.'     Cp.  xii.  10.  u. 
26.  Bu  Iding  upjaith  and  c/ianiccer]  Lit.  '  ediiication.' 


I.    CORINTHIANS   XIV.  415 

view  to  the  building  up  of  faith  and  character.     If  there  is     27 

speaking  in  an  unknown  tongue,  only  two  or  at  the  most  three 

should  speak,  and  they  should  do  so  one  at  a  time,  and  one 

should  interpret  ;  or  if  there  is  no  interpreter,  let  the  man  with     28 

the  gift  be  silent  in  the  church,  speaking  to  himself  and  to  God. 

But  if  there  are  prophets,  let  two  or  three  speak  and  let  the  rest     29 

judge.     And  if  anything  is  revealed  to  some  one  else  who  is     30 

seated  there,  let  the  first  be  silent.     For  you  can  all  prophesy     31 

one  by  one,  so  that  all  may  learn  and  all  be  encouraged  :  and     32 

the  spirits  of  prophets  yield  submission  to  prophets.     For  God     33 

is  not   a  God  of  disorder,  but  of  peace,   as  He  is   in  all  the 

churches  of  His  people. 

Women  at  ^^^  married  women  be  silent  in  the  churches,     34 

Meetings  of    for  they  are  not  permitted  to  speak.     They  must 

be  content  with  a  subordinate  place,  as  the  Law 

also  says  ;  and  if  they  wish  to  ask  questions,  they  should  ask     35 

their  own  husbands  at  home  ;  for  it  is  disgraceful  for  a  married 

..    „  .     woman  to  speak  at  a  church  assembly. 

No  Power  at  ,,^       .      .^  ^         ^     ^,      ^^  ^ 

Corinth  to         Was  it  from  you  that  Gods  Message  first  went     36 
'^^  clfs^toms.'^'^'^  forth,  or  is  it  to  you  only  that  it  has  come  ? 

If  any  one  deems  himself  to  be  a  prophet  or  a     37 
to'^rc^AuthoriVy.  ^^^^  ^^^^  spiritual  gifts,  let  him  recognize  as  the 
Lord's  command  all  that  I  am  now  writing  to  you. 
But  if  any  one  is  ignorant,  let  him  be  ignorant.  38 

Final  Words  as      ^^^    conclusion,    my     brethren,    is    this  :    be     39 
to  spiritual     earnestly  ambitious  to  prophesy,  and  do  not  check 

speaking   with    tongues  ;  only   let   everything   be     40 
done  in  a  becoming  and  orderly  manner. 

ag.  Judge\  Or 'discern.'  Cp.  xii.  lo.  As  to  whether  the  words  spoken  "really 
came  forth  from  the  Spirit,  or  were  only  the  imaginings  of  tlie  speaker's  heart  " 
(Ellicott).  In  strani^e  contradiction  to  this  precept  The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  directs,  "  No  prophet,  when  speaking  in  the  Spirit,  shail  you  test  or  judge  " 
— the  same  verb  as  Paul  employs  here — "  for  every  sin  shall  be  forgiven,  but  this  sin 
shall  not  be." 

30.  Seated  there]  See  the  excellent  notes  of  Ellicott  and  T.  C.  Edwards. 

33.  V.L.,  preferred  by  the  American  Revisers,  connects  the  last  clause  with  verse 
34  :  'As  in  all  the  churches  of  God's  people,  let  (married)  women  be  silent.' 

34.  Marr-ied  women]  One  word  in  the  Greek — the  same  as  that  often  rendered 
simply  'women.'  xi.  1-16  proves  that  Paul  did  not  order  all  women  to  be  silent  at 
meetings  of  the  church.  The  reference  to  '  husbands'  in  verse  35  also  sliows  tliat 
'  married  women'  is  the  correct  rendering  here.     Cp.  i  lim.  ii.  11,  12,  n. 

35.  Their  own  husbands]  Or,  in  accordance  with  the  undoubted  usage  of  the 
LXX.,  simply  'their  husbands.' 

36.  IVas  it  from  you]  Lit.  '  Or  was  it  from  you.' 

37.  Let  him  &^c.]  Let  this  furnish  a  test  whether  he  really  has  the  Spirit,  or  not. 
Or  perhaps  the  sense  is  'let  him  fully  understand  that  these  rules  I  am  laying  down 
are  from  the  Lord.' 

38.  Let  him  be  ignorant]  v.L.  '  he  is  not  known.'  The  sense  of  the  entire  verse 
will  then  be  '  But  if  any  man  does  not  know  the  Lord's  voice  when  he  hears  it,  he  is 
one  of  those  to  whom,  on  the  last  day,  the  Lord  will  say  "  I  do  not  know  you."  ' 


4i6  I.    CORINTHIANS    XV. 

The  Resurrection  of  the  Dead. 

-ru    rw    *u      ^       But  let   me   recall   to  you,  brethren,  the   Good     i 

The  Death  and  ,  .    ,     ,  ,  ,  "^  ,  .    , 

Resurrection    News  vvhich  I  brought  you,  which  you  accepted, 
of  Jesus.       ^^^  ^^  which  you  are  standing,  through   which     2 
also  you  are  obtaining  salvation,  if  you  bear  in  mind  the  words 
in  which   I  proclaimed  it — unless  indeed  your  faith  has  been 
unreal  from  the  very  first.    For  I  repeated  to  you  the  all-import-     3 
ant  fact  which  also  I  had  been  taught,  that  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  in  accordance  with  the  Scriptures,  that  He  was  buried,  that     4 
He  rose  to  hfe  again  on  the  third  day  in  accordance  with  the 
Scriptures,  and  was  seen  by   Peter,  and  then  by  the  Twelve.     5 
Afterwards  He  was  seen  by  more  than  fiv^e  hundred  brethren  at     6 
once,  most  of  whom  are  still  alive,  although  some  of  them  have 
now  fallen  asleep.     Afterwards  He  was  seen  by  James,  and  then     7 
by  all  the  apostles.     And  last  of  all,  as  to  one  of  untimely  birth,     8 
He  appeared  to  me  also. 

For  I  am  the  least  of  the  apostles,  and  am  not     9 
Witness  as  to  fit  to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the 
HisResur-      church  of  God.      But  what   I    am   I   am  by  the     10 

rection.  •' 

grace  of  God,  and  His  grace  bestowed  upon   me 
did  not  prove  ineffectual  ;  but  I  laboured  more  strenuously  than 
all  the  rest — yet  it  was  not  I,  but  God's  grace  working  with  me. 
But  whether  it  is  I  or  they,  this  is  the  way  we  preach  and  the     11 
way  that  you  came  to  believe. 

But  if  Christ  is  preached  as  having  risen  from     12 

The  Denial  of     ,,,,..       ,  .  ,  , 

the  Possibility  the  dead,  how  IS  It  that  some  of  you  say  that  there 

of  Resur-      jg  ^^  such  thing  as  a  resurrection  of  the  dead  .-*    If     i^ 
rection.  °  ^ 

there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  resurrection  of  the  dead, 

then  Christ  Himself  has  not  risen  to  life.     And  if  Christ  has  not     14 

risen,  it  follows  that  what  we  preach  is  a  delusion,  and  that  your 

faith  also  is  a  delusion.     Nay  more,  we  are  actually  being  dis-     15 

covered  to  be  bearing  false  witness  about  God,  because  we  have 

testified  that  God  raised  Christ  to  life,  whom  He  did  not  raise, 

if  in  reality  none  of  the  dead  are  raised.     For  if  none  of  the  dead     16 

are  raised  to  life,  then  Christ  has  not  risen  ;  and    if  Christ   has     17 

not  risen,  your  faith  is  a  vain  thing — you  are  still  in  your  sins.     18 

2.  Frojn  the  very  first\  Cp.  Rom.  xiii,  ii,  and  see  Aorist  vi.  6. 

5.  Peter]  Lit.  '  Cephas.' 

6,  At  once]  Or  'once  for  all.'  while  to  some  He  appeared  oftener. 
9.    The  least  of  the  apostles]  Cp.  1  Tim.  i.  15,  n.  ;  Eph.  iii.  8. 

14.  A  delusion]  Nothing  will  come  of  it.     Cp.  verse  17. 

17.  A  vain  tiling]  There  is  nothing  in  it  :  it  is  an  utter  unreality. 

i3.  Have/alUn  asleep  .   .  have  perished]  Alford  rightly  observes  that  Paul  "  u:.es 


I.    CORINTHIANS    XV.  417 

It  follows  also  that  those  who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Christ  have 
perished.     If  in   this  present  life  we  have  a  hope  resting  on     19 
Christ,  and  nothing  more,  we  are  more  to  be  pitied  than  all  the 
rest  of  the  world. 
Christ'sResur       I^>^it,  in  reality,  Christ  /z^'^  risen  from  the  dead,     20 

rection  a      being  the  first  to  do  so  of  those  who  are  asleep, 
'^'^wfifrise!^"  ^°^  seeing  that  death  came  through  man,  through     21 
man  comes  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.     For     22 
just  as  through  Adam  all  die,  so  also  through  Christ  all  will  be 
made  alive  again.    But  this  will  happen  to  each  in  the  right  order     23 
— Christ  having  been  the  first  to  rise,  and  afterwards  Christ's 
people  rising  at  His  return.     Later  on,  comes  the  End,  when     24 
He  is  to  surrender  the  Kingship  to  God,  the  Father,  when   He 
shall   have    overthrown    all   other   government    and   all    other 
authority  and  power.     For  He  must  continue  King  until  He     25 
shall  have  put  all  His  enemies  under  His  feet  (Ps.  viii.  6  ;  ex.  i). 
The  last  enemy  that  is  to  be  overthrown    is    Death  ;  for    He  26,  27 
will  have  put  all  things  in  subjection  under  His   feet.     And 
when  He  shall  have  declared  that  "  All  things  are  in  subjection," 
it  will  be  with  the  manifest  exception  of  Him  who  has  reduced 
them  all  to  subjection  to  Him.     But  when  the  whole  universe     28 
has  been  made  subject  to  Him,  then  the  Son  Himself  will  also 
become  subject  to  Him  who  has  made  the  universe  subject  to 
Him,  in  order  that  GOD  may  be  all  in  all. 

Otherwise  what  will  become  of  those  who  got  themselves     29 

the  aorists,  speaking  of  the  act  of  death,  not  of  the  con!  iiming  state  ;  "  hut  he  forgets 
that  the  Enghsh  Simple  Past  tenses  ('  fell  asleep  '  and  'perishe  i  ')  would  necessarily 
refer  to  the  death  of  certain  individuals  at  a  certain  definite  time.  See  Aorist  v.  3,  4. 
In  the  passage  before  us  even  Ellicott  inserts  the  'have,'  though  his  reason  for  so 
doing  is  most  unsatisfactory.     See  Aorist  ix.  5. 

ig.  Have  a  hope  resting\  Cp.  John  v.  45.  Attd  nothing  more]  The  order  of  the 
words  will  not  allow  the  connexion  of  this  phrase  (rendered  by  '  only  ')  with  '  life.' 
The  meaning  is  not  '  in  this  life  only,'  but  '  a  delusive  hope,  and  that  only,'  with  no 
fulfilment. 

24.  Later  on]  The  'then'  of  the  A.V.  is  only  a  correct  translation  in  the  sense 
of  '  next  in  order.'  The  Greek  word  denotes  sequence  not  simultaneousness.  Cp. 
Mark  iv.  28.  The  End]  Of  Christ's  mediatorial  kingship,  the  object  of  its  existence 
having  been  fully  secured.     To  God  the  Father]  Lit.  '  to  the  God  and  Father.' 

24,  26.   Overthroiun]  Lit.  '  reduced  to  powerlessness.' 

25.  He  shall  have  put]  i.e.  God,  the  Fatlier,  shall  have  put.  See  verses  27,  28; 
Ps.  viii.  6  ;  ex.  i. 

27.  Will  have  put]  Lit.  'has  put.'  Are  in  subjection]  i.e.  now  at  last  the  work 
of  subjection,  the  overthrow  of  all  foes,  is  completed.  The  perfect  tense  of  the  verb 
occurs  only  here  and  in  Heb.  ii.  8  (last  word).     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

28.  All  in  all]  "  All  creatures  will  say,  '  God  is  everything  to  me  '  "  (Bengel). 

29.  Otherwise]  i.e.  if  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead.  What  will  &!*C.\ 
"  What  shall  we  say  is  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  baptism  for  the  dead,  if  used  by 
men  that  deny  the  resurrection?"  (T.  C.  Edwards.)  This  practice  existed  at  an 
early  period  and  was  apparently  not  unknown  at  Corinth.  But  see  the  commen- 
tators. Tregelles's  punctuation  (with  the  'i  before  "  for  the  dead  "  instead  of  a  .er) 
leaves  'the  '  unaccounted  for.     Why  are  ^c]  Cp.  iv.  7. 

EG 


4i8  I.    CORINTHIANS    XV. 

baptized  for  the  dead  ?      If  none  of  the  dead  rise, 
^the'oead!''    ^^y  ^^^  ^^^^  baptized  for  them  ?    Why  also  do  we     30 
apostles  expose  ourselves  to  danger  every  hour  ?    I     31 
protest,  brethren,  as  surely  as  I  glory  over  you — which  I  may 
justly  do  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord — that  I  die  day  by  day.     If    32 
from  merely  human  motives  I  have  fought  with  wild  beasts  at 
Ephesus,  what  profit  is  it  to  me  ?     If  the  dead  do  not  rise,  let  us 
eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  are  to  die.     Do  not  deceive     33 
yourselves  : 

"  Evil  companionships  corrupt  good  morals." 
Wake  from  this  drunken  fit  ;    live  righteous  lives,  and  cease  to     34 
sin  ;  for  some  have  no  knowledge  of  God  :  I  speak  thus  in  order 
to  move  you  to  shame. 

. ,.  ^    .^  But  some  one  will  sav,  "  How  can  the  dead  rise  ?     35 

AH  Fruit  "  '  ^■' 

differs  from    and  with  what  kind  of  body  do  they  come  back?" 
Its    ee  .       Foolish  man  !  the  seed  you  yourself  sow  has  no     36 
lifegiven  to  it  unless  it  first  dies  ;  and  as  for  what  you  sow,  it  is  not     37 
he  plant  which  is  to  be  that  you  are  sowing,  but  a  bare  grain,  of 
wheat  (it  may  be)  or  of  something  else,  and  God  gives  it  a  body     38 
as  He  has  seen  fit,  and  to  each  kind  of  seed  a  body  of  its  own. 
All  flesh  is  not  the  same  :    there  is  human  flesh,  and  flesh  of    39 
cattle,  of  birds,  and  of  fishes.      There  are  bodies   which  are     40 
celestial  and  there  are  bodies  which  are  earthly,  but  the  glory  of 
the  celestial  ones  is  one  thing,  and  that  of  the  earthly  ones  is 
another.     There  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  another  of  the  moon,     41 
and  another  of  the  stars  ;  for  star  differs  from  star  in  glory. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.     42 
"""andThe'^     The  body  is  sown  in  a  state  of  decay,  it  is  raised 
spiritual       free  from  decay  ;    it  is   sown  in  dishonour,   it  is     4^ 
Bodies.  •      j  •        ,  •!  •  •  ,  -^  •         •      j 

raised  m  glory  ;  it  is  sown  in  weakness,  it  is  raised 

in  power  ;  an  animal  body  is   sown,  a  spiritual  body  is  raised.     44 

30.   We apostles\  Lit.  simply  an  emphatic  'we.' 

32.  Have  fo'ight  dr*c.J  Daring  my  stay  here.  This  letter  was  written  from 
Ephesus  (xvl.  8)  IViU  Seasis]  Antagonists  as  ferocious  as  lions  and  tigers.  Or, 
regardm^  the  wild  beasts  as  literal  ones,  'if  I  had  fouglit  .  .  what  profit  would  it 
have  been  to  me  ?' 

35.  Cnu]  Cp.  xiii.  1-3,  n. 

36.  FooUsh  man]  Not  the  vocative  case  (in  the  best  MSS.),  but  the  nomina- 
tive;  as  though  the  writer  were  first  tlirovvmg  the  epithet  at  his  ooponent,  before 
turnuig  imme  liately  afterwards  to  address  this  argument  from  an;ilogy  to  him. 

42.   It  is  the  same  with]  Cp.  xii.  12,  n. 

44,  46.  Animxl]  More  accurately  '  psychical '  or  'soulish  ;'  fit  to  be  the  dwelling- 
place  and  instrument  nf  the  soul;  "a  body  in  which  the  pysche,  or  soul,  comes 
i  ito  relation  with  the  sensuous  and  material"  (Ellicott).  Cp.  ii.  14,  n.,  and  i 
Thess.  V.  23. 

44.  An  anitnal  body  is  sown,  a  spiritual  body  is  raised]  The  words  in  the  Greek 
do  iu)t  indicate  that  the  two  bodies  are  identical.  As  sifreiy  as]  Lit.  'if.'  v. u, omits 
the  word. 


I.    CORINTHIANS   XV.-XVI.  419 

As  surely  as  there  is  an  animal  body,  so  there  is  also  a  spiritual 
JDody.     In  the  same    way  also  it   is   written,  "The  first  MAN     45 
Adam  became  a  living  animal"  (Gen.  ii.  7) ;   the  last  Adam 
is  a  life-giving  spirit.     Nevertheless,  it  is  not  what  is  spiritual     46 
that  came  first,  but  what  is  animal  ;  what  is  spiritual  came  after- 
wards.    The  first  man  is  a  man  of  earth,  earthy  ;    the  second     47 
man  is  from  heaven.     What  the  earthy  one  is,  that  also  are     48 
those  who  are  earthy  ;  and  what  the  heavenly  One  is,  that  also 
are  those   who  are  heavenly  ;  and  as  we  have  borne  a  resem-     49 
blance  to  the  earthy  one,  let  us  see  to  it  that  we  also  bear  a 
resemblance  to  the  heavenly  One. 

^,     ^^  But  this  I  tell  you,  brethren  :  our  mortal  bodies     50 

The  Change  .,./.'.,  r  .^     ,  n       ,     . 

which  awaits    Cannot  mherit  the  Kmgdom  of  God,  nor  will  what 

our    o  les.     j^  perishable  inherit  what  is  imperishable.     I  tell     51 
you  a  truth  hitherto  kept  secret  :  we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we 
shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,     52 
at  the  sounding  of  the  last  trumpet  ;  for  the  trumpet  will  sound, 
and  the  dead  will  be  raised  incapable  of  decay,  and  ive  shall  be 
changed.     For  so   it  must   be  :    this    perishable   nature   must     53 
clothe  itself  with  what  is  imperishable,  and  this  mortality  must 
clothe  itself  with  immortality.     But  when  this  perishable  nature     54 
has  put  on    what   is   imperishable,  and  this  mortality  has  put 
on  immortality,  then  will  the  words  of   Scripture  be  fulfilled, 
"  Death  has  been  swallowed  up  in  victory"  (Isa.  xxv.  8). 
"Where,  O  death,  is  thy  victory?    Where,  O  death,    55 
IS  thy  sting"  (Hos.  xiii.  14)  1     Now  sin  is  the  sting  of  death,     56 
and  sin  derives  its  power  from  the  Law  ;  but  God  be  thanked     57 
who  gives  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ !    There-     58 
fore,  my  dear  brethren,  be  firm,  unmovable,  busily  occupied  at 
all  times  in  the  Lord's  work,  knowing  that  your  toil  is  not  fruit- 
less in  the  Lord. 

The  Poor  at  Jerusalem, 

The  Collection      ^^  ^^  ^^^  collection  for  God's  people,  what   I     i   1  g 
for  the  Poor    have  directed  the  churches  of  Galatia  to  do,  you 
erusaem.  j^^gj.  ^^  also.     On  the  first  day  of  every  week  let     2 

50.  Our  f)tortal  bodies]  Lit.   '  flesh  and  blood.' 

51.  A  truth  hitherto  kept  secret]   Lit.  '  a  mystery.' 

52.  The  last  trumpet]  Owing  to  the  far  earher  date  of  this  Letter,  no  reference  to 
Rev.  xi.  15,  18  can  be  intended,  although  the  event  is,  of  course,  one  and  the  same  ! 
Cp.  I  Thess.  iv.  i6. 

55.   Stin:]  Cp.  Rev.  ix.  lo. 

58.   In  the  Lori]   For  whose  sake  and  under  whose  eye  it  is  endured,  and  who   at 
the  Resurrection  will  certainly  recompense  it. 
2.    IVhatever  ^c.]  Lit.  (the  gain)  '  whereinsoever  he  is  prospered  '  (by  God). 


420  I.    CORINTHIANS    XVI. 

each  of  you  put  on  one  side  and  store  up  at  his  home  whatever 
gain  has  been  granted  to  him  ;    so  that  whenever  I  come,  there 
may  then  be  no  cohections  going  on.     And  when  I  am  with  you,     3 
whatever  brethren  you  accredit  by  letter  I  will  send  to  carry 
your  kind  gift  to  Jerusalem.     And  if  it  is  worth  while  for  me     4 
also  to  make  the  journey,  they  shall  go  as  my  companions. 

Personal  Matters,  and  Farewell. 

I  shall  come  to  you  after  passing  through  Mace-     5 
""^^^Pians*'^'^  donia  ;  for  my  plan  will  be  to  pass  through  Mace- 
donia ;  and   I    shall   make   some   stay   with   you     6 
perhaps,  or  even  spend  the  winter  with  you,  in  order  that  you 
may  help  me  forward,  whichever  way  I  travel.     For  I   do  not     7 
wish  to  see  you  on  this  occasion  merely  in  passing  ;  but  if  the 
Lord  permits,  I  hope  to  remain  some  time  with  you.     I  shall     8 
remain  at  Ephesus,  however,  until  the   time    of    the    Harvest 
Festival,  for  a  wide  door  stands  open  before  me  which  demands     9 
great  efforts,  and  we  have  many  opponents. 

^.      .,  If  Timothy  pays  you  a  visit,  see  that  he  is  free     10 

Timothy.         ^  ^  .•',.•;.  . ',  .       ,        . 

from  fear  m    his   relations  with   you  ;    for  he  is 

engaged  in  the  Master's  work  just  as  I  am.    Therefore  let  no  one     11 

slight  him,  but   all  of  you  should  help  him  forward  in  peace  to 

join  me  ;  for  I  am  waiting  for  him  and  others  of  the  brethren. 

As  for  our  brother  Apollos,  I  have  repeatedly     12 
Apollos.  J   1  •        .  .v,\^     .X,  1 

urged  him  to  accompany  the   brethren  who   are 

coming  to  you     but  he  is  quite  resolved  not  to  do  so  at  present. 

He  will  come,  however,  when  he  has  a  good  opportunity. 

Be  on  the  alert  ;    stand  firm  in  the  faith  ;    acquit  yourselves     13 

like  men  ;  be  strong.     Let  all  that  you  do  be  done  from  motives     14 

of  love. 

And   I   beseech   you,  brethren — you  know  the     15 

household  of  Stephanas,  how  they  were  the  earliest 

Greek  converts  to  Christ,  and  have  devoted  themselves  to  the 

service  of  God's  people — I  beseech  you,  on  your  part,  to  show     16 

deference  to  such  men,  and  to  every  one  who  participates  in  their 

work  and  toils  hard.     It  is  a  joy  to  me  that  Stephanas,  Fortu-     17 

natus,    and   Achaicus   have    now    arrived,    because    what   was 

8.  The  time  0/  the  Harvest  Festival]  I-it.  '  the  Pentecost.' 

11.  And  the  breih}-en]  Who  are  coming  with  him. 

12.  Coming  to  you\    Bringing  this  Letter. 

13.  Be  on  the  alert\  Lit.  'awake.' 

14.  Froin  motives  of  lovel  Lit.    'in  love.' 

17.    What  was  ivantingsofar  as  yo?i  are  concerned]  Or  'my  lack  of  you  '  (T.  C. 
Edwards). 


I.    CORINTHIANS   XVI.  421 

wanting  so  far  as  you  are  concerned  they  have  suppHed.     They     18 
have  refreshed  my  spirit,  and  youis.     Acknowledge  such  men  as 
these. 

The  churches  in  the  province  of  Asia  send  you     19 
Gr*^e"t?ngs.      greetings  ;  and  Aquila  and  Prisca,  in  hearty  Chris- 
tian love,  do  the  same,  together  with  the  church 
which  meets  at  their  house.     The  brethren  all  send  greetings  to     20 
you.     Greet  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss. 
Conclusion         ^^^  ^^^^  greeting  of  me— Paul— with  my  own     21 
hand.     If  any  one  is  destitute  of  love  to  the  Lord,     22 
let   him   be  accursed.      OUR    LORD    IS    COMING.      The'     23 
grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  be  with  you.      My  love  in  Christ  Jesus     24 
be  with  you  all. 

t8.  And  j'ours]  It  is  to  their  presence  here  that  you  owe  much  in  this  my  Letter 
of  what  1  know  will  refresh  and  cheer  your  spirits. 
10.  At  their  house\  Cp.  Roin.  .\vi.  5,  n. 

20.    With  a  holv  kiss]  Men  kis.sin.j  men  and  women  women. 
22.  OUR  LORD  IS  COM/XG].  Lit.   '  Maran  atha.' 


PAUL'S    SECOND    LETTER    TO   THE 
CORINTHIANS 


The  second  Letter  to  the  Corinthians  was  probably  written 
in  the  autumn  of  56  a.d.,  the  first  Letter  to  them  having  been 
sent  in  the  spring  of  that  year.  But  there  are  other  letters  of 
which  we  have  no  clear  account.  One,  lost  to  us,  evidently 
preceded  the  first  Letter  (i  Cor.  v.  9).  In  our"  second"  Letter 
we  find  mention  (ii.  2,  4)  of  a  severe  communication  which 
could  not  but  give  pain.  Can  this  have  been  our  "  first"  to  the 
Corinthians  ?  Some  think  not,  in  which  case  there  must  have 
been  an  "  intermediate "  letter.  This  some  students  find  in 
2  Cor.  X.  i-xiii.  10.  If  so,  there  must  have  been  four  letters. 
Some  have  thought  that  in  2  Cor.  vi.  14-vii.  i,  and  viii.,  ix.  yet 
another  is  embedded,  making  possibly  five  in  all.  The  reader 
must  form  his  own  conclusions,  inasmuch  as  the  evidence  is 
almost  entirely  internal.  On  the  whole  it  would  seem  that  our 
first  Letter,  conveyed  by  Titus,  had  produced  a  good  effect  in 
the  Corinthian  church,  but  that  this  wore  off,  and  that  Titus 
returned  to  the  apostle  at  Ephesus  with  such  disquieting  news 
that  a  visit  of  Paul  just  then  to  Corinth  would  have  been  very 
embarrassing,  alike  for  the  church  and  the  apostle.  Hence,  in- 
stead of  going,  he  writes  a  "  painful "  letter  and  sends  it  by  the 
same  messenger,  proceeding  himself  to  Troas  and  thence  to 
Macedonia  where,  in  great  tension  of  spirit,  he  awaits  the  return 
of  Titus.  At  last  there  comes  a  reassuring  account,  the  relief 
derived  from  which  is  so  great  that  our  second  Letter  is  written, 
with  the  double  purpose  of  comforting  those  who  had  been  so 
sharply  rebuked,  and  of  preventing  the  recurrence  of  the  evils 
which  had  called  forth  the  remonstrance.  In  this  way  both  the 
tenderness  and  the  severity  of  the  present  Letter  may  be  ex- 
plained. 


PAUL'S  SECOND  LETTER  TO  THE  CORINTHIANS 

The  Apostle  and  his  Readers. 

Q       .  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  by  the  will  of     i   ]_ 

God — and  our  brother  Timothy  : 

To  the  church  of   God  at    Corinth,  with   all    God's    people 
throughout  Greece.     May  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you     2 
from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Heartfelt  thanks  be  to  the  God  and  Father  of    3 

f<fr" d1  vi n'e"^  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — the   Father  who  is  full  of 

Comfort.       compassion  and  the  God  who  gives  all  comfort. 
He  comforts  us  in  our  every  affliction  so  that  we  may  be  able     4 
to   comfort  those  who  are  in  any  kind  of  affliction  by  means 
of  the  comfort  with  which  we  ourselves  are  comforted  by  God. 
For  just  as  we  have  more  than  our  share   of  suffering  for  the     5 
Christ,  so  also  through  the  Christ  we  have  more  than  our  share 
of  comfort.     But  if,  on  the  one  hand,  we  are  enduring  affliction,     6 
it  is  for  your  comfort  and  salvation  ;  and  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  are  receiving  comfort,  it  is  for  your  comfort  which  is  pro- 
duced within  you  through  your  patient  fortitude  under  the  same 
sufferings  as  those  which  we  also  are  enduring.     And  our  hope     7 
for  you  is  stedfast ;  for  we  know  that  as  you  are  partners  v/ith 
us  in  the  sufferings,  so  you  are  also  partners  in  the  comfort. 

For  as  for  our  troubles  which  came  upon  us  in     8 
\oT Divine^  ^^e  province  of  Asia,  we  would  have  you  know, 
Deliverance,    brethren,  that  we  were  exceedingly  weighed  down, 

2.  Greece]  Greek  '  Achaia,'  i.e.  the  Roman  province  of  Achaia,  which  roughly 
coincided  with  modern  Greece.     The  capital  was  Corinth. 

3.  Father  ivho  is  full  of  compassion]  Lit.  '  Father  of  compassions.'  Cp.  '  God  of 
forgivenesses,'  Neh.  ix.  17,  R.V.  margin.  The  plural  in  these  expressions  is 
what  the  grammarians  call  phiralis  majestatis.  See  Job  x.  12,  which  is  literally, 
"  Lives  and  favour  hast  Thou  granted  me  ;  "  apparently  a  dim  anticipation  of  im- 
mortality, as  in  Ps.  xxi.  4.  So  '  behemoth  '  (Job  xl.  15)  is  the  plural  of  '  behemah,' 
a  beast,  and  signifies  '  a  huge  beast,'  the  hippopotamus.  Comfort]  This  ten  times 
repeated  word  seems  to  include  the  idea  of  exhortation  as  well  as  consolation.  See 
Actsiv.  37,  n. 

6.  For  your  co7iifort]  v.L.  adds  'and  salvation'  to  these  words  on  their  second 
occurrence  here. 

8,    The  province  of  Asia]  The  Roman  province  so  called,  of  which  Ephesus  was 


426  II.    CORINTHIANS    I. 

and  felt  overwhelmed,  so  that  we  renounced  all  hope  even  of 
life.     Nay,  we   had,    as   we  still  have,   the  sentence  of  death     9 
within  our  own  selves,  in  order  that  our  confidence  maj'^  repose, 
not  on  ourselves,  but  on   God  who  raises  the  dead  to  life.     He     10 
it  is  who  rescued  us  from  so  imminent  a  death,  and   will  do 
so  again  ;  and  we  have  a  firm   hope  in   Him  that  He  will  also 
rescue  us  in  all  the  future,  while  you  on  your  part  lend  us  your     11 
aid  in  entreaty  for  us,  so  that  from  many  lips  thanksgivings 
may  rise  on  our  behalf  for  the  boon  granted  to  us  at  the  inter- 
cession of  many. 

For   the  reason  for   our   boasting   is   this — the     12 
''^had  been'^^  testimony  of  our  own   conscience  that  it  was  in 
disinterested,  holiness  and  with  pure   motives   before  God,  and 
in  reliance  not  on  worldly  wisdom  but  on  the  gracious  help  of 
God,  that  we  have  conducted  ourselves  in  the  world,  and  above 
all   in    our   relations   with    you.     For   we   are    writing    to   you     13 
nothing  different   from  what  we  have  written   before,  or  from 
what  indeed  you  already  recognize  as  truth   and  will,  I  trust, 
recognize  as  such  to  the  very  end  ;  just  as  some  few  of  you     14 
have  recognized  us  as  your  reason   for  boasting,  even  as  you 
will  be  ours,  on  the  day  of  Jesus  our  Lord. 

It  was   because   I   entertained    this  confidence     15 
^post*ponrd*^    that  I  intended    to  visit    you  before  going  else- 
his  Visit.       where— SO  that  you  might  receive  a  twofold  proof 
of  God's  favour — and  to  pass  by  way  of  Cormth  into  Macedo  lia.     16 
Then  my  plan  was  to  return   from  Macedonia   to  you,  and  be 
helped  forward  by  you  to  Judaea.     Did   I  display  any  vacilla-     17 
tion  or  caprice  in  this?     Or  the   purposes  which   I  form — do  I 
form  them  on  worldly  principles,  now  crying  '•'  Yes,  yes,"  and 
now  "  No,  no".'* 

As  certainly  as  God  is  faithful,  our  language  to  you  is  not     18 
now  "Yes"  and  now  "  No."     For  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God     19 
— He  who  was  proclaimed  among  you  by  us,  that  is  by  Silas  and 
Timothy  and  myself — did  not  show  himself  a  waverer  between 
"Yes"  and  "No,"  but  it  was   and   always  is  "  Yes"  with  Him. 

the  capital.  It  was  in  the  west  of  Asia  Minor.  And  felt  overwhelmei{\  Lit.  '  beyond 
strength 

9.  Sentence]  Or  '  presentiment.'     Lit.  'answer.' 

12.  Pure  motives]  See  ii    17    n. 

15.  Be/o>e  ^oin^  elseivliere]  Lit.  'first.'     Proof  of  GocT  s  favour]  v.l.  'joy.' 

17.  I'aAUntion  or  ca/>r/ce]  One  word  in  the  ^J^eek  wiiich  no  one  Eiighsh  word 
seems  adequately  to  represent.     Po-naps  '  levity  "  comes  nearest. 

ig.  S//as]  L't.  '  Siivanus.'  It  lias  been  conjccnirtrd  that  Si  a-;  is  another  name  for 
Luke.  Il^as  ant  is]  The  Greek  verb  possesses  this  douule  lorce.  Cp.  i.  Cor.  ix.  15  ; 
and  Aorist  vii.  3. 


II.    CORINTHIANS    I. -II.  427 

For  all  the  promises  of  God,  whatever  their  number,  have  their     20 
confirmation  in    Him  ;  and  for  this  reason  through  Him   also 
our  "  Amen  "  acknowledges  their  truth  and  promotes  the  glory 
of  God  through   our  faith.     But  He  who  is  making  us  as  well     21 
as    you    stedfast    through  union  with   the  Anointed  One,  and 
has  anointed   us  is   God,  and  He  has  also  set  His  seal  upon     22 
us,  and  has  put  His  Spirit  into  our  hearts  as  a  pledge  and  fore- 
taste of  future  blessing. 

But  as  for  me,  as  my  soul  shall  answer  for  it,  I  appeal  to  God     23 
as  my  witness,  that  it  was  to  spare  you   pain   that  I  gave  up 
my  visit  to  Corinth.      Not  that  we  want  to  lord  it  over  you     24 
in    respect    of  your  faith  —  we    do,   however,    desire    to    help 
your  joy — for  in  the  matter   of  your  faith    you    are    standing 
firm. 

But,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  have  resolved  not  to  have  a     i   ^ 
painful  visit  the  next  time   I  come  to  see  you.     For  if  I  of  all     2 
men  give  you  pain,  who  then  is  there  to  gladden  my  heart,  but 
the  very  persons  to  whom  I  give  pain  ?     And  I  write  this  to     3 
you  in  order  that  when   I   come   I  may  not  receive  pain  from 
those  who  ought  to  give  me  joy,  confident  as  I  am  as  to  all  of 
you  that  my  joy  is  the  joy  of  you  all.     For  with  many  tears  I     4 
write  to  you,  and  in  deep  suffering  and  depression  of  spirit, 
not  in  order  to  grieve  you,  but  in  the  hope  of  showing  you  how 
brimful  my  heart  is  with  love  for  you. 

Now  if  any  one  has  caused  sorrow  it  has  been     5 

The  penitent  ,  ^  ,  .  ,  , 

Offender  to  be  caused  not  SO  much  to  me,  as  in  some  degree — lor 
received  back,  j  ^i^^ye  no  wish  to  exaggerate— to  all  of  you.     In     6 
the  case  of  such  a  person  the  punishment  which  was  inflicted 
by  the  majority  of  you  is  enough  ;  so  that  you  may  now  take     7 
the  opposite  course,  and  forgive  him  rather  and  comfort  him,  for 
fear  he  should  perhaps  be  driven  to  despair  by  his  excess  of 
grief.     I  beg  you  therefore  fully  to  reinstate  him  in  your  love.     8 
For  in  writing  to  you   I  have  also  this  object  in  view— to  dis-     9 
cover  by  experience  whether  you  are  prepared  to  be  obedient  in 
every  respect.     When  you  forgive  a  man  an  offence  I  also  for-     10 
give  it  ;  for  in  fact  what  I  have  forgiven,  if  I  have  forgiven  any- 
thing, has  always  been  for  your  sakes  and  in  the  presence  of 

20.  Thdr  coiiJin7tation'\  Lit.  '  the  Yes.'  And p>oviotes  the  glory  of  God  through 
our/aith]  Lit.  'to  glory,  through  us.' 

21.  The  Anointed  One]  Lir.  'Christ.'  ,     _    •  •    . 

22.  His  Spirit  as  a  rledge  d-^c]  Lit.  '  the  earnest  (or,  first  instalment)  of  the  Spirit. 
See  V.  5,  n.     Pitt  imo]  Lit.  '<;i\enin.' 

24.   Not  I  hat  we  ivant  to  lord  it  over  you]  As  some  accuse  us  of  doing. 
7.  Rather]  v.l.  omits  this  word. 


428  11.    CORINTHIANS    II.-III. 

Christ,  for  fear  Satan  should  gain  an  advantage  over  us  ;  for  we     ii 
are  not  ignorant  of  his  devices. 

Now  when   I   came  into  the  Troad  to   spread     12 
a^r!d  A"poJtoMc'  there    the    Good    News    about    the    Christ,  even 
Success.       though  in  the  Lord's  providence  a  door  stood  open 
before  me,  yet,  obtaining  no  rehef  for  my  spirit  because  I  did     13 
not  find  our  brother  Titus,  I   bade  them  farewell  and  went  on 
into  Macedonia.     But  to  God  be  the  thanks  who  in  Christ  ever     14 
heads  our  triumphal  procession,  and  by  our  hands  waves   in 
every  place  that  sweet  incense,  the  knowledge  of  Him.     For  we     15 
are  a  fragrance  of  Christ  grateful  to  God  in  those  whom  He  is 
saving  and  in  those  who  are  perishing;  to  the  last-named  an      16 
odour  of  death  predictive  of  death,  and  to  the  others  an  odour  of 
life  predictive  of  life.     And  for  such  service  as  this  who  is  com- 
petent?    We  are  ;  for,  unlike  most  teachers,  we  are  not  fraudu-     17 
lent  hucksters  of  God's  Message  ;  but  with  transparent  motives, 
as  commissioned  by  God,  in  God's  presence  and  in  communion 
with  Christ,  so  we  speak. 

Do  you   say  that   this   is   self-recommendation     i    * 
Paul's  Con-   once  more  ?  or  do  we  need,  as  some  do,  letters  of 

verts  a  Proof  ,     .  .  -,     \^       ^ 

of  his  Divine  recommendation  to  you  or  from  you  ?  Our  letter  2 
Mission.  ^^  recommendation  is  yourselves — a  letter  written 
on  our  hearts  and  everywhere  known  and  read.  For  all  can  3 
see  that  you  are  a  letter  of  Christ  entrusted  to  our  care,  and 
written  not  with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  ever-living  God 
—  and  not  on  tablets  of  stone,  but  on  human  hearts  as 
tablets. 

Such  is  the  confidence  which  we  have  through     4 
fitted  PauTfor  Christ  in  the  presence  of  God;  not  that  of  our-     5 

his  Task.  selves  we  are  competent  to  decide  anything  by 
our  own  reasonings,  but  our  competency  comes  from  God.     It     6 

11.  Devict's]  Or  '  purposes.' 

12.  The  Troad]  The  district  so  called  after  the  ancient  city  of  Troy.  It  formed 
the  extreme  north-west  corner  of  Asia  Minor.  On  the  west  coast  of  the  Troad  was  a 
town  named  Troas,  and  we  might  translate  here  '  to  Troas.' 

14.  Trminphal  procession]  On  the  Roman  triumph,  also  alluded  to  in  Col.  ii.  15, 
see  the  article  Triumphus  in  Smith's  Dictionary  of  Antiquities. 

15.  Whom  He  is  saving]  Lit.  '  who  are  being  saved.' 

17.  IVe  are]  These  words  are  implied  but  not  expressed  in  the  Greek.  Unlike 
vi-rst]  Their  self-seeking  teachers.  Transparent  motives]  The  same  word 
{eilikrineia)occ\\rs,  i.  12  ;  i  Cor.  v.  8  ;  and  the  cognate  adjective  Phil.  i.  10  ;  2  Peter 
iii.  I.  The  idea  is  that  of  character  and  thought  of  crystalline  purity,  as  proved  in 
strong  sunlight  :  '  sun-testedness,'  if  we  had  such  a  word. 

3.  Eve7--iiving]  Lit.  'living.'  Human  hearts]  Lit.  'hearts  of  flesh;'  but  see 
Rom.  vii.  18,  n.  ,..,,,., 

6.  Covenant]  Greek  'Diatheke.'  "This  word  mu.st  be  invariably  taken  in  the 
sense  of  'covenant'  in  the  N.T."  (Hatch).     But  Heb.  ix.  16  is  an  exception. 


11.    CORINTHIANS    III.-IV.  429 

is  He  also  who  has  made  us  competent  to  serve  Him  in  con- 
nexion with  a  new  Covenant,  which  is  not  a  written  code  but  a 
Spirit  ;  for  the  written  code  inflicts  death,  but  the  Spirit  gives 
Life. 

If,  however,  the  service  that  proclaims  death —     7 
The  Splendour  -^  j     i     •  j    •  ,.• 

of  the  new     its  code  bemg  engraved  m  wntmg  upon  stones  — 

Faith.         came  with  glory,  so  that  the  children  of  Israel 

could  not  look  steadily  on  the  face   of  Moses  because  of  the 

brightness  of  his  face — a  vanishing  brightness  ;  will  not  the     8 

service  of  the  Spirit  be  far  more  glorious  ?      For  if  the  service     9 

which  pronounces  doom  had  glory,  far  more  glorious  still  is  the 

service  which  tells  of  righteousness.      For,  in  fact,  that  which     10 

was  once  resplendent  in  glory  (Exod.  xxxiv.  30,  LXX.)  has  no 

glory  at  all  in  this  respect,  that   it  pales  before  the  glory  which 

surpasses  it.     For  if  that  which  was  to  be  abolished  came  with     1 1 

glory,  much  more  is  that  which  is  permanent,  arrayed  in  glory. 

Therefore,  cherishing  a   hope    like   this,    we  speak   without     12 
reserve,  and  we  do  not  imitate  Moses,  who  used  to  throw  a  veil     13 
over  his  face  to  hide  from  the  gaze  of  the  children  of  Israel  the 
passing  away  of  what  was  but  transitory.     Nay,  their  minds     14 
were  made  dull  ;  for  to  this  very  day  during  the  reading  of  the 
book  of  the  ancient   Covenant,  the  same  veil  remains  unlifted, 
because  it  is  only  in  Christ  that  it  is  to  be  abolished.      Yes,  to     15 
this  day,  whenever  Moses  is  read,  a  veil  lies  upon  their  hearts. 
But  whenever  the  heart  of  the  nation  shall  have  returned  to  the     16 
Lord,  the  veil  will  be  withdrawn  (Exod.  xxxiv.  34,  LXX.). 

Now  by  "the   Lord"  is  meant  the   Spirit;  and  where   the     17 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  freedom  is  enjoyed.     And  all  of  us,  with     18 
unveiled  faces,  reflecting  like  bright   mirrors   the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  are  being  transformed  into   the  same  likeness,  from  one 
degree  of  radiant  hohness  to  another,  even  as  derived  from  the 
Lord  the  Spirit. 

Therefore,  being  engaged  in   this  service   and     i  ^ 

^tSessage"     being  mindful  of  the  mercy  which  has  been  shown 
declared  with   us,  we  are  not  cowards.     Nay,  we  have  renounced     2 
""    *  "  the  secrecy  which  marks  a  feeling  of  shame.     We 

7.    That  proclaims  death\  Lit.  'of  death.'"   Cp.  Rom.  viii.  2. 
9.  Had  glory]  v.l.  '  is  glory.' 

14.  Ancient  Covenant]  The  Law  of  Moses,  not  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  Retnains  .  .  abolished]  Or  '  remains,  it  not  being  yet  revealed  to  them 
that  in  Christ  the  ancient  Covenant  is  abolished.' 

15.  Hearts]  Or  '  understanding.' 

16.  The  heart  of  the  nation]  Or  'anyone.' 

17.  Freedom]  From  the  mere  letter  of  the  Law. 


430  II.    CORINTHIANS   IV. 

practise  no  cunning  tricks,  nor  do  we  adulterate  God's  Message. 
But  by  a  full  clear  statement  of  the  truth  we  strive  to  commend 
ourselves  in  the  presence  of  God  to  every  human   conscience. 
If,  however,  the  meaning  of  our  Good  News  has   been  veiled,     3 
the  veil  has  been  on  the  hearts  of  those  who  are  on  the  way  to 
perdition,  in  whom  the  god  of  this  present  age  has  blinded  their     4 
unbelieving  minds  so  as  to  shut  out  the  sunshine  of  the  Good 
News  of  the  glory  of  the  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God.     (For     5 
we  do  not  proclaim  ourselves,  but  we  proclaim  Christ  Jesus   as 
Lord,  and  ourselves  as  your  bondservants  for  the  sake  of  Jesus.) 
For  God  who  said,  *'  Out  of  darkness  let  light  shine,"  is  He  who     6 
has  shone  in  our  hearts  to  give  us  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of 
God's  glory,  which  is  radiant  on  the  face  of  Christ. 

But  we  have  this  treasure  in  a  fragile  vase   of     7 
Stre-^gth  came  ^^^^^  ^^  order  that  the  surpassing  greatness  of  the 
wholly  from     power  may  be  seen  to  belong  to  God,  and  not  to 
°  ■  originate  in  us.     We  are  hard  pressed,  yet  never     8 

in  absolute  distress  ;  perplexed,  yet  never  utterly  baffled;  pur-     9 
sued,  yet  never  left  unsuccoured  ;  struck  to  the  ground,  yet  never 
slain  ;  always,  wherever  we  go,  carrying  with  us  in  our  bodies     10 
the  putting  to  death  of  Jesus,  so  that  in  our  bodies   it  may  also 
be  clearly  shown  that  Jesus  lives.     For  we,  alive  though  we  are,     1 1 
are  continually  surrendering  ourselves  to  death  for  the  sake  of 
Jesus,  so  that  in  this  mortal  nature  of  ours  it  may  also  be  clearly 
shown  that  Jesus   lives.     Thus  we  are  constantly  dying,  while     12 
you  are  in  full  enjoyment  of  Life. 

But  possessing  the  same  Spirit  of  faith  as  he  who     1 3 

The  Hope  of    ^^rote,   "  I    BELIEVED,    AND   THEREFORE    I     HAVE 

Eternal  Life.  '  .      '  ,        ,     ,. 

SPOKEN  (Ps.  cxvL  10),  we  also  believe,  and  there- 
fore we  speak.  For  we  know  that  He  who  raised  the  Lord  Jesus  14 
from  the  dead  will  raise  us  also  to  be  with  Jesus,  and  will  cause 
both  us  and  you  to  stand  in  His  own  presence.  For  everything  15 
is  for  your  sakes,  in  order  that  grace,  being  more  richly  bestowed 
because  of  the  thanksgivings  of  the  increased  number,  may  more 
and  more  promote  the  glory  of  God. 

3.  The  veil  .  .  the  god\  Or  (taking  the  Greek  participle  and  the  relative  pronoun 
as  being  both  neuter,  instead  of  masculine,  and  the  repeated  preposition  as  den<uing 
instrumentality)  '  it  is  veiled  by  means  of  the  things  whicii  are  perishing,  by  means 
of  which  the  god.'  In  that  case  the  phrase  '  the  things  which  are  perishing  '  denotes 
the  Mosaic  system  which  was  ttien  passing  away. 

7,  This  treasufe]  i.e.  this  bright  light.  A  fragile  vase  of  clay\  Lit.  '  earthen- 
ware jars.'     Cp.  Gideon's  carrying  of  torches  within  pitchers  (Judges  vii.   t6). 

8,  9.   Paul's  metaphors  here  are  all  military  metaphors. 

14.  Raised  the  Lord  Jesus]  v.L.  omits  'the  Lord.'  Both  7is  and  you\  Lit.  'us 
together  with  you.' 

15.  Everything  is\  Or  'all  of  these  sufferings  are.' 


II.    CORINTHIANS   IV.-V.  431 

Therefore   we   are   not    cowards.       Nay,    even     16 
Pain^VeadT^on  t^ioi'gh  oiir  oiitv^ard  man  is  wasting  away,  yet  our 
to  Eternal      inward  man  is  being  renewed  day  by  day.     For     17 
this  our  light  and  transitory  burden  of  suffering  is 
achieving  for  us  a  preponderating,  yes,  a  vastly  prepondera  ing, 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory;   while  we  look  not  at  things  seen,     18 
but  things   unseen  ;  for  things  seen  are  temporary,  but  things 
unseen  are  eternal. 

The  spiritual        ^^^  ^^  know  that  if  this  poor  tent,  our  earthly     i 
and    immortal  house,  is  taken  down,  we  have  in  heaven  a  building 
^'         which  God   has    provided,  a  house   not    built   by 
human  hands,  but  eternal.     For  in  this  one  we  sigh,  because  we     2 
long  to  put  on  over  it  our  dwelling  which  comes  from  heaven — 
if  indeed  having  really  put  on  a  robe  we  shall  not  be  found  to  be     3 
unclothed.     Yes,  we  who  are  in  this  tent  certainly  do  sigh  under     4 
our  burdens,  for  we  do  not  wish  to  lay  aside  that  with  which  we 
are  now  clothed,  but  to  put  on  more,  so  that  our  mortality  may 
be  absorbed  in  Life.     And  He  who  formed  us  with  this  very  end     5 
in  view  is  God,  who  has  given  us  His  Spirit  as  a  pledge  and 
foretaste  of  that  bliss. 

The  heavenly  ^^^  ^^^^  therefore  a  cheerful  confidence.  We  6 
Home  joyfully  know  that  while  we  are  at  home  in  the  body  we 

an  icipate  .  ^^^  banished  from  the  Lord;  for  we  are  living  a  7 
life  of  faith,  and  not  one  of  sight.  So  we  have  a  cheerful  con-  8 
fidence,  and  we  anticipate  with  greater  delight  being  banished 

17.  Our]  v.L.  omits.     On  this  verse  see  F.  R.  Havergal's  From  Glory  unto  Glory. 

18.  IVe  look  not  at  things  seen  6rc.\ 

'  Still  at  my  back  I  always  hear 
Time's  winded  chariot  hurrying  near: 
And  onward  still  oeiore  I  see 
Deserts  of  vast  Eternity.' — John  Wesley. 

3.  //indeed]  v.L  'if  at  least.'  Rohe]  See  Isa.  Ixi.  to  ;  Gal.  iii.  27.  Our  rendering 
of  this  verse  seems  alone  to  suit  the  uur.iductory  '  if  indeed  '  or  '  if  at  least.' 

4.  IVe  do  not  wish  .  .  dut  to  put  on  more] 

'  Whatever  (  razy  sorrow  saith, 
No  lite  that  breathes  with  human  breath 
Has  ever  truly  longed  for  death. 

'Tis  life,  wtiereof  our  nerves  are  scant. 
Oh  life,  not  death,  for  which  we  pant  ; 
More  life  and  fallen   that   I   want." 

Tennyson,  Tivo  Voices,  cxxxiii.,  cxxxiv. 
Absorbed  in]  Lit.  'drunk  down  by.' 

5.  A  pledge  and  foretaste]  Or  '  first  instalment '  (of  life).  The  same  word  occurs 
i.  22  ;  Eph.  i.  14.  Some  prefer  to  translate  '  has  given  us  a  foreta  te  and  pled-e  of 
His  Spirit;'  implying  that  the  Spirit  itself  in  its  fumess  is  the  gift  that  is  to  be 
bestowed  hereafter.  But,  tempting  as  this  interpretation  is,  it  seems  hardly  to 
harmonize  with  Eph.  i.  14.     Cp.  Rom.  viii.  23. 


432  II.    CORINTHIANS   V. 

from  the  body  and  going  home  to  the  Lord.    And  for  this  reason     9 
also  we  make  it  our  ambition,  whether  at  home  or  in  exile,  to 
please  Him    perfectly.     For  we  must  all  of  us  appear  before     10 
Christ's  judgement-seat  in  our  true  characters,  in  order  that  each 
may  then  receive  an  award  for  his  actions  in  this  life,  in  accord- 
ance with  what  he  has  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  worthless. 

Therefore,  because  we  realize  how  greatly  the     11 
Lo ve  o f  C^h^l'^t   Lo^d  ^^  *°  b^  feared,  we  are  endeavouring  to  win 
men  over,  and  God  recognizes  what  our  motives 
are,  and  I  hope  that  you,  in  your  hearts,  recognize  them  too. 
We  are  not  again  commending  ourselves  to  your  favour,  but  are     12 
furnishing  you  with  a  ground  of  boasting  on  our  behalf,  so  that 
you  may  have  a  reply  ready  for  those  with  whom  superficial 
appearances  are  everything  and  sincerity  of  heart   counts  for 
nothing.     For  if  we  have  been  beside  ourselves,  it  has  been  for     13 
God's  glory  ;  or  if  we  are  now  in  our  right  senses,  it  is  in  order 
to  be  of  service  to  you.     For  the  love  of  Christ  overmasters  us,     14 
the  conclusion  at  which  we  have  arrived  being  this— that  One 
having  died  for  all,  His  death  was  their  death,  and  that  He  died     15 
for  all  in  order  that  the  hving  may  no  longer  live  to  themselves, 
but  to  Him  who  died  for  them  and  rose  again. 

The  new  Therefore  for  the  future  we  know  no  one  simply     16 

View  of  Life     as  a  man.     Even  if  we  have  known   Christ  as  a 

which  results.  .  ,  c       ^u    ^  t 

man,  yet  now  we  do  so  no  longer.     So  that  if  any     17 
one  is  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature  :  the  old  state  of  things 
has  passed  away  ;  a  new  state  of  things  has  come  into  existence. 
And  all  this  is  from  God,  who  has  reconciled  us  to  Himself     18 
through  Christ,  and  has  appointed  us  to  serve  in  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation.     We  are  to  tell  how  God  was  in  Christ  recon-     19 
ciling  the  world  to   Himself,  not  charging  men's  transgressions 
to  their  account,  and  that  He  has  entrusted  to  us  the  Message 
of  this  reconciliation. 

On  Christ's  behalf  therefore  we  come  as  ambas-     20 

The  Message  ,  ^     ,  .  ,  .  ,  , 

of  Peace   and  sadors,  God,  as  It  were,  makmg  entreaty  through 
Friendship.      ^^^  jjp^  .  ^^^  ^^  Christ's  behalf,  beseech  men  to 
be  reconciled  to  God.     He  has  made  Him  who  knew  nothing     21 
of  sin  to  be  sin  for  us,  in  order  that  in  Him  we  may  become  the 

10.    IFortkless]  V. I..  '  had;'  a  stronger  word. 

17.  He  is  a  neiv  creature]  Or  '  there  is  a  new  creation.'  The  Saviour  reconciles 
us  not  only  to  God,  but  to  ourselves  and  to  our  fellow  men,  to_ life  and  to  death. 
When,  by  receiving  tlie  Holy  Spirit,  we  become  consecrated  Christians  the  world  in 
which  our  lot  is  cast,  and  our  outlook  upon  it,  become  entirely  new  tilings. 

19.   H'iih  us]  Lit.  '  in  us.' 


11.    CORINTHIANS   VI.  433 

righteousness  of  God.    And  you  also  we,  as  God's  fellow  workers,     i   ( 
entreat  not  to  be  found  to  have  received    His  grace  to  no  pur- 
pose.  For  He  says,  "At  a  time  of  welcome  I  have  listened     2 

TO  YOU,  AND  ON  A  DAY  OF  SALVATION  I  HAVE  SUCCOURED 

YOU  "  (Isa.  xlix.  8).     Now  is  the  time  of  loving  welcome  !    Now 
is  the  day  of  salvation  ! 

We   endeavour    to    give    people    no   cause   for     3 

Credentials.    Stumbling  in  anything,  lest   the  work  we  are  doing 

should   fall  into    discredit.     On    the    contrary,  as     4 
God's    servants,  we    seek   their    full   approval — by    unwearied 
endurance,   by    afflictions,    by    distress,    by    helplessness  ;    by     5 
floggings,  by  imprisonments  ;  by  facing  riots,  by  toil,  by  sleep- 
less watching,  by  hunger  and  thirst  ;  by  purity  of  life,  by  know-     6 
ledge,  by  patience,  by  kindness,  by  the   Holy  Spirit,  by  sincere 
love  ;  by  the  proclamation  of  the  truth,  by  the  power  of  God  ;     7 
by  the  weapons  of  righteousness,  wielded  in  both  hands  ;  through     8 
honour  and  ignominy,  through  calumny  and   praise.     We  are 
looked  upon  as  impostors  and  yet  are  true  men  ;  as  obscure     9 
persons,  and  yet  are  well  known  ;  as  on  the  point  of  death,  and 
yet,  strange  to  tell,  we  live  ;  as  under  God's  discipline,  and  yet 
we  are  not  deprived  of  life  ;  as  sad,  but  we  are  always  joyful  ;     10 
as  poor,  but  we  bestow  wealth  on  many  ;  as  having  nothing,  and 
yet  we  securely  possess  all  things. 
An  Aopeai         ^    Corinthians,  our  lips   are  unsealed  to  you:     11 

for  personal    our  heart  is  expanded.     There  is  no  narrowness     12 
ec  ion.      jj^  ^^^  j^^^  ^^  y^^  .  ^y^^  narrowness  is  in  your  own 

feelings.     And  in  just  requital — I  speak  as  to  my  children — let     13 
your  hearts  expand  also. 

Do  not   come  into  close  association  with   un-     14 
FHerldsmp     believers,  like  oxen  yoked  with   asses.     For  what 
with  Idolaters  is  there  in   common  between   righteousness    and 
lawlessness?  or  what  partnership   has   light  with 
darkness.?     Where  can  harmony  between  Christ  and  Belial  be     15 
found  ?  or  what  participation  has  a  believer  with  an  unbeliever? 
and  what  compact  has  the  Temple  of  God  with  idols?     For  we     16 
are  the    Temple   of    the  ever-living    God  ;    as   God   has    said, 
"  I    WILL    DWELL    AMONG    THEM^    AND    WALK    ABOUT   AMONG 
THEM  ;    AND     WILL    BE   THEIR     GOD,   AND     IT     IS     THEY   WHO 

SHALL  BE    My  people"    (Lev.    xxvi.    12;    Ezek.    xxxvii.   27). 

3.  IVe  endeavour  to  g-n'e]  To  render  this  by  '  eiving,'  involves  an  ainljigiiity  in 
EngliNh,  it  not  beins:  clear  whei her  the  participle  refers  to  the 'we' or  the  'you.' 
There  is  no  anihiguity  in  the  original. 

16.  Ever-livin^\  Lit.  '  living.' 


434  n.    CORINTHIANS  VI.-VII. 

Therefore,  "Come  out  from  among  them  and   separate    17 

YOURSELVES,  SAYS  THE  LORD,  AND  TOUCH  NOTHING  IMPURE  ; 
AND  I  WILL  RECEIVE  YOU,  AND    WILL    BE    A    FATHER  TO  YOU,       l8 
AND   YOU   SHALL   BE    MY   SONS     AND     DAUGHTERS,    SAYS     THE 

Lord  the  Ruler  of  all"  (Isa.  Hi.  11  ;  Hos.  i.  10  ;  Isa.  xliii.  6). 

Having  therefore  these  promises,  beloved  friends,  let  us  purify     i   ' 
ourselves  from  all  defilement  of  body  and  of  spirit,  and  secure 
perfect  holiness  through  the  fear  of  God. 

Make  room  for  us  in  your  hearts.      There  is  not     2 
^Converts^'^   °"^  °^  ^-^^  whom  we  have  wronged,  not  one  to 
whom  we  have  done  harm,  not  one  over  whom  we 
have  gained  any  selfish  advantage.  I  do  not  say  this  to  imply  blame,     3 
for,  as  I  have  already  said,  you  have  such  a  place  in  our  hearts 
that  we  would  die  with  you  or  live  with  you.      I  have  great  con-     4 
fidence  in  you  :  very  loudly  do  I  boast  of  you.     I  am  filled  with 
comfort  :  my  heart  overflows  with  joy  amid  all  our  affliction. 
_.     ..      ,  For  even   after  our  arrival  in    Macedonia  we     5 

The  timely  -* 

Arrival  of      could  get  no  relief  such  as  human  nature  craves. 

We  were  greatly  harassed  ;  there  were  conflicts 

without  and  fears  within.      But  He  who  comforts  the  depressed     6 

— even  God — comforted  us  by  the  coming  of  Titus,  and  not  by     7 

his  coming  only,  but  also  by  the  fact  that  he  had  felt  comforted 

on  your  account,  and  by  the  report  which  he  brought  of  your 

eager  aff"ection,  of  your  grief,  and  of  your  jealousy  on  my  behalf, 

so  that  I  rejoiced  more  than  ever. 

Earnest  ^^^  ^^  ^  ^^^^  "^^^  P^^"  ^^  *^^^  letter,  I   do  not     8 

Repentance  at  regret  it,  though  I  did  regret  it  then.  I  see  that 
that  letter,  even  though  for  a  time  it  gave  you  pain, 
had  a  salutary  effect.  Now  I  rejoice,  not  in  your  grief,  but  9 
because  the  grief  led  to  repentance  ;  for  you  sorrowed  with  a 
godly  sorrow,  which  prevented  you  from  receiving  injury  from 
us  in  any  respect.  For  godly  sorrow  produces  repentance  10 
leading  to  salvation,  a  repentance  not  to  be  regretted  ;  but  the 
sorrow   of  the   world   finally  produces   death.     For  mark  the     11 

^■  To  imply  blame]  Or  'by  way  of  condemnation.'  The  word  that  here 
signifies  '  condemnation  '  occurs  also  in  iii.  9,  and  marks  the  act  of  condemning. 
The  apostle  employs  a  diflferent,  though  kindred,  word  indicative  of  the  state  which 
results  from  the  act. 

6.  Covtforted]  Or  '  has  comforted,'  if  Wieseler  is  right  in  conjecturing,  from 
Paul's  change  of  tone,  that  Titus  arrived  just  when  the  early  part  of  this  chapter 
was  being  written. 

8.  I  see\  v.L.  prefixes  '  for.'  Had  a  salutary  effect.]  In  the  Greek  these  words 
are  implied  but  not  expressed.  Other  instances  of  such  '  aposiopesis '  are  to  be  seen 
in  Exod.  xxxii.  32  ;  Mark  vii.  11  (.'\.V.);  Luke  xix.  42;  Jolin  vi.  62  ;  Acts  xxiii.  9. 

II.  Wliat  eagerness  .  .  wltat  iSt'c.]  Lit.  'but  what,'  or  'nay  what,*  &c.,  six 
times.     Cp.  i  Cor.  vi.  11,  where  the  same  conjunctipn  is  used. 


II.    CORINTHIANS   VII.-VIII.  435 

effects  of  this  very  thing — your  having  sorrowed  with  a  godly 
sorrow— what  earnestness  it  has  called  forth  in  you,  what  eager- 
ness to  clear  yourselves,  what  indignation,  what  alarm,  what 
longing  affection,  what  jealousy,  what  meting  out  of  justice  ! 
You  have  completely  wiped  away  reproach  from  yourselves  in 
the  matter.  Therefore,  though  I  wrote  to  you,  it  was  not  to  12 
punish  the  offender,  nor  to  secure  justice  for  him  who  had 
suffered  the  wrong,  but  it  was  chiefly  in  order  that  your  earnest 
feeling  on  our  behalf  might  become  manifest  to  yourselves  in  the 
sight  of  God. 

For  this   reason   we  feel   comforted  ;    and — in     13 
''^eafized.'^^^  addition  to  this  our  comfort— we  have  been  filled 
with  all  the  deeper  joy  at  Titus's  joy,  because  his 
spirit  has  been  set  at  rest  by  you  all.     F'or  however  I  may  have     14 
boasted  to  him  about  you,  I  have  had  no  reason  to  feel  ashamed  ; 
but  as  we  have  in  all  respects  spoken  the  truth  to  you,  so  also 
our  boasting  to  Titus  about  you  has  turned  out  to  be  the  truth. 
And  his  strong  and  tender  affection  is  all  the  more  drawn  out      15 
towards  you  when  he  recalls  to  mind  the  obedience  which  all  of 
you  manifested  by  the  timidity  and   nervous  anxiety  with  which 
you  welcomed  him.     I  rejoice  that  I  have  absolute  confidence  in     16 
you. 

Help  for  the  poor  at  Jerusalem. 

Generous  Gifts      ^^^  ^^^  desire  to  let  you  know,  brethren,  of  the     i   Q 
from  grace  of  God  which  has  been  bestowed    on   the 

churches    of    Macedonia  ;     how,    while    passing     2 
through   great   trouble,  their  boundless  joy    even    amid   their 
deep  poverty  has  overflowed  to  increase  their  generous  liberality. 
For  I  can  testify  that  to  the  utmost  of  their  power,  and  even     3 
beyond  their  power,  they  have  of  their  own  free  will  given  help. 
With  earnest  entreaty  they  begged  from  us  the  favour  of  being    4 
allowed  to  share  in  the  service  now  being  rendered  to   God's 
people  ;  and  that,  not  merely  as  we  had  expected,  but  first  of  all     5 
in  obedience  to  the  will  of  God  they  gave  their  own  selves  to 
the  Lord  and  to  us.     This  led  us  to  urge  Titus  that,  as  he  had     6 
previously  been  the  one  who  commenced  the  work,  so  he  should 
now  go  and  complete  among  you  this  act  of  beneficence  also. 

13.  Has  been  set  at  rest]  Implying  'and  is  at  rest.'      See  i.  19,  n. 
15.   The  obedience  .  .  afixlety  with  which  you]  Lit.  '  the  obedience  of  all  of  you — 
how  with  timidity  and  nervous  anxiety  you.' 

4,  Favour  0/  being  allowed  to  share]  Lit.  '  favour  and  participation.' 

5.  Theiy  own  selves]  i.e.  for  any  personal  service  it  was  in  their  power  to  render. 


436  II.   CORINTHIANS   VIII. 

Yes,  just  as  you  are  already  very  rich  in  faith,  readiness  of    7 
speech,  knowledge,  unwearied  zeal,  and  in  the   love  that  is  in 
you,  implanted   by  us,  see  to  it  that  this  grace  of  liberal  giving 
also  flourishes  in  you. 

I  am  not  saying  this  by  way  of  command,  but     8 
^ of  Jet!Il?'^  to  test  by  the  standard  of  other  men's  earnestness 

the  genuineness  of  your  love  also.     For  you  know     9 
the  condescending  goodness  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — how  for 
your  sakes  He  became  poor,  though  He  was  rich,  in  order  that 
you  through  His  poverty  might  grow  rich.     But  in  this  matter  I     10 
give  you  an  opinion  ;  for  my  doing  this  helps  forward  your  own 
intentions,  seeing  that  not  only  have  you  begun  operations,  but 
a  year  ago  you  already  had  the  desire  to  do  so. 
o         4.U        J      And  now  complete  the  doing  also,  in  order  that,     i  r 

oympathy   and  '^  07  7 

Help  to  be     just  as  there  was  then  the  eagerness  in  desiring, 
mu  ua  .       there  may  now  be  the  accomplishment  in  propor- 
tion to  your  means.     For,  assuming  the  earnest  willingness,  the     12 
gift  is  acceptable  according  to   whatever  a  man  has,  and  not 
according  to  what  he  has  not.     I  do  not  urge  you  to  give  in     13 
order  that  others  may  have  relief  while  you  are  unduly  pressed, 
but  that,  by  equalization  of  burdens,  your  superfluity  having  in     14 
the  present  emergency  supplied  their  deficiency,  their  superfluity 
may  in  turn  be  a  supply  for  your  deficiency  later  on,  so  that  there 
may  be  equalization  of  burdens  ;    even  as  it  is  written,  "  He     15 
WHO    GATHERED   MUCH   HAD   NOT  TOO   MUCH,    AND   HE  WHO 
GATHERED   LITTLE   HAD   NOT  TOO   LITTLE '' (Exod.  xvi.    1 8). 

_.  But  thanks  be  to  God  that  He  inspires  the  heart     16 

The  new  ^ 

Mission  of     of  Titus  with  the  same  deep  interest  m  you  ;    for     17 
itus.         Titus  welcomed  our  request,  and  being  thoroughly 
in  earnest  he  goes  to  you  of  his  own  free  will.     And  we  send     18 
with  him  the  brother  whose  praises  for  his  earnestness  in  pro- 
claiming the  Good  News  are  heard  throughout  all  the  churches  ; 
and  more  than  that,  he  is  the  one  who  was  chosen  by  the  vote     19 
of  the  churches  to  travel  with  us,  sharing  our  commission  in 
the  administration   of  this  generous  gift  to  promote  the  Lord's 
glory  and  gratify  our  own  strong  desire.     For  against  one  thing     20 
we  are  on  our  guard — I  mean  against  blame  being  thrown  upon 

7.  Very  rich]  Or  'rich  in  everything.'  That  is  in  you,  implanted  by  us\  v.L. 
(the  love)  '  that  is  on  your  part  in  our  case.'  'To  us,'  as  in  the  A.V.,  is  an  im- 
probable rendering. 

15.    Too  much  .  .  too  little]  Lit.  '  more  .  .   .  less.'     Cp.  Ps.  Ixi.  2,  R.V.,  margin. 

18.  Praises  .  .  Good  News]   Lit.  simply  'praise  in  the  Good  News.' 

19.  Vote]  Lit.  '  show  of  hands.' 


II.    CORINTHIANS   VIIL-IX.  437 

us  in  respect  to  these  large  and  liberal  contributions  which  are 
under  our  charge.     For  we  seek  not  only  God's  approval  of  our     21 
integrity,  but  man's  also. 

And  we  send  with  them  our  brother,  of  whose  zeal   we  have     22 
had  frequent  proof  in  many   matters,  and    who  is  now  more 
zealous  than  ever  through  the  strong  confidence  which  he  has 
in  you. 

A  loving  ^^  ^°^*  Titus,  remember  that  he  is  a  partner  with     23 

Welcome  me,  and  is  my  comrade  in  my  labours  for  you; 
and  as  for  our  brethren,  remember  that  they  are 
delegates  from  the  churches,  and  are  men  in  whom  Christ  is 
glorified.  Exhibit  therefore  to  the  churches  a  proof  of  your  24 
love,  and  a  justification  of  our  boasting  to  these  brethren  about 
you. 

As  to  the  services  which  are  being  rendered  to     i   i 

were  to  be"^  God's  people,  it  is  really  unnecessary  for  me  to 

ready  when     write  to  you.     For  I  know  your  earnest  willing-     2 

Paul  came.  ^  .       ,  .    ,     , °„ 

ness,  on  account  of  which  I  habitually  boast   of 

you  to  the  Macedonians,  pointing  out  to  them  that  for  a  whole 

year  you  in  Greece  have  been  ready  ;  and  the  greater  number 

of  them  have  been  spurred  on  by  your  ardour.     Still  I  send  the     3 

brethren  in  order  that  in  this  matter  our  boast  about  you  may 

not  turn  out  to  have  been  an  idle  one  ;  so  that,  as  I  have  said, 

you  may  be  ready  ;  for  fear  that,  if  any  Macedonians  come  with     4 

me  and  find  you  unprepared,  we — not  to  say  you  yourselves — 

should  be  put  to  the  blush  in  respect  to  this  confidence.    I  have     1; 

thought    it    absolutely   necessary   therefore    to    request    these 

brethren  to  visit  you  before  I  myself  come,  and  to  make  sure 

beforehand  that  the  gift  of  love  which  you  have  already  promised 

may  be  ready  as  a  gift  of  love,  and  may  not  seem  to  have  been 

something  which  I  have  extorted  from  you. 

...     .    ,,  But  do  not  forget  that  he  who  sows  with  a  nig-     6 

We  shall  reap  °  ° 

as  we  have     gardly  hand  will  also  reap  a  niggardly  crop,  and 
sown.         \_\iQ_t  he  who  sows  bountifully  will  also  reap  bounti- 
fully.   Let  each  contribute  what  he  has  decided  upon  in  his  own     7 
mind,  and  not  do  it  reluctantly  or  under  compulsion.     "  It  is  a 

CHEERFUL   GIVER    THAT   GOD    LOVES''    (Prov.    xxii.    8;    LXX). 

And  God  is  able  to  bestow  evqry  blessing  on  you  in  abundance,     8 

23.  Delegates  frovi]  Lit.  'apostles  of.' 

5.   Gift   of   love]    Lit.  'blessing.'     So   the    Heb.  '  beiacheh '  in  Gen.    xxxiii    11; 
Joshua  XV.  ig. 

<^.   Bojinti/iilly\  Lit.  '  with  a  view  to  blessings.'     For  the  pluril  see  i.,  3,  n. 

7.  Jl'/'/at]  Lit.  '  as  '  or  'just  as. ' 

8.  Richly\  See  ix.  6,  n. 


438  II.   CORINTHIANS   IX.-X. 

so  that  richly  enjoying  all  sufficiency  at  all  times,  you  may  have 
ample  means  for  all  good  works.     As  it  is  written,  9 

"He  has  scattered  abroad, 

He  has  givej^  to  the  poor, 

His  almsgiving  remains  for  ever"  (Ps.  cxii.  9). 

And  God  who  continually  supplies  seed  for  the     10 
Results    of     sower  and  bread  for  eating,  will  supply  you  with 
Liberality.      ^^^^  ^^^  multiply  it,  and  will  cause  your  alms- 
giving to   yield  a   plentiful  harvest.     May  you  be  abundantly     11 
enriched  so  as  to  show  all  liberality,  such  as  through  our  instru- 
mentality brings  thanksgiving  to  God.    For  the  service  rendered     12 
in  this  sacred  gift  not  only  helps  to  relieve  the  wants  of  God's 
people,  but  it  is  also  rich  in  its  results  and  awakens  a  chorus 
of  thanksgiving  to  God.     For,  by  the  practical  proof  of  it  which     13 
you  exhibit  in  this  service,  you  cause  God  to  be  extolled  for  your 
fidelity  to  your  professed  adherence  to  the  Good  News  of  the 
Christ,  and  for  the  hberality  of  your  contributions  for  them  and 
for  all  who  are  in  need,  while  they  themselves  also  in  supplica-     14 
tions  on  your  behalf  pour  out  their  longing  love  towards  you 
because  of  God's  surpassing  grace  which  is  resting  upon  you. 
Thanks  be  to  God  for  His  unspeakably  precious  gift  !  15 

Paul's    Vindication  of  his  Apostleship, 

.    .     ,       But  as  for  me  Paul,  I  entreat  you  by  the  gentle-     i   1  O 

Paul  reluctant  '  r  ^u       ..      t      u         u  "'■^ 

to  assert  his  ness  and  self-forgetfulness  of  Christ— I  who  when 
Authority,  ^mong  you  have  not  an  imposing  personal  pre- 
sence, but  when  absent  am  fearlessly  outspoken  in  dealing  with 
you.  I  beseech  you  not  to  compel  me  when  present  to  make  a  2 
bold  display  of  the  confidence  with  which  I  reckon  I  shall  show 
my  '  courage '  against  some  who  reckon  that  we  are  guided  by 

9.  Aliiis^nnng]  Lit. '  righteousness  ; '  which  consisted,  according  to  the  Rabbis, 
of  almsgiving,  prayer,  and  fasting.     See  Matt.  vi.  1-18,  R.V. 

10.  Continually  supplies  .  .  will  supply^  There  is  here  no  separate  word  for 
'continually' but  the  tirst  of  the  two  verbs  used  is  a  compound  of  the  simple  verb 
which  follows,  and  it  is  more  emphatic,  signifying  either  'will  abundantly  supply,' 
or  '  will  give  supply  after  supply.'  Will  supply  you  with  seed]  i.e.  '  will  give  you 
means  and  opportunities  of  sowing  blessings.' 

11.  Abundantly]  Or  '  in  every  respect,'  '  in  all  things.'  Cp.  xi.  6,  n.  I  take  the 
present  participle  (lit.  '  glorifying ')  in  this  verse  to  be  co-ordinate  with  the  present 
participle  (lit.  '  being  enriched  '  )  of  verse  11,  both  referring  to  the  Corinthians,  while 
the  Christians  in  Jerusalem  who  were  to  receive  the  gift  are  named  by  the  emphati- 
cally placed  '  they  '  of  verse  14. 

13.  By]  By  no  means  to  be  rendered  'for,'  or  'on  account  of.'  Fidelity]  Lit 
'subjection,'  i.e.,  'holding  yourselves  bound  by.'  All zvho  are  in  need]  Lit.  simply 
'all.' 

15.  Unspeakably  precious]  Lit.  'unspeakable.'  Gift]  The  brotherly  sympathy 
and  mutual  kindness  which  were  entirely  due  to  the  grace  of  God  being  in  their 
hearts. 


II.    CORINTHIANS   X.  439 

worldly  principles.     For  though  we  are  still  living  in  the  world,     3 
it  is  no  worldly  warfare  that  we  are  waging.     The  weapons  with     4 
which  we  fight  are  not  human  weapons,  but  are  mighty  for  God 
in  overthrowing  strong  fortresses.     For  we  overthrow  arrogant     5 
'  reckonings,'  and  every  stronghold  that  towers  high  in  defiance 
of  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  we  carry  off  every  thought  as  if 
into  slavery — into  subjection  to  Christ  ;  while  we  hold  ourselves     6 
in  readiness  to  punish  every  act  of  disobedience,  as  soon  as  ever 
you  as  a  church  have  fully  shown  your  obedience. 

Paur<^  Vigour       "^^  '^  outvvard  appearances  you  look  to  ?     If  any     7 
of  Speech      man  is  confident  as  regards  himself  that  he  speci- 
c  ion.     ^^jy  belongs  to  Christ  let  him  consider  again  and 
reflect  that  just  as  he  belongs  to  Christ,  so  also  do  we.     If,  how-     8 
ever,  I  were   to  boast  more  loudly  of  our  apostolic  authority, 
which  the  Lord  has  given  us  that  we  may  build  you  up,  not  pull 
you  down,  I  should  have  no  reason  to  feel  ashamed.     Let  it  not     9 
seem  as  if  I  wanted  to  frighten  you  by  my  letters.     For  they  say,     10 
"  his  letters  are  authoritative  and  forcible,  but  his  personal  pre- 
sence is  unimpressive,  and  as  for  eloquence,  he  has  none."     Let     II 
such  people  take  this  into  their  reckoning,  that  whatever  we  are 
in  word  by  our  letters  when  absent,  the  same  are  we  also  in  act 
when  present. 

Corinth  ^^^  ^^^  have  not  the  '  courage '  to  rank  ourselves     12 

included  in     among,  or  compare  ourselves  with,  certain  persons 
ission.  (jisjij^gyished   by  their   self-commendation.      Yet 
they  are   not   wise,  measuring  themselves,  as  they  do,  by  one 
another   and    comparing   themselves    with  one   another.     We,     13 
however,  will   not  exceed  due  limits  in  our  boasting,  but  will 
keep  within  the  limits  of  the  sphere  which  God  has  assigned  to 
us  as  a  limit,  which  reaches  even  to  you.     For  there  is  no  undue     14 
stretch  of  authority  on  our  part,  as  though  it  did  not  extend  to 
you.     We  pressed  on  even  to  Corinth,  and  were  the  first  to  pro- 
claim to  you  the  Good  News  of  the  Christ.     We  do  not  exceed     15 
our  due  limits,  and  take  credit  for  other  men's  labours  ;  but  we 
entertain  the  hope  that,  as  your  faith  grows,  we  shall  gain  pro- 
motion among  you — still  keeping  within  our  own  sphere — pro- 
motion to  a  larger  field  of  labour,  and  shall  tell  the  Good  News     16 
in   the  districts    beyond   you,  npt   boasting  in   another  man's 
sphere  about  work  already  done  by  him. 

6.  As  a  ckurck]  'You' (in  the  plural)  as  opposed  to  any  rebellious  individual  or 
faction. 

8.  Apostolic  authority]  Lit.  simply  'authority.'  Pull  yoti  doiv:i.\  Or  'overthrow 
you,'  as  in  verse  4. 


440  II.    CORINTHIANS    X.-XI. 

^     _.      ,.   ,  But    "WHOEVER     BOASTS,    LET   HIS     BOAST    BE       17 

Credentials  ^  „      .  .  \        ^         .      .  ,  „ 

must  be       IN  THE  LORD "   (Jer.  IX.   24).      For  It  IS  not  the     18 
from  God.      ^^^^^    ^^^^^    commeiids   himself   who    is  really   ap- 
proved, but  he  whom  the  Lord  commends. 

„     ..   ..  ,.  I  wish  vou  could  have  borne  with  a  little  foolish     1   1  1 

Paul's  Motive  •'  ,      ,  .  ,  t 

one  of        boasting  on  my  part.      Nay,  do  bear  with  me.     1     2 
anxious  Love.  ^^^^  jealous    Over    you    wiih   God's   own  jealousy. 
For  I  have  betrothed  you  to  Christ  to  present  you  to  Him  like 
a  faithful  bride  to  her  one  husband  ;  but  I  am  afraid  that,  as  the     3 
serpent  in  his  craftiness  deceived  Eve,  so  your  minds  may  be 
led  astray  from  their  single-heartedness  and   their   fidelity  to 
Christ.      If    indeed    some    visitor   is    proclaiming    among  you     4 
another  Jesus  whom  we  did  not  proclaim,  or  if  you  are  receiving 
a  Spirit  different  from  the  One  you  have  already  received  or  a 
Good  News  different  from  that  which  you  have  already  wel- 
comed, your  toleration  is  admirable  !     Why,  I  reckon  myself  in     5 
no  respect  inferior  to  those  superlatively  great  apostles.     And  if    6 
in  the  matter  of  speech  I  am  no  orator,  yet  in  knowledge  I  am 
not  deficient.     Nay,  we  have  in  every  way  made  that  fully  evi- 
dent to  you. 

Is  it  a  sin  that  I  abased  myself  in  order  for  you     7 
^fofil^egoi'nl  to  be  exalted,   in   that   I  proclaimed  God's  Good 
his  Right  to     News    to   you    without   fee    or    reward?      Other     8 

Maintenance.      ,  ,  t         ,  1      j  •    •  r  1 

churches    1   robbed,  receivmg  pay  irom  them  m 
order  to  do  you  service  ;  and  when  I  was  with  you  and  my  re-     9 
sources  failed,  there  was  no  one  to  whom  I  became  a  burden — 
for  the  brethren  when  they  came  from  Macedonia  fully  supplied 
my  wants — and  I  kept  myself  from  being  in  the  least  a  burden 
to  you,  and  will  do  so  still.     Christ  knows  that  it  is  true  when  I     10 
say  that  I  will  not  be  stopped  from  boasting  of  this  anywhere  in 
Greece.     And  why  ?     Because  I  do  not  love  you  ?     God  knows     1 1 
that  I   do.     But  I  will  persist  in  the  same  line  of  conduct  in     12 
order  to  cut  the  ground  from  under  the  feet  of  those  who  desire 
an  opportunity  of  getting  themselves  recognized  as  being  on  a 
level  with  us  in  the  matters  about  which  they  boast.      For  men     13 
of  this  stamp  are  sham  apostles,  dishonest  workmen,  assuming 
the  garb  of  apostles  of  Christ.      And  no  wonder.     Satan,  their     14 

I.  Foolish  boasting]  Lit.  'folly.' 

4.   Some  visitor  is  />rociai77tiftg  among  yoit]  Lit.  'he  who  comes  is  proclaiming.' 

6.  Fully]  The  Greek  phrase  (en  pa7iti)  .so  rendered  occurs  no  fewer  than  ten  times 
in  tliis  Letter  It  does  not  always  mean  '  in  everything,'  but  is  otten  simply  adver- 
bial hke  our  '  altogether,'  '  exceedingly,'  adding  emphasis  to  the  verb  or  aujective 
that  it  qualifies. 

14.  Satan,  their  master]  Lit.  '  Satan  himself.' 


11.    CORINTHIANS   XL  441 

master,  can  disguise  himself  as  an  angel  of  light ;  it  is  therefore     15 
no  great  thing  for  his  servants  also   to  disguise  themselves  as 
servants    of  righteousness.     Their  end   will  be  in  accordance 
vi'ith  their  actions. 

To  return  to  vi^hat  I   was  saying.     Let  no  one     16 
Defence"oft)is  suppose  that  I  am  foolish.     Or  if  you  must,  at  any 
own  good      rate   make  allowance  for  me  as  being  foolish,  in 

Sense.  jit  i.  ,  ,  ,•     i 

order  that  I,  as  well  as  they,  may  boast  a  little. 
What  I  am  nowsa\ing,  I  do  not  say  by  the  Lord's  command,  but     17 
as  a  fool  in  his  folly  might,  in  this  reckless  boasting.    Since  many     18 
boast  for  merely  human  reasons,  I  too  will  boast.     Wise  as  you     19 
yourselves  are,  you  find  pleasure  in  tolerating  fools.      For  you     20 
tolerate  it,  if  any  one  enslaves  you,  lives  at  your  expense,  makes 
off  with  your  property,  gives  himself  airs,  or  strikes  you  on  the 
face. 

Paul's  Perils        ^   "^^  ^^^   language    of  self-disparagement,   as     21 
and  Hard-      though  I  were  admftting  our  own  feebleness.    Yet 
'^^'        for  whatever  reason  any  one  is  'courageous' — I 
speak  in  mere  folly — I  also  am   courageous.      Are  they    He-     22 
brews?     So  am  I.     Are  they  Israelites?     So  am  L     Are  they 
descendants  of  Abraham  ?     So  am   L     Are  they  servants   of    23 
Christ  ?      (1  speak  as  if  I  were  out  of  my  mind.)     Much  more 
am  I  His  servant ;  serving  Him  more  thoroughly  than  they  by 
my  labours,  and  more   thoroughly  also  by  my  imprisonments, 
by  excessively  cruel  floggings,  and  with  risk  of  life  many  a  time. 
From  the  Jews  I  five  times  have  received  forty  lashes  all  but     24 
one.     Three  times  I  have  been  beaten  with  Roman  rods,  once  I     25 
have  been  stoned,  three  times  I  have  been  shipwrecked,  once 
for  full  four  and  twenty  hours  I  was  floating  on  the  open  sea.     I     26 
have  served  Him  by  frequent  travelling,  amid  dangers  in  cross- 
ing rivers,  dangers  from  robbers;  dangers  from  my  own  country- 
men, dangers  from  the  Gentiles  ;  dangers  in  the  city,  dangers 
in  the  desert,  dangers  by  sea,  dangers  from  spies  in  our  midst  ; 
with  labour  and  toil,  with  many  a  sleepless  night,  in  hunger     27 
and  thirst,  in  frequent  fastings,  in  cold,  and  with  insufficient  cloth- 
ing.    And  besides  other  things,  which  I  pass  over,  there  is  that     28 
which  presses  on  me  daily — my  anxiety  for  all  the  churches. 

16.  Foolish]  I.E.  'out  of  my;  senses.* 

20.  Strikes  ^T'c]  If  this  were  meant  to  be  understood  literally,  as  Stanley  sup- 
poses, we  should  probably,  but  not  certainly,  have  had  '  faces  '  in  the  plural. 

25.  /  7vas  Jlonting  &^c.]  In  the  case  of  many  of  the  other  sufferings  it  may  be 
assumed  that  some  permanent  ill  effect  remained  ;  but  the  tense  here  used,  the  Greek 
perfect,  seems  designed  expressly  to  indicate  some  such  result.     Cp.  xii.  21,  n. 


442  II.    CORINTHIANS   XI.-XII. 

Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak  ?     Who  is  led  astray  into  sin,     29 

and  I  am  not  aflame  with  indignation  ? 

If  boast  I  must,  it  shall  be  of  things  which  display  my  weak-     30 

ness.     The  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ —  He  who     31 

is  blessed  throughout  the  ages — knows  that  I  am  speaking  the 

truth. 

„     ,,    _  At   Damascus  the  governor  under  King  Aretas     32 

Paul's  Escape  *=  o  ^ 

from  kept  guards  at  the  gates  of  the  city  in  order  to 

amascus.     apprehend  me,  but  through  an  opening  in  the  wall     33 
I  was  let  down  in  a  basket,  and  so  escaped  his  hands. 

I  am  compelled  to  boast.  It  is  not  a  profitable  em-     i 

Sublime  ,  ,         t       -n  <  •   •  11 

Visions  and  ployment,  but  I  will  proceed  to  visions  and  revela- 
'^  firmi'ties'""  ^^^^^  granted  me  by  the  Lord.     I  know  a  Chris-     2 

tian  man  who  fourteen  years  ago — whether  in  the 
body  I  do  not  know,  or  out  of  the  body   I  do  not  know  ;  God 
knows — was  caught  up  (this  man  of  whom  I  am  speaking)  even 
to  the  highest  heaven.     And  I'know  that  this  man — whether  in     3 
the  body  or  apart  from  the  body  I  do  not  know  ;  God  knows — 
was  caught    up    into   Paradise  and  heard  unspeakable  things     4 
which  no  human  being  is  permitted  to  repeat.     Of  such  a  one     5 
I  will  boast  ;  but  of  myself  I  will  not  boast,  except  in  my  weak- 
nesses.    If  however  I  should  choose  to  boast,  I  should  not  be  a     6 
fool  for  so  doing,  for  I  should  be  speaking  the  truth.     But  I  for- 
bear, lest  any  one  should  be  led  to  estimate  me  more  highly  than 
what  his  own  eyes  attest,  or  more  highly  than  what   he  hears 
from  my  lips.      And  judging  by  the  stupendous  grandeur  of  the     7 
revelations — therefore  lest   I   should  be  over-elated  there    has 
been  sent  to  me,  like  the  agony  of  impalement,  Satan's  angel 
dealing  blow  after  blow,  lest  I  should  be   over-elated.     As   for     8 
this,  three  times  have   I   besought  the  Lord  to  rid  me  of  him  ; 
but  His  reply  has  been,  "  My  grace  suffices  for  you,  for  power     9 
matures  in  weakness."     Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  boast  of  my 
infirmities  rather  than  complain  of  them — in  order  that  Christ's 

29.  Led  astray  inio  sin]  Lit.  'tripped  up.' 
33.   OpCHUig]  Or  '  window.' 

1.  Visions  and  revelations']  Cp.  Acts  ix.  4-6  ;  xvi.  9  ;  xviii.  9  ;  xxii.  18  ;  xxiii.  11  ; 
xxvii.  23  ;  Gal.  ii.  2.     Granted  me  by]  Lit.  simply  '  of.' 

2,  3.  Whether  in  the  body  b^c]  "The  same  uncertainty  applies  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  I  Thess.  iv.  17  ;  Rev.  xii.  5  ;  where  the  same  word  for  'caught  up'  occurs. 

6.  Should .  .  should  .  .  should]  In  Classical  Greek  the  form  which  corresponds 
to  such  a  hypothetical  English  sentence  as  this  has  the  verb  in  the  optative  mood  ; 
but   in  the  Greek  of  the  N.'l'.  tiie  optative  is  never  so  used. 

7.  J  ud gins:  by]  For  the  '  by'  see  Jelf,  Greek  Grain)nar,   §  609,  3. 

9.  Poivcr]  Botii  the  A.V.  and  the  R.V.  insert  '  my.'  But  so  important  a  word  could 
hardly  have  been  omitted  here  in  the  Greek,  if  such  were  the  true  meaning  of  the 
sentence.     Cp.   the  A.V.  with  the  R.V.,  John  iii.  34. 


II.   CORINTHIANS   XII.  443 

power  may  overshadow  nic;.     In  fact  1  take  pleasure  in  iaiir-     lo 
mities,  in  the  bearing  of  insults,  in  distress,  in  persecutions,  in 
grievous  difficulties — for  Christ's  sake ;  for  when  I  am  weak,  then 
I  am  strong. 

The  true  Ore        ^'  '^  foolish  of   me  to    write  all  this,  but    you     ii 
dentiais  of  an  have  compelled  me  to  do  so.       Why,  you  ouglit  to 
have  been  my  vindicators  ;  for  in  no  respect  have 
I  been  inferior  to  these  superlatively  great  apostles,  even  though 
in  myself  I  am  nothing.     The  signs  that  characterize  the  true     12 
apostle  have  been  done  among  you,  accompanied  by  unwearied 
fortitude,  and  by  tokens  and  marvels  and  displays  of  po>ver.    In     13 
what  respect,  therefore,  have  you  been  worse  dealt  with  than  other 
churches,  except  that  I  myself  never  hung  as  a  dead  weight 
upon  you  ?     Forgive  the  injustice  I  thus  did  you  ! 
An  intended        ^^^>  ^  ^^"^^  "°^  ^^^  ^^^  third  time  prepared  to     14 
Visit  to        visit  you,  but  I  will  not  be  a  dead  weight  to  you. 

Corinth.         ^    ,      /       '  ,  ,.-,•, 

I  desire  not  your  money,  but  yourselves  ;  for  chil- 
dren   ought    not    to    put  by  for    their  parents,  but  parents  for 
their  children.     And  as  for  me,  most  gladly  will  I  spend  all  I     15 
have  and  be  utterly  spent  for  your  salvation.     If  I  love  you  so 
intensely,  am  I  the  less  to  be  loved?     Be  that  as  it  may  :  I  was     16 
not  a  burden  to  you. 

The  unselfish       ^^^  being  by  no  means  scrupulous,  I  entrapped 
Motives  of    you,  they  say  !     Have  I  gained  any  selfish  advan-     17 

Paul  and  Titus.  '  ,,  u  c\u 

tage  over  you  through  any  one  of  the  messengers 
I  have  sent  to  you?     I  begged  Titus  to  visit  you,  and  sent  our     18 
other  brother  with  him.     Did  Titus  gain  any  selfish  ad '/antage 
over  you  ?     Were  not  he  and   I   guided  by  one  and  the  same 
Spirit,  and  did  we  not  walk  in  the  same  steps  ? 

.  ^        You  are   imigining,  all  this   time,  that  we    are     19 
An    Appeal   to         ,  .  ,    r  ,  t  ,•       •     • 

the  great      making  our  defence  at  your  bar.     In  reality  it  is  as 
Judge  of  ai .    -^^  God's  presence  and  in  communion   with  Christ 
that  we  speak  ;  but,  dear  friends,  it  is  all  with  a  view  to  your 
progress  in  goodness.     For   I   am  afraid  that  perhaps  when  I     20 
come  I  may  not  find  you  to  be  what  I  desire,  and  that  you  may 

13,  14.  A  dead %veight\  Lit.  'a  stupefying  weight.'  So  in  xi.  9.  In  the  N.T.  the 
word  is  only  found  in  these  three  passages. 

15.  If  I  love  &^c.]  v.L.  '  though  the  more  intensely  1  love  you,  the  less  I  am  loved.' 
So  intense  I y\  Lit.  '  more  intensely.' 

16.  Bei'iic &^c.]  "My  opponents  say  that  ihy  very  privation  and  poverty  were 
means  to  some  unworthy  by-ends."  Paul  disdains  to  give  any  other  answer  than 
that  already  given  in  v.  11.     Cp.  Rom.  iii.  8. 

18.  He  and  /]  Or  'both  of  us.'     Lit.  '  we.' 

19.  Tkat  tve  speak;  but  dr'c  ]  v.L.  •  that  we  say  all  this,  dear  friends,  to  promote 
your  progress  in  goodness,' 


444  II.    CORINTHIANS   XII.-XIII. 

find  me  to  be  what  you  do  not  desire  ;  that  perhaps  there  may 
be  contention,  jealousy,  bitterfeeling,  party  spirit,  ill-natured  talk, 
backbiting,  undue  eulogy,  unrest  ;  and  that  upon  re-visiting  you  21 
I  may  be  humbled  by  my  God  in  your  presence,  and  may  have  to 
mourn  over  many  whose  hearts  still  cling  to  their  old  sins,  and 
who  have  not  repented  of  the  impurity,  fornication,  and  gross 
sensuality,  of  which  they  have  been  guilty. 

This  intended  visit  of  mine  is  my  third  visit  to     i 

Coming  Inves-  ,.  ^ 

tigationsand    yOU.      "  ON  THE     EVIDENCE    OF    TWO   OR   THREE 

Punishments.   WITNESSES       EVERY     CHARGE      SHALL      BE      SUS- 
TAINED "  (Deut.  xix.  15).  Those  who  cling  to  their  old  sins,  and     2 
indeed  all  of  you,  I  have  forewarned  and  still  forewarn  (as  I 
did  on  my  second  visit  when  present,  so   I  do  now,  though  ab- 
sent) that,  when  I  come  again,  1  shall  not  spare  you  ;  since  you     3 
want  a  practical  proof  of  the  fact  that  Christ  speaks  by  my  lips 
— He  who  is  not  feeble  towards  you,  but  powerful  among  you. 
For  though  it  is  true  that  He  was  crucified  through  weakness,     4 
yet  He  now  lives  through  the  power  of  God.     We  also  are  weak, 
sharing  His  weakness,  but  with  Him  we  shall  be  full  of  life  to 
deal  with  you  through  the  power  of  God. 

Test  yourselves  to  discover  whether  you  are  true     5 

vourseives^on  believers:  put  your  own  selves  under  examination. 

tiie  one  vital    Qr  do  you  not  know  that  Jesus   Christ  is  within 

you,  if  you  are  sincere  ?  But  I  trust  that  you  will  re-     6 
cognize  that  we  are  sincere.      And  our  prayer  to  God  is  that  you     7 
may  do  nothing  wrong;  not  in  order  that  our  sincerity  may  be 
demonstrated,  but  that  you  may  do  what  is  right,  even  though 
our  sincerity  may  seem  to  be  doubtful.     For  we  have  no  power     8 
against  the  truth,  but  only  for  the  furtherance  of  the  truth  ;  and     9 
it  is  a  joy  to  us  when  we  are  powerless,  but  you  are   strong. 
This  we  also  pray  for — the  perfecting  of  your  characters.     For     10 
this  reason  I  write  thus  while  absent,  that  when  present  I  may 
not  have  to  act  severely  in  the  exercise  of  the  authority  which 
the  Lord  has  given  me  for  building  up,  and  not  for  pulling  down. 


21.  Whose  hearts  still  cling  &'c.]  Both  the  A.V.  and  the  R.V.  fail  to  give  the 
force  of  the  Greek  perfect,  which  always  implies  a  still  continuing  result.  Cp. 
xi.  25,  n. 

4.  Sharing  His  weakness^  Or 'in  communion  with  Him.'  Lit.  'in  Him,'  or 
(v.L.)  '  with  Him.' 

7.  That  you  may  do  ivhnt  is  right  ^'c^  I.E.  'if  your  Christian  character  is  un- 
mistakable, it  matters  little  about  our  reputation'— which  will  thus  be  amply 
vin  dicated. 

8.  For  nve  have  <&=<:.]  If  you  are  living  consistently  with  the  truth  concerning 
Christ,  you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  us  in  the  way  of  discipline. 


II.   CORINTHIANS   XIII  445 

Finally,  brethren,  be  joyful,  secure  perfection  of     ii 
Words'"^    character,  take  courage,   be  of  one  mind,  live   in 
peace  ;  and  then  God  who  gives  love  and  peace, 
will  be  with  you. 

Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss.     All  God's  people  here     12 
send  greetings  to  you. 

May  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and     13 
the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with  you  all. 

II.  Bejoyfut\  Or  'farewell.' 

13.    The  /'ellowship  of  Sa'c  ]  Or  'the  presence,  shared  by  all,  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
CA.  S.  Way);  or  '  fellowship  through  the  Holy  Spirit.' 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  GALATIANS 


There  is  no  question  as  to  the  genuineness  of  this  Pauline 
Letter,  but  it  differs  from  most  other  writings  of  the  apostle  in 
being  addressed  to  "churches  "  rather  than  to  a  single  com- 
munity. It  seems  now,  however,  impossible  to  decide  the  pre- 
cise meaning  of  the  term  "  Galatia."  Two  distinct  views  are 
held  by  modern  scholars.  One,  known  as  the  "  North  Galatia- 
theory,"  maintains  that  this  Letter  was  addressed  to  the  churches 
of  Ancyra,  Tavium,  Pessinus  and  possibly  other  cities.  The 
other,  the  "  South  Galatian  theory,"  holds  that  the  congregations 
intended  were  those  of  Pisidian  Antioch,  Iconium,  Derbe  and 
Lystra.  In  any  case  the  population  was  very  mixed,  consisting 
of  Phrygians,  Greeks,  Romans,  Gauls  and  Jews.  Judging  from 
the  apostle's  remonstrances,  the  two  latter  seem  to  have  pre- 
ponderated. The  date  of  the  Letter  cannot  be  exactly  fixed. 
The  periods  assigned  by  recent  scholarship  vary  from  46  A.D. 
to  58  A.D.,  but  the  medium  estimate  of  53  A.D.,  adopted  by 
Harnack  and  Ramsay,  satisfies  all  the  requirements  of  the  case. 
The  apostle  certainly  visited  Galatia  during  his  second  mis- 
sionary tour,  perhaps  about  51  A.D.,  and  although  suffering  from 
illness  was  received  with  enthusiasm.  After  a  short  stay  he  de- 
parted cherishing  a  joyful  confidence  as  to  his  converts  there. 
But  when,  less  than  three  years  afterwards,  he  came  again,  he 
found  that  the  leaven  of  Judaism,  working  on  the  fickle  Gallic 
temperament,  had  produced  a  definite  apostasy,  insomuch  that 
both  the  freedom  of  individual  believers  and  his  own  apostolic 
authority  were  in  danger.  Even  his  personal  presence  (Acts 
xviii.  23)  did  not  end  the  difficulty.  Hence,  possibly  during 
his  journey  between  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  he  sent  this  Letter. 
Its  rugged  and  incoherent  style  shows  that  it  was  dictated  under 
great  stress  of  feeling,  and  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith 
is  stated  more  emphatically  than  in  any  other  of  his  writings. 
But  his  earnest  insistence  upon  the  "fruit  of  the  Spirit "  proves 
that  his  ideal  of  practical  holiness  was  rather  strengthened  than 
impaired  by  his  plea  for  faith  as  the  mainspring  of  Christian 
life. 


44S 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  GALATIANS 

Introduction. 

Paul,  an  apostle  sent  not  from  man  nor  by  man,     i   \ 
ree  ing.      ^^^  ^^  ]qs\is  Christ  and  by  God  the  Father,  who 
raised  Jesus  from  among  the  dead— and  all  the  brethren  who     2 
are  with  me  : 

To  the  churches  of  Galatia.     May  grace  and  peace  be  granted     3 
to  you  from  God  the  Father,  and  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  gave  Himself  to  suffer  for  our  sins  in  order  to  rescue  us     4 
from  the  present  wicked  age  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  our 
God  and  Father.     To  Him  be  the  glory  to  the  ages  of  the  ages  !     5 
Amen. 

Paul  vindicates  his  apostolic  Autliority, 

_.     ,  ...  I  marvel  that  you  are  so  readily  leaving  Him     6 

The  falling  •'  r  •  j 

away  of  the    who  called  you  by  the  grace  of  Christ,  and   are 

Gaiatians.      ^^^^j-ing  to  a  different  Good  News.     For  other     7 
"  Good  News"  there  is  none  ;    but  there  are  some  persons  who 
are  troubling  you,  and  are  seeking  to  distort  the  Good  News 
concerning  Christ.     But  if  even  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven     8 
should  bring  you  a  Good  News  different  from  that  which  we 
have  already  brought  you,  let  him  be  accursed.     What  I  have     9 
just  said  I  repeat — if  any  one  is  preaching  to  you  a  Good  News 
other   than   that    which    you    originally    received,    let    him    be 
accursed.     For  is  it  man's  favour  or  God's  that  I  aspire  to  ?  or     10 
am  I  seeking  to  please  men  ?     If  I  were  still  a  man-pleaser,  I 
should  not  be  Christ's  bondservant. 

Paul's  For  I   must  tell  you,  brethren,  that  the  Good     11 

Teaching  came  j<fews  which  was  proclaimed  by  me  is  not  such  as 

direct  from      J-^'-"'-'  J    ^        .       .    ^     .  ,     ' 

Christ.        man  approves  of.     For,  m  fact,  it  was  not  from     12 
man  that  I  received  or  learnt  it,  but  by  a  revelation  from  Jesus 
Christ.     For  you  have  heard  of  my  early  career  in   Judaism —     13 
how  I  furiously  persecuted  the  church  of  God,  and  made  havoc 
of  it,  and  how  in  devotion  to  Judaism  I  outstripped  many  men     14 

449  GG 


450  GALATIANS    T.-II. 

of  my  own  age  among  my  people,  being  far  more  zealous  than 
they  on  behalf  of  the  traditions  of  my  forefathers.     But   when     15 
He  who  set  me  apart  even  from  my  birth,  and  called  me  by  His 
grace,  saw  fit  to  reveal  His  Son  within  me  in  order  that  I  might     16 
spend  my  life  in  telling  among  the  Gentiles   the    Good  News 
about  Him,  at  once  I  did  not  confer  with  any  human  being,  nor     17 
did  1  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  those  who  were  my  seniors  in  the 
apostleship,  but  I  went  away  into  Arabia,  and  afterwards  came 
back  to  Damascus. 
Visits  to  Jeru-      Then,  three  years  later,  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem     18 

saiem,  Syria,  to  inquire  for  Peter,  and  I  spent  a  fortnight  with 
an  I  icia.  j^j^  j  ^^^  none  of  the  other  apostles,  except  19 
James,  the  Lord's  brother.  In  making  these  assertions  I  am  20 
speaking  the  truth,  as  in  the  sight  of  God.  Afterwards  I  visited  21 
Syria  and  Cilicia  ;  but  to  the  Christian  churches  in  Judaea  I  22 
was  personally  unknown.  They  only  heard  it  said  :  "  He  who  23 
was  once  our  persecutor  is  now  telling  the  Good  News  of  the 
faith  of  which  he  formerly  made  havoc  ; "  and  they  gave  glory  24 
to  God  on  my  account. 

Paul's  Divine        Later  Still,  after  an  interval  of  fourteen  years,  I     i  ^ 

Call  recognized  again  went  up    to    Jerusalem   in   company   with 
at  Jerusalem.    ,,  ,  ^    ,  .        ^r-.  ,  .  ,  ^ 

barnabas,  takmg  Titus  also  with  me.     I   went  up     2 

in  obedience  to  a  revelation  of  God's  will ;    and  I  explained  to 

them  the  Good  News  which  I  proclaim  among  the  Gentiles.  To 

the  leaders  of  the  church  this  explanation  was  made  in  private, 

lest  by  any  means  I  should  be  running,  or  should  already  have 

run,  in  vain.     But  although  my  companion  Titus  was  a  Greek     3 

they   did   not  insist   upon  even  him  being   circumcised.     Yet     4 

there  was  danger  of  this  through  the  false  brethren  secretly 

introduced  into  the  church,  who  had  stolen  in  to  spy  out  the 

freedom  which   is  ours  in  Christ  Jesus,  in  order  to  rob  us  of  it. 

But  not  for  an  hour  did  we  give  way  and  submit  to  them;  in     5 

order  that   the    Good  News   might    continue  with   you    in    its 

integrity.     From  those  leaders  I  gained  nothing  new.    Whether     6 

they  were  men  of  importance  or  not,  matters  nothing  to  me — 

God  recognizes  no  external  distinctions.     To  me,  at  any  rate, 

the  leaders  imparted  nothing  new.     Indeed,  when  they  saw  that     7 

18.  Peter]  Lit.  'Cephas,'  the  Aramaic  form  of  the  same  name. 

3  Lit.  '  But  even  my  companion  Titus,  Greek  though  he  was,  was  not  compelled 
to  be  circumcised.' 

4.  Freedom]  i.e.  freedom  from  the  Law  of  Moses. 

7.  Indeed]  v.l.  '  Nay,  on  the  contrary  ; '  but  the  exact  contrary  of  '  imparting  '  is 
actual  '  taking  away,'  and  of  this  there  is  no  thou^iht  here. 


GALATIANS    II.  451 

I  was  entrusted  with  the  preaching  of  the  Good  News  to  the 
Gentiles  as  Peter  had  been  with  that  to  the  Jews— for  He  who  had     8 
been  at  work  within  Peter  with  a  view  to  his  apostleship  to  the 
Jews  had  also  been  at  work  within  me  with  a  view  to  my  apostle- 
ship to  the  Gentiles — and  when  they  perceived  the  mission  which     9 
was  graciously  entrusted  to  me,  they  (that  is   to   say,  James, 
Peter,  and  John,  who   were  considered  to  be  the  pillars  of  the 
church)  welcomed  Barnabas  and  me  to  their  fellowship  on  the 
understanding  that  we  were  to  go  to  the  Gentiles  and  they  to  the 
Jews.     Only  they  urged  that  we  should  remember  their  poor — a     lo 
thing  which  was  uppermost  in  my  own  mind. 

Peter  openly       ^°^^  when  Peter  visited  Antioch,  I  remonstrated     11 
rebuked  by     with  him  to  his  face,  because  he  had  incurred  just 

censure.      For  until  certain   persons    came    from     12 
James  he  had  been  accustomed  to  eat  with  Gentiles  ;    but  as 
soon  as  these  persons  came,  he  withdrew  and  separated  himself 
for  fear  of  the  circumcision  party.     And  along  with  him  the     13 
other  Jews   also    concealed  their  real  opinions,   so  that  even 
Barnabas  was  carried  away  by  their  lack  of  straightforwardness. 
As  soon  as  I  saw  that  they  were  not  walking  uprightly  in  the     14 
spirit  of  the  Good  News,  I  said  to  Peter,  before  them  all,  "  If 
you,  though  you  are  a  Jew,  live  as  a  Gentile  does,  and  not  as  a 
Jew,  how  can  you  make  the  Gentiles  follow  Jewish  customs  ? 
You  and  I,  though  we  are  Jews  by  birth  and  not  Gentile  sinners,     15 
know  that  it  is  not  through  obedience  to  Law  that  a  man  can  be     16 
declared  free  from  guilt,  but  only  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.     We 
have  therefore  believed  in  Christ  Jesus,  for  the  purpose  of  being 
declared  free  from  guilt,  through  faith  in  Christ  and  not  through 
obedience  to  Law  ;  for  through   obedience  to  Law  no  human 
being  shall  be  declared  free  from   guilt.     But  if  while  we  are     17 
seeking  in  Christ  acquittal  from  guilt  we  ourselves  are  convicted 
of  sin,  Christ  then  encourages  us  to  sin  !     No,  indeed.     Why,     18 
if    I  am  now  rebuilding  that    structure  of   sin  which    I    had 
demolished,  I  am  thereby  constituting  myself  a  transgressor, 
for  it  is  by  the  Law  that  I  have  died  to  the  Law,  in  order  that  I     19 
may  live  to  God.     I  have  been  crucified  with  Christ,  and  it  is  no     20 
longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  that  lives  in  me  ;  and  the  life  which 
I   now  live  in  the  body  I  live  through  faith  in  the  Son  of  God 
who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  up  to  death  on  my  behalf.     I     21 

9.  Mission  .  .  graciously  entrusted\  Lit.  '  grace  .   .  entrusted '  or  '  divine  favour 
.   .   shown,'     See  Rom.  xii.  3,  n. 

9,  It,  14.  Peter]  Lit.  'Cephas.'     See  i.  18,  n. 


452  GALATIANS    II.-III. 

do  not  nullify  the  grace  of  God  ;  for  if  acquittal  from  guilt  is 
obtainable  through  the  Law,  then  Christ  has  died  in  vain." 

The  Jewish  Law  far  inferior  to  the  Christian 
Faith. 

You  foolish  Galatians  !     Whose   sophistry  has     i 
the"Etp?rre'nc°e  bewitched   you— you  to    whom  Jesus   Christ   has 
of  the        been  vividly  portrayed  as  on  the  cross?     Answer     2 
Galatians.  .■  t     •*  .\  a      c 

me  this  one  question — Is  it  on  the  ground  of  your 

obedience  to  the   Law  that   you  received  the    Spirit,  or  is   it 
because,  when  you  heard,  you  believed  ?     Are  you  so  foolish  ?     3 
Having  begun  by  the  Spirit,  are  you  now  going  to  reach  per- 
fection through  what   is   external?     Have   you    endured  such     4 
sufferings  to  no  purpose — if  indeed  it  has  been  to  no  purpose  ? 
He  who  gives  you  His  Spirit  and  works  miracles  among  you —     5 
does  He  do  so  on  the  ground  of  your  obedience  to  the  Law,  or  is 
it  the   result  of    your   having  heard  and   believed  :    even    as 
Abraham  believed  God,  and  his  faith  was  placed  to 
his  account  as  righteousness  (gen.  xv.  6)? 

Notice  therefore  that  those  who  possess  faith  are     7 

Acceptance  ^        .  ' 

with  God  is  the  true  sons  of  Abraham.     And  the  Scripture,  fore-     8 
Result  of  Fait  .  g^gjj^g  ^^i^^  \^  consequence  of  faith  God  would 
declare  the  nations  to  be  free  from  guilt,  sent  beforehand  the 
Good  News  to  Abraham,  saying,  "  In  YOU  all  THE  nations 
SHALL    BE  BLESSED"  (Gen.  xii.  3  ;  xviii.  18).     So  we  see  that    9 
it  is  they  who   possess   faith  that  are  blessed   with  believing 
Abraham.     All  who  are  depending  upon  their  own  obedience  to     10 
the   Law   are   under  a   curse,   for   it   is    written,  "  CURSED    IS 

EVERY   one   who   DOES    NOT   REMAIN    FAITHFUL   TO   ALL   THE 
PRECEPTS   OF   THE   LaW   AND    PRACTISE   THEM"     (Deut.    xxvii. 

26).     It  is  evident,  too,  that  no  one  can  find  acceptance  with     11 
God  simply  by  obeying  the  Law,  because  "the  righteous 
SHALL  live  by  FAITH  "  (Hab.  ii.  4),  and  the  Law  has  nothing     12 
to   do   with    faith.     It   teaches   that  "  he   who   DOES  these 
THINGS  SHALL  LIVE  BY  DOING  THEM  "  (Lev.  xviii.  5).     Christ     13 
has   purchased  our  freedom  from   the   curse   of  the   Law   by 
becoming  accursed  for  us — because  "  Cursed  is  every  one 
WHO  is  hanged  upon  a  tree"  (Deut.  xxi.  23).     Our  freedom     14 
has  been  thus  purchased  in   order  that  in   Christ   Jesus   the 

1.  As  on  the  cross]  Or  '  as  having  been  crucified,' 

4-  Endured  such  sufferings]  Or  'passed  through  so  wonderful  an  experience.' 


GALATIANS   III.  453 

blessing  belonging  to  Abraham  may  come  upon  the  Gentiles,  so 

that  through  faith  we  may  receive  the  promised  Spirit. 

Brethren,  even  a  covenant   made  by  a  man —     15 

not*  invalidate  to  borrow  an  illustration  from    daily  life — when 

God's         Qrice  formally  sanctioned  is   not  liable  to  be  set 
Promises.  .  ,  ,  ,     ,  /xt  i 

aside  or  added  to.    (Now  the  promises  were  given     16 
to  Abraham  and  to  his  seed.    God  did  not  say  "  and  to  seeds  ," 
as  if  speaking  of  many,  but  "and  to  your  seed"   [Gen.  xii.  7], 
since  He  spoke  of  only  one — and  this  is  Christ.)     I  mean  that     17 
the   covenant  which   God    had    already  formally  made  is  not 
abrogated  by  the  Law  which  was  given  four  hundred  and  thirty 
years  later — -so  as  to  annul  the  promise.     For  if  the  inheritance     18 
comes  through  obedience  to  Law,  it  no  longer  comes  because  of 
a  promise  ;    but   as   a  matter  of  fact  God  has   granted  it  to 
Abraham  in  fulfilment  of  a  promise. 

Th        i  Place      Why  then  was  the  Law  given?    It  was  imposed     19 
and  Use  of  the  later  on  for  the  sake  of  defining  sin,  until  the  seed 
*^'  should  come  to  whom  God  had  made  the  promise  ; 

and  its  details  were  laid  down  by  a  mediator  with  the  help  of 
angels.     But  there  cannot  be  a  mediator  where  only  one  indi-     20 
vidual  is  concerned  :    God,  however,  is  only  one.     Is  the  Law     21 
then  opposed  to  the  promises  of  God.?     No,  indeed  ;    for  if  a 
Law  had  been  given  which  could  have  conferred  Life,  righteous- 
ness would  certainly  have  come  by  the  Law  ;  but  Scripture  has     22 
shown  that  all  mankind  are  the  prisoners  of  sin,  in  order  that  the 
promised  blessing,  which  depends  on  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  may 
be  given  to  those  who  believe. 

Before  this  faith  came,  we  Jews  were  perpetual     23 
prepares^us  to  P^^^^^^^s  under  the  Law,  living  under  restraints 

welcome  the    and  limitations  in  preparation  for  the  faith  which 
Saviour.  ,  ,     ,        r.        ,  ,       -, 

was  soon  to  be  revealed.     So  that  the  Law  has  24 
acted  the  part  of  a  tutor-slave  to  lead  us  to  Christ,  in  order  that 
through  faith  we  may  be  declared  to  be  free  from  guilt.     But  25 
now  that  this  faith  has  come,  we  are  no  longer  under  a  tutor- 
slave.     You  are  all  sons  of  God  through  faith   in   Christ  Jesus  ;  26 
for  all  of  you  who  have  been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  clothed  27 

19.  Defining  sin\  i.e.  making  acts  of  sin  '  offences  against  Law.' 

20.  God  however  &'c.\  Man,  the  other  party,  being  by  contrast  unworthy  of  men- 
tion ;  unfit  to  be  for  a  moment  co-ordinated  with  God.  Mediation  therefore  is  far 
inferior  to  promise,  by  which  it  is  superseded  ;  for  promise  depends  on  One  alone  — 
the  infinite,  the  holy,  the  faithful  God. 

24.   To  lead  us,  &=€.]  An  important  part  of  the  duty  of  a  tutor-slave  was  to  attend 
his  young  master  to  and  from  school. 
87.  Into]  Or  'unto.' 


454  GALATIANS    III.-IV. 

^'Ourselves  with  Christ.     In  Him  the  distinctions  between  Jew     28 
and  Gentile,  slave  and  free  man,  male  and  female,  disappear; 
you  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.     And  if  you  belong  to  Christ,     29 
then  you  are  indeed  true    descendants    of  Abraham,  and  are 
heirs  in  fulfilment  of  the  promise. 

Now  I  say  that  so  long  as  an  heir  is  a  child,  he     i   4 
^oniy^possib'ie''  '"  "o  respect  differs  from  a  slave,  although  he  is 
through  Faith  ti^e  owner  of  everything,  but  he  is  under  the   con-     2 

m  Christ.  ,       .  ,.  "^       ,      '  ....  ,  . 

trol  of  guardians  and  trustees  until  the  time  his 

father  has  appointed.     So  we  also,  when  spiritually   we    were     3 

children,  were  subject  to  the  world's  rudimentary  notions,  and 

were  enslaved  ;   but  when  the  time  was  fully  come,  God  sent     4 

forth  His  Son,  born  of  a  woman,  born  subject  to  Law,  in  order  to     5 

purchase  the  freedom  of  all  who  were  subject  to  Law,  so  that 

we  might  receive  recognition  as  sons.     And  because  you  are     6 

sons,  God  has  sent  out  the  Spirit   of  His   Son  to  enter  your 

hearts  and  cry  "  Abba  !    our  Father  ! "     Therefore  you  are  no     7 

longer  a  slave,  but  a  son  ;  and  if  a  son,  then  an  heir  also  through 

God's  own  act. 

But  at  one  time,  you  Gentiles,  having  no  know-     8 
Mere   external  ,,  ^^,  ,  11.,. 

Observances   ledge   of    God,    were   slaves    to   gods    which    in 

worthless,      reality  do  not  exist.     Now,  however,  having  come     9 

to  know  God — or  rather  to  be  known  by  Him — how  is  it  you  are 

again  turning  back  to  weak  and  worthless  rudimentary  notions 

to  which  you  are  once  more  willing  to  be  enslaved?     You  scru-     10 

pulously  observe  days  and  months,  special  seasons,  and  years. 

I  am  alarmed  about  you,  and  am  afraid  that  I   have  perhaps     11 

bestowed  labour  upon  you  to  no  purpose. 

_.  Brethren,  become  as  I  am,  I  beseech  you  ;  fori     12 

The  once  eager  ,  ,  '  ,.,  '  ,•  , 

Affection  of  have  also  become  like  you.  In  no  respect  did  you 
theGaiatians.  i^gj^^^e  badly  to  me  ;  and  you  know  that  in  those  13 
early  days  it  was  on  account  of  bodily  infirmity  that  I  proclaimed 
the  Good  News  to  you,  and  yet  the  bodily  infirmity  which  was  14 
such  a  trial  to  you,  you  did  not  regard  with  contempt  or  loathing, 
but  you  received  me  as  if  I  had  been  an  angel  of  God  or  Christ 
Jesus  Himself!   I  ask  you,  then,  what  has  become  of  your  self-con-     15 

I.  An  heir]  In  this  instance  a  young  man  of  property,  whose  father  is  dead._ 

12.  Paul  probably  meant  that  just  as  he  himself  had  thrown  off  the  restrictions 
of  the  Jewish  ceremonial  Law  and  had  become  virtually  a  Gentile  like  themselves, 
so  they  oiiiiht  to  throw  oflf  their  regard  for  heathen  observances,  and  become  spirit- 
ually free  like  him. 

13.  Bodily  infirmity]  Some  illness  which  detained  him  in  Galatia  where  he 
would  not  otherwise  have  stayed  so  long.  Some  suppose  the  illness  was  the  result  of 
his  having  been  stoned  at  Lystra  (Acts  xiv.). 

15.  Se^-congratulations]  At  having  me  among  you  at  that  time. 


GALATIANS    IV. 


455 


gratulations  ?     For  I  bear  you  witness  that  had  it  been  possible 
you  would  have  torn  out  your  own  eyes  and  have  given  them  to 
me.     Can  it  be  that  I  have  become  your  enemy  through  speak-     i6 
ing  the  truth  to  you  ? 

These  men  pay  court  to  you,  but  not  with  honour-     1 7 
^^"for^the'^*^  able  motives  :  they  want  to  exclude  you,  so  that 
^GiSatians*^*  ^'^""^    may   pay  court   to   them.     It  is   always   an     18 

honourable  thing  to  be  courted  in  an  honourable 
cause  ;  always,  and  not  only  when  I  am  with  you,  my  children —     19 
you  for  whom  I  am  again,  as  it  were,  undergoing  the  pains  of 
childbirth  until  Christ  is  fully  formed  within  you.     Would  that  I     20 
were  with  you  and  could  change  my  tone,  for  I  am  perplexed 
about  you. 

Tell  me — you  who  want  to  continue  to  be  subject     21 
'^^s'^ac  frlL^"^'  to  Law— will  you  not  listen  to  the  Law  ?     For  it     22 

is  written  that  Abraham  had  two  sons,  one  by  the 
slave  girl  and  one  by  the  free  woman.     But  we  see  that  the     23 
child  of  the  slave  girl  was  born  in  the  common  course  of  nature  ; 
but  the  child  of  the  free  woman  in  fulfilment  of  the  promise. 
All  this  is  allegorical  ;    for  the  women  represent  two  covenants.     24 
One  has  its  origin  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  bears  children  destined 
for  slavery.     This  is   Hagar  ;   for  the  name  Hagar  stands  for     25 
Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia,  and  corresponds   to   the  present  Jeru- 
salem, which  is  in  bondage  together  with  her  children  ;    but  the     26 
Jerusalem  which  is  above  is  free,  and  she  is  our  mother.     For  it     27 
is  written, 

"  Rejoice,  thou  barren  woman  ti^at  bearest  not. 
Break  forth  into  a  joyful  cry,  thou  that  dost  not 

travail  with  child  ; 
For  the  desolate  woman  has  many  children — 
More   indeed   than    she    who    has    the    husband" 

(Isa.  liv.  i). 
'Stedfastiy         But  you,  brethren,  like  Isaac,  are  children  born     28 
maintain  your  in  fulfilment  of  a  promise.     Yet  iust  as,  at  that     20 

Freedom.'        .  .1  1  -u    1  •         ,  ^ 

time,  the   child  born   m    the  common   course   of 

nature  persecuted  the  one  whose  birth  was  due  to  the  power  of 

the  Spirit,  so  it  is  now.     But  what  says  the  Scripture  ?     "  Send     30 

20.  Chaiigre  my  tone]  Speak  in  milder  tei^s,  which  (see  next  verse)  he  does  not  do. 

25.  For  the  name  <5r=<;.]  v.l.  'for  Sinai  is  a  mountain  in  Arabia;'  omitting 
'  Hagar.'  _To  this  day  the  Arabs  call  Sinai  'hajar,'  with  the  j  sounded  as  in  the 
Enghsh  'jar.' 

27.  Barren]  "  Not  Gentile  Christendom  as  opposed  to  Jewish,  but  the  new  dis- 
pensation as  opposed  to  the  old  "  (Lightfoot). 


456  GALATIANS   IV.-V. 

AWAY    THE    SLAVE-GIRL    AND    HER   SON,    FOR    NEVER    SHALL 
THE   slave-girl's   SON    SHARE   THE   INHERH  ANCE   WITH   THE 

SON  OF  THE  FREE  WOMAN"  (Gen.  xxi.  lo).   Therefore,  brethren,     31 
since  we  are  not  the  children   of  a   slave-gir],  but  of  the  free 
woman — Christ  having  made  us  gloriously  free— stand  fast  and     i   i 
do  not  again  be  hampered  with  the  yoke  of  slavery. 

Remember  that  it  is  I   Paul  who  tell  you  that     2 

Legalism         .^  .  .  •    •  /^i     •   ^       -n  -i 

leavesnoRoom  if  you  receive  circumcision  Christ  will  avail  you 

for  Christ,      nothing.     I  once  more  protest  to  every  man  who     3 
receives  circumcision  that  he  is  under  obligation  to  obey  the 
whole  Law  of  Moses.     Christ  has   become  nothing  to  any  of    4. 
you  who  are  seeking  acceptance  with  God   through  the  Law  : 
you  have  fallen  away  from  grace.      We  have  not,  for  through     5 
the  Spirit  we  wait  with  longing  hope  for  an  acceptance  with 
God   which   is   to   come   through  faith.      For  in  Christ  Jesus     6 
neither  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision  is  of  any  importance ; 
but  only  faith  working  through  love. 

You  were  running  the  race  nobly  !     Who  has  in-     7 
'of'F^rotest'^    terfered  and  caused  you  to  swerve  from  the  truth  1 

No  such  teaching  ever  proceeded  from  Him  who  is     8 
calling  you.     A    little  yeast  corrupts  the  whole  of  the  dough.     9 
For  my  part  I  have  strong  confidence  in  you  in  the  Lord  that     10 
you  will  adopt  my  view  of  the  matter  ;  but  the  man — be  he  who 
he  may-— who  is  troubling  you,  will  have  to  bear  the  full  weight 
of   the  judgement  to  be    pronounced    on    him.      As  for  me,     11 
brethren,  if  I  am  still  a  preacher  of  circumcision,  how  is  it  that 
I  am  still  suffering  persecution?     In  that   case  the   Cross  has 
ceased  to  be  a  stumbling-block  !     Would   to  God  that  those     12 
who   are   unsettling    your    faith    would    even    mutilate    them- 
selves. 

Moral  and  spiritual  Extiortations. 

^    .         You  however,  brethren,  were  called  to  freedom  ;     i^ 
Love  restrains  '  ...  »        j 

those  free      Only  do  not  tum  your  freedom  into  an  excuse  for 
rom    aw.      giving  way  to  your  lower    natures  ;  but  become 

4.  Christ  has  become  &'c.'\  Lit.  'You  have  been  abrogated  from  Christ.'     Cp. 
Rom.  vi    17. 

5.  Acceptance  with  God  which  is  to  come  tJirough  faith^  Cp.  Rom.  ix.  30;  x.  5,  6. 

8.  "  The  arguments  that  have  so  wrought  on  you  were  never    inspired  by  Him 
who  still  bids  you  come  to  Him  "  (A.  S.  Way). 

9.  Veast]  Or 'leaven'  or  'barm.'      Comipts^    Or  'puts  into  a  ferment.'     Lit. 
'leavens.' 

10.  Strong]  Or'stedfast' — the  force  of  the  perfect  tense. 

12.  Mutilate  themselves]  Or 'cut  themselves  off,'  i.e.  from  communication  with 
you. 

13.  However]  See  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  §  12.     Freedom]  From  the  Law  of  Moses. 


GALATIANS  V.-VI.  457 

bondservants  to  one  another  in  a  spirit  of  love.     For  the  entire     14 
Law  has  been  obeyed  when  you  have  kept   the  single  precept, 

which  says,  "  You  ARE  TO   LOVE   YOUR  FELLOW  MAN  EQUALLY 

WITH  YOURSELF"  (Lev.  xix.    i8).     But  if  you  are  perpetually     15 
snarling  and   snapping  at  one   another,   beware  lest  you  are 
destroyed  by  one  another. 

Th    S  ir't    nd      This  then  is  what   I   mean  :  let  your  lives  be     16 
Man's  earthly  guided  by  the  Spirit,  and  then  you  will  certainly 

^  "'^®'  not  indulge  the  cravings  of  your  lower  natures. 
For  the  cravings  of  the  lower  nature  are  opposed  to  those  of  17 
the  Spirit,  and  the  cravings  of  the  Spirit  are  opposed  to  those 
of  the  lower  nature  ;  because  these  are  antagonistic  to  each 
other,  so  that  you  cannot  do  everything  to  which  you  are 
inclined.  But  if  the  Spirit  is  leading  you,  you  are  not  subject  18 
to  Law. 

The  Outcome       Now  you  know  full  well  the  doings  of  our  lower     19 
of  Man's  sinful  natures  :    fornication,    impurity,    indecency,    idol-     20 

^  "*"**'  worship,  sorcery  ;  enmity,  strife,  jealousy,  out- 
bursts of  passion,  intrigues,  dissensions,  factions,  envyings;  21 
hard  drinking,  riotous  feasting,  and  the  like.  And  as  to  these 
I  forewarn  you,  as  I  have  already  forewarned  you,  that  they 
who  are  guilty  of  such  things  will  have  no  share  in  the  King- 
-,-u    .-    •.      dom   of  God.     The   Spirit,  on  the   other   hand,     22 

The  Fruit       ^     .  ,  r    ^  -  ■ 

borne  by  the   brmgs  a  harvest   of  love,  joy,   peace;    patience 
Spirit.        towards    others,    kindness,    benevolence  ;    good 
faith,  meekness,  self-restraint ;   against   such  things  as  these     23 
there  is  no  law.     Now  they  who  belong  to  Christ  Jesus  have     24 
crucified  their  lower  nature  with  its  passions  and  appetites.     If    25 
we  are  living  by  the  Spirit's  power,  let  our  conduct  also  be 
governed  by   the   Spirit's   power.     Let   us   not   become   vain-     26 
glorious,  challenging  one  another,  envying  one  another. 
g         ^  Brethren,  if  a  man  be  detected  in  any  miscon-     i    g 

be  shown  to   duct,  you  who  are   spiritual   should  restore  such  a 
one  in  a  spirit  of  meekness  ;  and  let  each  of  you 
keep  watch   over  himself,    lest  he   also   fall    into   temptation. 


14.  Fellow  man]  Lit.  'neighbour,' a  word  which  in  the  original  Hebrew  (Lev. 
xix.  18)  is  apparently  restricted  to  the  people  of  Israel,  though  the  N.T.  extends 
and  spiritualizes  its  meaning. 

16.  Indulge]  Lit.  'fulfil.'  Your  lower 'natures]  Lit.  'flesh,'  i.e.  "the  merely 
natural  man,  all  that  tends  to  earth  and  earthliness,  selfishness  ever  appearing  in 
the  background  "  (Ellicott).      Cp.  Rom.  vii.  18,  n.  ;  Eph.  ii.   3,  n. 

18.    The  Spirit  is  leading  you]  Lit.  '  you  are  being  led  by  the  Spirit.' 

21.  Envyings]  v. L.  adds  'murders.' 

I.  He  also]  Lit.  '  you  also.' 


458  GALATIANS   VI. 

Always  carry  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  obey  the  whole  of  2 
Christ's  Law.  For  if  there  is  any  one  who  thinks  himself  to  be  3 
somebody  when  he  is  nobody,  he  is  deluding  himself.  But  let  4 
every  man  scrutinize  his  own  conduct,  and  then  he  will  find 
out,  not  with  reference  to  another  but  with  reference  to  himself, 
what  he  has  to  boast  of.  For  every  man  v/ill  have  to  carry  his  5 
own  load.  But  let  those  who  receive  instruction  in  Christian  6 
truth  share  with  their  instructors  allstemporal  blessings. 

Do  not  deceive  yourselves  :  God  is   not  to  be     7 
'"Ha'rve^"'^^     scoffed  at ;  for  whatever  a  man  sows,  that  he  will 

also  reap.      He  who  sows  in  the  field  of  his  lower     8 
nature,  will  from  that  nature  reap  destruction  ;  but  he  who  sows 
to  serve  the  Spirit  will  from  the  Spirit  reap  the  Life  of  the  ages. 
Let  us  not  abate  our  courage  in  doing  what  is  right  ;  for  in  due     9 
time  we  shall  reap  a  reward,  if  we  do  not  faint.     So  then,  as  we     10 
have  opportunity,  let  us  labour  for  the  good  of  all,  and  especially 
of  those  who  belong  to  the  household  of  the  faith. 
Autograph         ^^^  '"  what  large  letters    I   am  writing  to   you     1 1 
Conclusion,     with  my  own  hand.  All  who  desire  to  display  their     12 
only fn^  the     zeal  for  external  observances  try  to  compel  you  to 
Cross.         receive  circumcision,  but  their  real  object  is  simply 
to  escape  being  persecuted  for  the  cross  of  Christ.  For  these  very     13 
men  do  not  really  keep  the  Law  of  Moses,  but  they  would  have 
you  receive  circumcision  in   order  that  they  may  glory  in  your 
bodies.     But  as  for  me,  God  forbid  that   I  should  glory  in  any-     14 
thing  except  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  upon  which  the 
world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  am  crucified  to  the  world.     For     15 
neither  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision  is  of  any  importance  ; 
but  only  a  renewed   nature.     And  all  who  shall  regulate  their     16 
lives  by  this  principle — may  peace  and  mercy  be  given  to  them 
—  and  to  the  true  Israel  of  God. 


2.  Obey]  v.L.  'you  will  obey.' 

8.  Destruction]  i.e.  a  harvest  of  corruption  and  riiin.  "  If  you  plant  the  seed  of 
your  own  selfish  desires,  if  you  sow  the  field  of  '  the  flesh,'  then  when  you  gather  in 
your  harvest,  you  will  find  the  ears  blighted  and  rotten.  But  if  you  sow  the  good 
ground  of  the  Spirit,  you  will  of  that  good  ground  gather  the  golden  grain  of  Life 
eternal  "  (Lightfoot).     Some  understand  '  Spirit  '  here  to  be  the  human  spirit. 

10.  As  we  have  opporiUJiity]  Or  '  while  we  have  time  ; '  a  reference  to  the  near 
approach  of  death  and  the  Corning  of  Christ.  To  the  household  of  the  faith]  Or  '  to 
the  faith.'     "There  does  not  seem  to  be  any  allusion  to  a  household  "  (Alford). 

IT.  I  am  writing]  Or  'I  have  written  ,'  this  wiioie  letter,  or  these  concluding 
sentences  which  guarantee  the  genuineness  of  the  whole. 

14.  Upon  which]  Or  '  through  whom.'  Js  cruc'Jicd]  The  Greek  perfect,  which 
implies  not  only  that  it  has  been  crucified,  but  that  it  remains  a  crucified  thing. 
"  Henceforth  we  are  dead  each  to  the  other  "  (Lightfoot). 

15.  For]  v.L.  adds  '  in  Christ  Jesus.' 

i6.  Shall  regulate]  v.L.  '  are  regulating.' 


GALATIANS   VI.  459 

From  this  time  onward  let  no  one  trouble  me  ;  for,  as  for  me,     17 

I  bear,  branded  on  my  body,  the  scars  of  Jesus  as  my  Master. 

,,  May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with      18 

Farewell.  "^  .  .        ,        ,  •' 

your  spirits,  brethren.     Amen. 

17.  Tie  scars']  In  ancient  times  slaves  were  branded  in  token  of  their  complete 
subjection  to  the  masters  who  owned  them.  It  is  misery  and  degradation  to  be  en- 
slaved to  a  mere  fellow  mortal,  but  Paul  gloried  in  the  marks  which  suffering  and 
toil  had  left  upon  his  face  and  physical  frame  making  it  manifest  to  the  world  that 
he  was  a  very  bondservant  of  Christ. 


PAUL'S   LETTER  TO   THE    EPHESIANS 


This  appears  to  have  been  a  kind  of  circular  Letter  to  the 
churches  in  Roman  Asia,  and  was  not  addressed  exchisively  to 
Ephesus.  Ephesus  was  a  well-known  seaport  and  the  princi- 
pal city  in  Roman  Asia.  It  was  famous  alike  for  its  wonderful 
temple,  containing  the  shrine  of  Diana,  and  for  its  vast  theatre 
which  was  capable  of  accommodating  50,000  persons.  Paul 
was  forbidden  at  first  to  preach  in  Roman  Asia  (Acts  xvi.  6), 
but  he  afterwards  visited  Ephesus  in  company  with  Priscilla 
and  Aquila  (Acts  xviii.  19).  About  three  years  later  (Acts  xix.  i) 
he  came  again  and  remained  for  some  time— probably  from 
54  to  57  A.D. — preaching  and  arguing  in  the  school  of 
Tyrannus,  until  driven  away  through  the  tumult  raised  by 
Demetrius.  He  then  went  to  Jerusalem,  by  way  of  Miletus, 
but  was  arrested  in  the  uproar  created  by  the  Jews  and  was 
taken  first  to  Caesarea  (Acts  xxiii.  23),  and  thence  to  Rome 
(Acts  xxviii.  16).  This  was  probably  in  the  spring  of  61  A.D. 
Late  in  62  or  early  in  63  A.D.,  this  Letter  was  written,  together 
with  the  companion  Letters  to  the  Philippians,  the  Colossians, 
and  Philemon. 


462 


PAUL'S    LETTER   TO    THE    EPHESIANS 

^      ..  Paul,  an  aposile  of  Christ  Jesus  by  the  will  of     i 

Greeting.         ^     ,  J  : 

God  : 

To  God's  people  who  are  at  Ephesus — believers  in   Ciirist 

Jesus.     May  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you  from  God  our     2 

Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

„  _,,  Blessed  be  the   God  and  Father  of   our  Lord     3 

God's  eternal     ,  /-u   •   .         i        1  ^  •  -, 

Purpose  of    Jesus    Christ,    who   has    crowned   us    with   every 

Love.         spiritual  blessing  in  the  heavenly  realms  in  Christ, 

even  as,  in  His  love,  He  chose  us  as  His  own  in  Clirist  before     4 

the  creation  of  the  world,  that  we  might  be  holy  and  without 

blemish  in  His  presence.  For  He  pre-destined  us  to  be  adopted     5 

by   Himself  as   sons   through   Jesus    Christ — such    being    His 

gracious  will  and  pleasure — to  the  praise  of  the  splendour  of     6 

His  grace  with  which    He    has    enriched    us    in   the  beloved 

One. 

It  is  in  Him,  and  through   the  shedding  of  His     7 

World-wide    blood,  that  vve  have  our  deliverance— the  forgive- 
Redemption  '  o 

through       ness   of    our    offences — so    abundant   was    God's 

'"'*  ■       grace,  the  grace  which  He,  the  possessor   of  all     8 

wisdom  and  understanding,  lavished  upon  us,  when  He  made     9 

known  to  us  the  secret  of  His  will.     And  this  is  in   harmony 

with  God's  merciful  purpose  for  the  government  of  the  world     10 

when  the  times  are  ripe  for  it — the    purpose    which  He  has 

cherished  in  His  own  mind  of  restoring  the  whole  creation  to 

find  its  one  Head  in   Christ ;  yes,  things  in  Heaven  and  things 

on  earth,  to  find  their  one  Head  in  Him. 

^.     ^  ,  _  .  .,      In  Him  we  Jews  have  been  made  heirs,  having     11 

The  Holy  Spirit  ,  1  1      r        1  1  )  o 

a  Pledge  of    been  chosen  beforehand  in  accordance  with  the 
future  Glory,    ji^^gntion  of  Him  whose  might  carries  out  in  every- 

4.  He  chose  us  as  His  own\  Lit.  '  He  chose  us  out  (of  the  world)  for  Himself.' 

6.  Enriched]  Or  '  beautified.' 

7.  Deliverafice\  Or  'redemption  ;' though  the  word  signifies  not  only  the  pay- 
ment of  the  ransom,  but  the  subsequent  Actual  emancipation  of  the  prisoner.  It 
occurs  10  times  in  the  N.T.     Cp.  iv.  30. 

10.  Ofrestoring\  Lit.  ' to  restore '—a  Hebrew  use  of  the  infinitive.  (So  Spence 
in  The  Teaching  0/  the  Apostles,  iv.,  rightly  gives  '  in  rebuking  '  where  there  is  an 
infinitive  in  the  original.) 

463 


464  EPHESIANS    l.-II. 

thing  the  design  of  His  own  will,  so  that  we  should  be  devoted     12 
to  the  extolling  of  His    glorious  attributes — we  who  were  the 
first  to  fix  our  hopes  on   Christ.     And  in  Him  you   Gentiles     13 
also,  after  listening    to    the    Message    of   the  truth,  the  Good 
News  of  your  salvation — having  believed  in  Him — were  sealed 
with  the  promised  Holy  Spirit  ;  that  Spirit  being  a  pledge  and     14 
foretaste  of  our  inheritance,  in  anticipation  of  its  full  redemp- 
tion— the  inheritance  which  He  has  purchased  to  be  specially 
His  for  the  extolling  of  His  glory. 
Thanksgiving       For  this  reason  I  too,  having  heard  of  the  faith      15 

and  Prayer,    jj^  ^j^g  Lord  Jesus  which  prevails  among  you,  and 
of  your  love  for  all  God's  people,  ofTer  never  ceasing  thanks  on     16 
your  behalf  while  I  make  mention  of  you  in  my  prayers.    For     17 
I  always  beseech  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — the  Father 
most  glorious— to  give  you  a   spirit  of  wisdom  and  penetration 
through  an  intimate  knowledge  of  Him,  the  eyes  of  your  under-     18 
standing  being  enlightened  so  that  you  may  know  what  is  the 
hope  which  His  call  to  30U  inspires,  what  the  wealth  of  the 
glory  of  His  inheritance  in  God's  people,  and  what  the  trans-     19 
cendent  greatness  of  His  power  in  us  believers  as  seen  in  the 
working  of  His  infinite  might  when  He  displayed  it  in  Christ     20 
by  raising  Him  from  the  dead  and  seating  Him   at  His  own 
right  hand  in  the  heavenly  realms,  high  above  all  other  govern-     21 
ment  and  authority  and  power  and  dominion,  and  every  title  of 
sovereignty  used  either  in  this  age  or  in  the  age  to  come.     God     22 
has  put  all  things    under    His    feet,  and   has  appointed  Him 
universal   and    supreme    Head   of  the   church,  which  is   His     23 
body,  the  completeness  of  Him  who  everywhere  fills  the  uni- 
verse with  Himself. 

In  Christ  the        Toyou  Gentiles  also,  who  were  dead  through  your     i  I 
Gentiles  have  offences  and  sins,  which  were  once  habitual  to     2 

you  while  you  walked  in  the  ways  of  this  world 
and  obeyed  the  Prince  of  the  powers  of  the    air,  the  spirits 

14.  To  be  especially  His]  See  i  Chron.  xxix.  3,  A.V.  and  LXX.  ;  and  Mai.  iii.  17, 
LXX.  and  A.V.  margin  ;  and  cp.  Titus  ii.  14,  n. 

15-  Ofyoiir  love]  v.l.,  omitting  these  three  words,  'and  of  that  (which  you  have) 
towards,'  &c.,  the  meaning  of  which  is  far  from  clear. 

17.  Most  slorious]  Cp.  Acts  vii.  2,  n.     A  spirit]  or  '  the  Spirit.' 

18.  Understanding]  Or  '  heart.'  The  Hebrew  word  for  '  heart '  (as  in  2  Sam. 
xviii.  14;  2  Chron.  vii.  10)  often  denotes  '  understanding '(as  in  Prov.  vii.  7  ;  xvii. 
16,  R.  v.,  and  18  ;  Jer.  v.  21),  an  idiom  which  appears  to  be  followed  here. 

19.  In  us]  Or  '  in  relation  to  us.'     See  Ellicott's  note. 

21.  High  above  &'c.]  Cp.  the  closing  words  of  Matt,  .xxviii.  18. 
23.   The  completeness &'c.]  i.e.  without  Christ  the  universe  would  be  incomplete, 
and  Christ  would  be  incomplete  without  His  church 

2.  Powers  ,  .  spirits  that  are]  Lit.  '  power  ,  .  spirit  that  is.' 


EPHESIANS    II.  465 

that  are  now  at  work  in  the  hearts  of  the  sons  of  disobedience 
— to  you  God  has  given  Life. 

Among  them  all  of  us  also  formerly  passed  our     3 
witf  the^ri'sen  ^i^^s,  governed  by  the  indinations  of  our   lower 
and  glorified    natures,  indulging  the  cravings  of  those  natures 

Christ.  ,      c  .Z         \  .  J  •  •    •       1 

and  of  our  own  thoughts,  and  were  m  our  original 
state  deserving  of  anger  like  all  others.     But  God,  being  rich     4 
in  mercy,  because    of   the    intense    love  which    He    bestowed 
on  us,  caused  us,  dead  though  we  were  through  our  offences,     5 
to  live  with  Christ — it  is  by  grace  that  you  have  been  saved 
— raised  us  with  Him  from  the  dead,  and  enthroned  us  with     6 
Him  in  the  heavenly  realms  as  being  in  Christ  Jesus,  in  order     7 
that,  by  His  goodness  to  us    in   Christ  Jesus,  He  might  dis- 
play  in   the    ages    to    come    the    transcendent    riches    of   His 
grace.     For  it  is  by  grace  that  you  have  been  saved  through     8 
faith  ;  and  that  not  of  yourselves  ;  it  is  God's  gift,  and  is  not 
on  the  ground  of  merit — so  that  it  may  be  impossible  for  any     9 
one   to  boast.     For  we  are  God's  own   handiwork,  created  in     10 
Christ  Jesus  for  good  works  which  He  has  pre-destined  us  to 
practise. 

^^     -     ^.,  Therefore,    do    not    forget    that    formerly    you     11 

The  Gentiles  '  ,      ,-,  i-   •  Vr 

made  one  with  were  Gentiles  as  to  your  bodily  condition.  You 
God's  People,  ^^^.g  called  the  Uncircumcision  by  those  who 
style  themselves  the  Circumcised  —  their  circumcision  being 
one  which  the  knife  has  effected.  At  that  time  you  were  12 
living  apart  from  Christ,  estranged  from  the  commonwealth  of 
Israel,  with  no  share  by  birth  in  the  Covenants  which  are  based 
on  the  Promises,  and  you  had  no  hope  and  no  God,  in  all  the 
world.  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus  you  who  once  were  so  far  away  13 
have  been  brought  near  through  the  death  of  Christ. 

...  ..  For  He  is  our  peace — He  who  has  made  Jews     14 

Reconciliation  "^  j  -v 

with  God  and   and  Gentiles  one,  and  in   His  own  human  nature 

with  Man.      ^^^  broken  down  the    hostile   dividing    wall,    by     15 
setting  aside  the   Law  with  its  commandments  expressed,  as 
they  were,   in  definite  decrees.     His  design  was  to  unite  the 
two  sections  of  humanity  in   Himself  so  as  to  form   one  new 

3,  Lower  natures  .  .  natures]  Lit.  '  flesh,'  by  which  we  are  to  understand  "  the 
life  and  movement  of  man  in  the  things  of  the  world  of  sense  "  (Miiller).  Cp.  Rom. 
vii.  18,  n.  ;  Gal.  v.  i6,  n.  Deserving^  of  anger]  Or  '  creatures  of  passionate  impulse.' 
Lit.  'children  of  anger  ;'  a  Hebraism.     Cp.  v.  6,  n. 

5,  8.  Vou  have  been  saved]  The  perfect  tense  implyinft  '  and  are  now  saved.'  See 
Aorist  vii. 

ID.  Pre-destined]  See  Hatch,  Biblical  Greek,  p.  54. 

14.  Jews  and  Gentiles]  Lit.  simply  'boih.' 

H  H 


466  EPHESIANS    II.-III. 

man,  thus  effecting  peace,  and  to   reconcile  Jews  and  Gentiles     i6 
in  one  body  to  God  by  means  of  His  cross — slaying  by  it  their 
mutual  enmity.     So   He  came  and  proclaimed  good  news    of     17 
peace  to  you  who  were  so  far  away,  and  peace  to  those  who 
were  near  ;  because  it  is  through  Him  that  Jews  and  Gentiles     18 
alike  have  access  through  one  Spirit  to  the  Father. 

You  are  therefore  no  longer  mere  foreigners  or     19 
""ci't^"  o^ne"^  persons   excluded  from  civil  rights  :  on  the  con- 
Family,  one    trary  you  share  citizenship  with  God's  people  and 

are  members  of  His  family.     You  are  a  building     20 
which  has  been  reared  on   the  foundation   of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  the  cornerstone  being  Christ  Jesus  Himself,  in  union     21 
with  whom  the  whole  fabric,  fitted  and  closely  joined  together,  is 
growing  so  as  to  form  a  holy  sanctuary  in  the  Lord  ;  in  whom  you     22 
also  are  being  built  up  together  to  become  a  fixed  abode  for 
God  through  the  Spirit. 

For  this  reason   I   Paul,  the  prisoner  of  Christ     i 
This  wondrous  ..  1     ,     1/-      r  /--        -i  -r     1 

Truth  en.      Jesus  on  behalf  of  you  Gentiles — if,  that  is,  you     2 

*''"pau?  *°      have  heard  of  the  work  which  God  has  graciously 

entrusted  to  me  for  your  benefit,  and  that  by  a     3 

revelation  the  truth  hitherto  kept  secret  was  made  known  to  me 

as  I  have  already  briefly  explained  it  to  you.     By  means  of  that     4 

explanation,  as  you  read  it,  you  can  judge  of  my  insight  into  the 

truth  of  Christ  which  in  earlier  ages  was  not  made  known  to     5 

the  human   race,  as  it    has  now  been  revealed  to   His  holy 

apostles  and  prophets  through  the   Spirit — I   mean  the  truth     6 

that  the  Gentiles  are  joint  heirs  with  us,  and  that  they  form  one 

body  with  us,  and  have  the  same  interest  as  we  have  in  the 

promise  which  has  been  made  good  in    Christ  Jesus  through 

the  Good  News,  in  which  I   have  been  appointed  to  serve,  in     7 

virtue  of  the  work  which  God,  in  the  exercise  of  His  power 

within  me,  has  graciously  entrusted  to  me. 

To  me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  God's     8 
Paul  s  Apostle-  ,     ,  ,  •  ,     ,  •        1  ,  , 

ship  to  the      people  has  this  work  been  graciously  entrusted — 

Gentiles.       ^^  proclaim  to  the  Gentiles  the  Good  News  of  the 

18.  Access]  Lit.  'our  access,'  or  'our  introduction.' 

21.  T/ie  7vhole\  See  Theological  Monthly,  April  1889,  p.  273.  The  literal  transla- 
tion, if  this  were  classical  Greek,  would  be  "  every  building,"  a  meaning  irreconcil- 
able with  the  context  here. 

1.  For  this  reason]  Because  you  are  so  being  built  up  into  such  a  temple.  Verses 
2-13  are  a  parenthesis. 

3  Work  .  .  graciously  entrusted]  Lit.  '  the  stewardship  of  the  grace  which  was 
given.'     Cp.  verses  7  and  8,  and  see  Rom.  xii.  3,  n. 

8.  Less  than  the  least]  Cp.  i  Cor.  xv.  9 ;  i  Tim.  i.  16,  n.  Exhaustless']'[J\X.  'un- 
traceable.' 


EPHESIANS    III.-IV.  467 

exhaustless  wealth   of  Christ,  and  to  show  all  men  in  a  clear     9 
light   what  my  stewardship  is.     It    is   the  stewardship   of  the 
truth  which  from  all  the  ages  lay  concealed  in  the  mind  of  God, 
the  Creator  of  all  things — concealed  in  order  that  the  church     10 
might  now  be  used  to  display  to  the  powers  and  authorities  in 
the  heavenly  realms  the  innumerable  aspects  of  God's  wisdom. 
Such  was  the  eternal  purpose  which   He  had  formed  in  Christ     il 
Jesus  our  Lord,  in  whom  we  have  this  bold  and  confident  access     12 
through  our  faith  in  Him.     Therefore  I  entreat  you  not  to  lose     13 
heart  in  the  midst  of  my  sufferings  on  your  behalf,  for  they 
bring  you  honour. 

The  Apostle's      ^°^   ^^^^^   reason,    on    bended  knee  I    beseech      14 
Prayer  for  his  the    Father,   from    whom    the    whole    family    in     15 
heaven  and  on  earth  derives  its  name,  to  grant     16 
you— in  accordance  with  the  wealth  of  His  glorious  perfections 
— to  be  strengthened  by  His  Spirit  with  power  penetrating   to 
your  inmost  being.     I  pray  that  Christ  may  make  His  home  in     17 
your  hearts  through  your  faith  ;  so  that  having  your  roots  deep 
and  your  foundations  strong  in  love,  you  may  become  mighty     18 
to  grasp  the  idea,  as  it  is  grasped  by  all   God's  people,  of  the 
breadth  and  length,  the  height  and  depth — yes,  to  attain  to  a     19 
knowledge  of  the  knowledge-surpassing  love  of  Christ,  so  that 
you  may  be    made   complete  in   accordance   with   God's  own 
standard  of  completeness. 

Praise  to  God      ^^^  ^°  ^'""^  ^^°'  ^"  ^^^^  exercise  of  His  power     20 
through       that  is  at  work  within  us,  is  able  to  do  infinitely 

beyond  all  our  highest  prayers  or  thoughts— to     21 
Him  be  the  glory  in  the  church  and  in  Christ  Jesus  to  all  gene- 
rations, world  without  end  !     Amen. 

I  then,  the  prisoner  for  the  Master's  sake,  en-     i  ^ 
Life  anTthe^  *^^^^^  Y^^^  ^^  ^'^^  ^"^  ^ct  as  becomes  those  who 
Unity  of  the    have  received  the  call  that  you  have  received — with     2 
all  lowliness  of  mind  and  unselfishness,  and  with 
patience,  bearing  with  one  another  lovingly,  and  earnestly  striv-     3 
ing  to  maintain,  in  the  uniting  bond  of  peace,  the  unity  given  by 

9.  AH  inen\  v.l.  omits. 

II.  Eternal  purpose^  Lit.  '  purpose  of  the  ages.' 

15.  The  whole']  Had  the  apostle  been  writing  classical  Greek,  his  words  here 
woidd  signify  '  every  family  ; '  but  Hebrew  usage  affects  the  language  of  both  the 
LXX.  and  the  N.T.  This  verse  is  discussed  in  detail  by  the  present  translator  in 
the  Theological  Monthly,  April  1889,  p.  27'2.  "All  holy  beings,  angelic  and  human,  in 
heaven  and  on  earth,  are  one  family  with  one  '  Father  of  an  infinite  majesty  ;'  and 
it  is  as  for  children  in  that  family  and  to  the  Father  of  that  family  that  the  incense  of 
that  glowing  prayer  arises,"  acceptable  through  the  merit  of  the  great  eldest  Son.  Cp. 
Col.  i.  15. 


468  EPHESIANS    IV. 

ilie  Spirit.      There  is  but  one  body  and  but  one  Spirit,  as  also     4 
when  you  were  called  you  had  one  and  the  same  hope  held  out 
to  you.     There  is  but  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  and  one  5,  6 
God  and  Father  of  all,  who  rules  over  all,  acts  through  all,  and 
dwells  in  all. 

Ever  Chris.  ^^^  ^°  each  of  US  individually  grace  was  given,  7 
tian  has  some  measured  out  with  the  munificence  of  Christ.  For  8 
Gift  from  God.  ^i.  r-      •    i. 

this  reason  Scripture  says  : 

"  He  re-ascended  on  high. 
He  led  captive  a  host  of  captives, 
And  gave  gifts  to  men  "  (Ps.  Ixviii.  18). 
(Now  this  "re-ascended" — what  does  it  mean  but  that  He  had     9 
first  descended  into  the  lower  regions  of  the  earth  ?      He  who     10 
descended  is  the  same  as  He  who  ascended  again  far  above  all 
the  heavens  in  order  to  fill  the  universe.) 

The  Diversit         ^"^  ^^  Himself  appointed  some  to  be  apostles,     11 
of  Gifts,  and    some  to  be  prophets,  some  to  be  evangelists,  some 

jec  .    ^^  ^^  pastors  and  teachers,  in  order  fully  to  equip     12 
His  people  for  the  work  of  serving — for  the  building  up  of  Christ's 
body — till  we  all  of  us  arrive  at  oneness   in  faith  and  in  the     13 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  at  mature  manhood  and  the 
stature  of  full-grown  men  in  Christ.     So  we  shall  no  longer  be     14 
babes  nor  shall  we  resemble  mariners  tossed  on  the  waves  and 
carried  about  with  every  changing  wind  of  doctrine  according 
to  men's  cleverness  and  unscrupulous  cunning,  making  use  of 
every  shifting  device  to  mislead.     But  we  shall  lovingly  hold  to     15 
the  truth,  and  shall  in  all  respects  grow  up  into  union  with  Him 
who  is  our  Head,  even  Christ.      Dependent  on  Him,  the  whole     16 
body — its  various  parts  closely  fitting  and  firmly  adhering   to 
one  another — grows  by  the  aid  of  every  contributory  link,  with 

7.  Grace]  v.L.  *  the  (or,  his)  grace.' 

8.  Re-ascetided]  So  in  numerous  instances  the  prefix  here  used  signifies,  as  Key 
has  pointed  out,  not  merely  '  up '  but  'up  again,'  as  reversing  a  prior  downward 
movement  ;  either  with  the  same  simple  vei  b  as  here,  as  in  Mark  i.  lo  ('going  up 
again  out  of  the  water');  Acts  xx.  ii  ('  went  upstairs  aiiain  ')  ;  or  with  a  different 
simple  verb,  as  in  John  vi.  40  ('  I  will  bring  him  up  again  ')  ;  Mark  viii.  31  ('  and 
after  three  days  rise  again  ').  With  these  cp.  Rom.  x.  7  ('  bring  Christ  up  again ')  ; 
Luke  XV.  24  (■  has  come  to  life  agaui  ");  Acts  xv.  16  ('  re-erect  the  fallen  tent  .  .  . 
rebuild  the  parts  overthrown  ').  And  so,  with  special  emphasis,  in  the  verse  before  us. 
See  Theological  Monthly,  April  iSSg.p.  276.  A  host  0/  captives]  Lit.  '  a  captivity.' 
Cp.  2  Chron.  xxviii.  17,  and  see  tlie  Commentators.  And  f:ave\  v.L.  'he  gave.' 
TJie  loiver  regions  of  the  earth]  Or  '  the  world  below.' 

ID.    To  /ill  the  universe]  Cp.  i.  23. 

13.  'Till we  .  .  arrive]  Ihe  form  of  expression,  found  only  here  in  the  N.T., 
possibly  implies  confident  expectation.  At  oneness  in  faith]  Lit.  'at  the  oneness  of 
the  faith.' 

16.  Grows]  Lit  'carries  on  for  itself  the  growth  of  the  body.'  Contributory  link] 
Lit.  '  connexion  of  the  supply'  that  is  const.mtlv  going  on. 


EPHESIANS    IV.  469 

power  proportioned  to  the  need  of  each  individual  part,  so  as  to 
build  itself  up  in  a  spirit  of  love. 

Old  Gentile         Therefore  I  warn  you,  and  I  implore  you  in  the     17 
Vices  must  be  name  of  the  Master,  no  longer  to  live  as  the  Gen- 
tiles  in   their    perverseness   live,    with    darkened     18 
understandings,  having  by  reason  of  the   ignorance   which  is 
deep-seated  in  them  and  the  insensibility  of  their  moral  nature, 
no  share  in  the   Life  which  God  gives.     Such  men  being  past      19 
feeling  have  abandoned  themselves  to  impurity,  greedily  indulg- 
ing in  every  kind  of  profligacy. 

But  these  are  not  the  lessons  which  you  have     20 

ChHstNke      learned  from   Christ  ;  if  at  least  you  have  heard     21 

Nature  must    His  voice  and  in  Him  have  been  taught — and  this 
be  sought.      .  ^,    .     .  ,  .  *        . 

IS  true  Christian  teaching — to  put  away,  in  regard     22 

to  your  former  mode  of  life,  your  original  evil  nature  which  is 

doomed  to  perish  as  befits  its  misleading  impulses,  and  to  get     23 

yourselves  renewed  in  the  temper  of  your  minds   and  clothe     24 

yourselves  with  that  new  and  better  self  which  has  been  created 

to  resemble  God  in  the  righteousness  and  holiness  which  come 

from  the  truth. 

Christian  ^^^  ^^^^^  reason,  laying  aside  falsehood,  every     25 

Virtues  to  be    one  of  you  should  speak  the  truth  to  his  fellow 

cultivated.  r  ■  ^        e  ^ 

man  ;  for  we  are,  as  it  were,  parts  of  one  another. 

If  angry,  beware  of  sinning  :  let  not  your  irritation  last  until  the     26 

sun  goes  down,  and  do  not  leave  room  for  the  devil.     He  who   27  28 

has  been  a  thief  must  steal  no  more,  but,  instead  of  that,  should 

work  with  his  own  hands    in  honest  industry,  so  that  he  may 

have  something  of  which  he  can  give  the  needy  a  share.      Let     29 

no  unwholesome   words  ever  pass  your  lips,  but  let  all   your 

words  be  good  for  benefiting  others  according  to  the  need  of  the 

moment,  so  that  they  maybe  a  means  of  blessing  to  the  hearers. 

And  beware  of  grieving  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  in  whom  you     30 

have  been  sealed  in  preparation  for  the  day   of  redemption. 

Let  all  bitterness  and  all  passionate  feeling,  all  anger  and  loud     31 

insulting  language,  be  unknown  among  you — and  also  every 

kind  of  malice.     On  the  contrary  learn  to  be  kind  to  one  an-      32 

other,   tender-hearted,   forgiving  one  another,  just  as  God  in 

Christ  has  also  forgiven  you. 

17.   Warn]  Cp.  Matt.  v.  34,  39  ;  Acts  xxi.  '4  ;  Rom.  xii.  3. 

19.    Have  abandoned]  The  A.V.,  in  inserting   'have,'  more    truly  represents  the 
original  Greek,  tlian  the  R.V.  does  which  omits  it. 

22.  Is  doomed  to  perish]  Or  'is  undergoing  destruction.'     Cp.  2  Cor.  iv.  16. 

28.  Own]  v.L   omits  this  word. 

32.  Has  forgiven  you]  v.  l.  '  has  forgiven  us.' 


470  EPHESIANS   V. 

Therefore  be  imitators  of  God,  as  His  dear  chil-     i   1 
asyouV"^   dren  ;  and  live  and  act  lovingly,  as  Christ  also  loved     3 
heavenly       you  and  gave  Himself  up  to  death  on  our  behalf 

Father  IS.'        ^  ^    .  c        .       a-    j         •    u- 

as   an  orfermg  and  sacnhce  to  God,   yieldmg   a 
fragrant  odour. 
Sins  specially       "^"^  fornication  and  every  kind  of  impurity,  or     3 

fatal  to  pre-   covetousness,    let   them   not   even  be   mentioned 
sent  Goodness  /-      .1  1  ^        ^  ^     1  j 

and  future     among  you,  for  they  ought  not  to  be  named  among 

Glory.         God's   people.     Avoid  shameful  and  foolish  talk     4 
and  low  jesting — they  are  all  alike  discreditable — and  in  place 
of  these  give  thanks.     For  be  well  assured  that  no  fornicator  or     5 
immoral  person  and  no  money-grubber — or  in  other  words  idol- 
worshipper — has  any  share  awaiting  him  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ  and  of  God. 

Let  no  one  deceive  you  with  empty  words,  for  it     6 
of  Re?ributi"on   ^^  ^"^  account  of  these  very  sins  that  God's  anger 

is  coming  upon  the  disobedient.     Therefore  do  not     7 
become  sharers  with  them. 
^    ,  There  was  a  time  when  you  were  nothing  but     8 

Darkness  ^,     .     .       ■'  ^  .    .      ^     .. 

and  Light      darkness  :  now,  as  Christians,  you  are  Light  itself. 
contrasted,    ^jve  and  act  as  sons  of  Light— for  the  effect  of  the    9 
Light  is  seen  in  every  kind  of  goodness,  uprightness  and  truth — 
and  learn  in  your  own  experiences  what  is  fully  pleasing  to  the     10 
Lord.     Have  nothing  to  do  with  the  barren  unprofitable  deeds     1 1 
of  darkness,  but,  instead  of  that,  set  your  faces  against  them  ; 
for  the  things  which  are  done  by  these  people  in  secret  it  is  dis-     12 
graceful  even  to  speak  of     But  everything  can  be  tested  by  the     13 
light  and  thus  be  shown  in  its  true  colours  ;  for  whatever  shines 
of  itself  is  light.     For  this  reason  it  is  said,  14 

"  Rise,  sleeper  ; 
Rise  from  among  the  dead, 
And  Christ  will  shed  light  upon  you." 
Therefore  be  very  careful  how  you  live  and  act  ;     15 

'Use  your  Life  .  •'.  ■,  ■  -,  r 

and  your  Time  let  it  not  be  as  unwise  men,  but  as  wise  ;  buy  up  16 

*^'®®  y-         your  opportunities,  for  these  are  evil  times.     On  17 
this  account  do  not  prove  yourselves  wanting  in  sense,  but  try 
to  understand  what  the  Lord's  will  is. 

Do  not  over-indulge  in  wine — a  thing  in  which  excess  is  so  18 

easy — but  drink  deeply  of  God's  Spirit.      Speak  to  one  another  19 

3.  Ought]  So  this  same  verb  is  often  used  in  modem  Greek. 

6.  Disobedient]  Lit.   '  sons  of  disobedience,' a  Hebraism. 

11.  Set  your  faces  against  them]  Lit.  '  convict  them  as  evil. 

18.  Drink  deeply  o/\  Lit.  '  fill  yourselves  in.' 


EPHESIANS   V.-VI.  471 

with  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs.     Sing 
fp^iHtuai?      ^^'^  ^^^^  praise  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord.    Always     20 
thankful,  and  ^^1^  for  everything   let  your  thanks   to   God   the 
humble.'         ^     ,        ,  ,  •       ,  r  tit 

Father  be  presented  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ  ;  and  submit  to  one  another  out  of  reverence  for  Christ.       21 

Married  women,  submit  to  your  own  husbands     22 
Wives 

as  if  to  the  Lord  ;  because  a  husband  is  the  Head     23 
of  his  wife  as  Christ  also  is  the  Head  of  the  church,  being  in- 
deed the  Saviour  of  His  Body.     And  just  as  the  church  submits     24 
to  Christ,  so  also  married  women  should  be  entirely  submissive 
to  their  husbands. 

Married  men,   love  your  wives,  as  Christ  also     25 
Husbands.       ,  ,      ,  ,         ,  ,  tt-  ir  ■,        ■, 

loved  the  church  and  gave  Hnnself  up  to  death 

for  her ;  in  order  to  make  her  holy,  cleansing  her  with  the  bap-     26 

tismal  water  by  the  word,  that  He  might  present  the  church  to     27 

Himself  a  glorious  bride,  without  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  other 

defect,  but  to  be  holy  and  unblemished.     So  too  married  men     28 

ought  to  love  their  wives  as  much  as  they  love  themselves.     He 

who  loves  his  wife  loves  himself.     For  never  yet  has  a  man     29 

hated  his  own  body  :  on  the  contrary  he  feeds  and  cherishes  it, 

just  as  Christ  feeds  and  cherishes  the  church  ;  because  we  are,     30 

as  it  were,  parts  of  His  body. 

"For  THIS  REASON   A   MAN  IS   TO   LEAVE    HIS    FATHER  AND      3 1 
HIS    MOTHER    AND    BE    UNITED    TO    HIS    WIFE,  AND  THE    TWO 

SHALL  BE  AS  ONE  "  (Gen.  ii.  24).     That  is  a  great  truth  hitherto     32 
kept   secret  :    I    mean  this   truth    concerning    Christ  and  the 
church.     Yet  I  insist  that  among  you  also,  each  man  is  to  love     ^;^ 
his  own  wife  as  much  as  he  loves  himself,  and  let  a  married 
woman  see  to  it  that  she  treats  her  husband  with  respect. 

^^..^  Children,   be   obedient   to   your   parents    as    a     i   ft 

Children.         ^1     ••         j  r       ••  i  ..  tt  O 

Christian  duty,  for  it  is  a  duty.     "  HONOUR  YOUR     2 

FATHER  AND  YOUR  MOTHER  " — this  is  the  first  Commandment 
which  has  a  promise  added  to  it — "  SO  THAT  IT  may  be  well    3 

WITH  YOU,  AND  THAT   YOU    MAY  LIVE   LONG    ON   THE   EARTH" 

(Exod.  XX.  1 2).    And  you,  fathers,  do  not  irritate  your  children,  but     4 
bring  them  up  tenderly  with  true  Christian  training  and  advice. 

Slaves,  be  obedient  to  your  earthly  masters,  with     5 
respect  and  eager  anxiety  to  please  and  with  sim- 
plicity of  motive  as  if  you  were  obeying  Christ.      Let  it  not  be     6 

26.   TAe  baptismal  water]  Lit.  '  the  laver  of  the  (ramiliarly-known)  water.' 
1,5.  Be  obedient  to]  Or  '  habitually  obey.'     The  tense  implies  this. 
4.  Irritate]    By    vexatious    commands  and    unreasonable    blame    and   uncertain 
teniper. 


472  EPHESIANS   VI. 

in  acts  of  eye-service  as  if  you  had  but  to  please  men,  but  as 

Christ's  bondservants  who  are  doing  God's  will  from  the  heart, 

with  right  good  will  be  faithful  fo  your  duty  as  service  rendered     7 

to  the  Lord  and  not  to  man.     You  well  know  that  whatever     8 

right  thing  any  one  does,  he  will  receive  a  requital  for  it  from 

the  Lord,  whether  he  is  a  slave  or  a  free  man. 

..    ,  And  you  masters,  act  towards  your  slaves  on  the     9 

Masters.  •      •    ,  \       ^     .      ,       ''     ,  ^ 

same  principles,  and  refrain  from  threats  ;  tor  you 

know  that  in  heaven  there  is  One  who  is  your  Master  as  well  as 
theirs,  and  that  merely  earthly  distinctions  there  are  none  with 
Him. 

We  have  un-        ^^  Conclusion,  strengthen  yourselves  in  the  Lord     10 
seen,  spiritual  and  in  the  power  which  His  supreme  might  im- 
parts.    Put  on  the  complete  armour  of  God,  so  as     11 
to  be  able  to  stand  firm  against  all  the  stratagems  of  the  devil. 
For  ours  is  not  a  contiict  with  mere  flesh  and  blood,  but  with     12 
the  despotisms,  the  empires,  the  forces  that  control  and  govern 
this  dark  world —the  spiritual  hosts  of  evil  arrayed  against  us  in 
the  heavenly  warfare. 

Put  on  therefore  the   complete  armour  of  God,     13 
hand  for^hfe"  ^o  that  you  may  be  able  to  stand  your  ground  on 
conning       the  day  of  battle,  and,  having  fought  to  the  end,  to 

Conflict.'  .•'.  ,\~,ioii  r  Z> 

remain  victors  on  the  field.     Stand  therefore,  first     14 
buckling  around  you  the  belt  of  truth,  and  putting  on  the  breast- 
plate of  uprightness  as  well  as  the  shoes  of  the  Good  News  of     15 
peace — a  firm  foundation  for  your  feet.      And  besides  all  these     16 
take  the  great  shield  of  faith,  on  which  you  will  be  able    to 
quench  all  the  flaming  darts  of  the  Wicked  one  ;  and  take  the     17 
helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  which  is  the 
word  of  God.     Pray  with   unceasing   prayer   and  entreaty    on     18 
every  fitting  occasion  in  the  Spirit,  and  be  always  on  the  alert  to 
seize  opportunities  for  doing  so,  with  unwearied  persistence  and 
entreaty  on  behalf  of  all  God's  people,  and  ask  on  my  behalf     19 
that  words  may  be  given  to  me  so  that,  outspoken  and  fearless, 
I  may  make  known  the  truths  (hitherto  kept  secret)  of  the  Good 
News — to  spread  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in  chains — so  that     20 
when  telling  them  I  may  speak  out  boldly  as  I  ought. 

9.  Merely  earthly  distitwtions  there  are  Jione]  See  Luke  xx.  21,  n. 
13.    The  day  o/battle]  Lit.   '  the  evil  day.' 

15.  A yi>in/oHndntio>i\  See  Yi.Aic\\,  Bihl.cal  G7eek,  p.  55,  ^nd  Expository  Times 
Oct.  1897,  p.  38. 

16.  Besides  all  these]  Cp.  Luke  xvi.  26. 

17.  'J'ake]  Or  'receive,'  i.e.  from  the  hands  of  God. 

18.  Unceasing  .   .  unwearied]  Lit.  '  all  .   .  all.' 


EPHESIANS    VI. 

4/3 

Tych.-cus.  But  in  order  that  you  also  may  know  how  I  am     2] 

doing,  Tychicus  our  dearly-loved  brother  and  faith 
ful  helper  m  the  Lord's  service  will  tell  you  everytLin^      T  t't    . 
sent  him  to  you  for  the  very  nurnosP     tL.  ^"^^"^y^^^'f^-     ^  ^ave     22 
us  and  thnf  L  ^  purpose-that  you  may  know  about 

us  and  that  he  may  encourage  you. 

'^-^--"       ..■l^T:u\'''  '^''  brethren,  and  love  combined     23 
Blessing.       with    fa.th,  from   God  the  Father   and  the   Lord 

T  orH  r.        ru''''         ''^-     ^""y  -''^^^  be  with  all  who  love  our 
Loid  Jesus  Christ  with  perfect  sincerity. 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS 


This  Letter  was  written  shortly  before  that  to  the  Ephesians, 
probably  late  in  6i  or  early  in  62  A.D.  Epaphroditus  had  been 
sent  to  Rome  to  assure  the  apostle,  in  his  imprisonment,  of  the 
tender  and  practical  sympathy  of  the  Philippian  disciples 
(Phil.  ii.  25  ;  iv.  15,  16).  The  messenger,  hovv6.ver,  fell  ill  upon 
his  arrival,  and  only  on  his  recovery  could  Paul,  as  in  this 
Letter,  express  his  appreciation  of  the  thoughtful  love  of  the 
Philippians.  The  apostle  appears  to  have  visited  the  city 
three  times.  In  52  a.d.  it  was  the  place  of  his  first  preaching 
in  Europe  (Acts  xvi.  12)  ;  but  he  came  again  in  57  and  in  58  A.D. 
(Acts  XX.  2,  6),  on  the  last  occasion  spending  the  Passover 
season  there.  Two  special  traits  in  the  Macedonian  character 
are  recognized  by  the  apostle  in  this  Letter  ;  the  position  and 
influence  of  women,  and  the  financial  liberality  of  the 
Philippians.  It  is  remarkable  that  a  church  displaying  such 
characteristics,  and  existing  in  a  Roman  "  colonia,"  should 
have  lived,  as  this  one  did,  "  without  a  history,  and  have 
perished  without  a  memorial." 


476 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS 

Paul    and    Timothy,     bondservants    of    Christ     I   1 
Greeting.        ^  •■- 

Jesus  : 

To  all  God's  people  in  Christ  Jesus  who  are  at  Philippi,  with 
the  ministers  of  the  church  and  their  assistants.     May  grace     2 
and  peace  be  granted  to  you  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  A  ostie's       ^  thank  my  God  at  my  every  remembrance  of    3 
Thankfulness  you — always  when  offering  any  prayer  on  behalf    4 

^"      °^"    .   of  you  all,  finding  a  joy  in  offering  it.     I  thank  my     5 
God,  I  say,  for  your  co-operation  in  spreading  the  Good  News, 
from  the  time  it  first  came  to  you  even  until  now.     For  of  this  I     6 
am  confident,  that  He  who  has  begun  a  good  work  within  you  will 
go  on  to  perfect  it  in  preparation  for  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ  ; 
and  I  am  justified  in  having  this  confidence  about  you  all,  because,     7 
both  during  my  imprisonment  and  when  I  stand  up  in  defence  of 
the  Good  News  or  to  confirm  its  truth,  I  have  you  in  my  heart, 
sharers  as  you  all  are  in  the  same  grace  as  myself.     For  God     8 
is  my  witness  how  I  yearn  over  all  of  you  with  tender  Christian 
affection. 

Paul's  Pra  er       ^^^  '^  ^^  "^^  prayer  that  your  love  may  be  more     9 
for  the        and  more  accompanied  by  clear  knowledge  and 
1  ippians.    j^ggj^  perception,  for  testing  things  that  differ,  so     10 
that  you  may  be    men  of  transparent  character,  and  may  be 
blameless,  in  preparation  for  the  day  of  Christ,  being  filled  with     H 
these  fruits  of  righteousness  which  come  through  Jesus  Christ — 
to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God. 

1.  TAe  ifiinisters  of  the  church  and  their  assistants]  Tiie  Greek  words  are  those 
from  which  the  English  'bishop'  and  'deacon'  respectively  are  derived.  See 
I  Tim.  iii.  2,  n.  Ihe  lack  of  any  reference  here  to  'elders'  seems  to  point  to  their 
having  been  identical  with  '  bishops'  in  the  early  church.  Nowhere  in  the  N.T.  are 
'  bishops  '  and  '  elders '  mentioned  together.  See  Acts  xx.  17,  n.  ;  i  Tim.  iii.  2,  n. ; 
Tit.  i.  7,  n.  ;  James  v.  14,  n. 

2.  Al  ny  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you]  Lit.  'Grace  to  you,  and  peace. 

3.  My  ex'ery  remembrance]  Or  'all  my  remeJiibrance,'  i.e.  not  all  my  separate 
remembrances  of  you,  but  the  aggregate  of  these  as  lorming  one  delightful  picture. 

7,  16.  Di'fence]  In  the  forensic,  not  the  military,  sense. 

10.  Testing  things  that  differ]  Implying  'so  as  always  to  approve  what  is  really 
good.* 

11.  To  ihe  glory  and  praise  of  God]  Cp.  Matt.  v.  16. 

477 


478  PHILIPPIANS   I. 

^.     ^  Now  I  would  have  you  know,  brethren,  that  what     12 

The  happy  ^  ' 

Effects  of  his   I  have  gone  through  has  turned  out  to  the  further- 
imprisonment,  ^j^^g   ^^  ^^g  ^^^^  ^^^^g  j.^^^gj.  ^^^^  otherwise. 

Arid  thus  it  has  become  notorious  among  all  the  Imperial  Guards,     13 
and  everywhere,  that  it  is  for  the  sake  of  Christ  that  I  am  a 
prisoner  ;  and  the  greater  part  of  the  brethren,  made  confident     14 
in  the   Lord  through   my  imprisonment,  now  speak  of   God's 
Message  without  fear,  more  boldly  than  ever. 

Some  indeed  actually  preach  Christ  out  of  envy     15 
MoUves"fop    ^^^  contentiousness,  but  there  are  also  others  who 
preaching     ^q  jt  from  good  will.     These  latter  preach  Him     16 

Christ.  ,  ,  ,  •  ,  T  r  /-         1 

from  love  to  me,  knowmg  that  I  am  here  for  the 
defence  of  the  Good  News  ;  while  the  others  proclaim  Him  from     17 
motives  of  rivalry,  and  insincerely,  supposing  that  by  this  they 
are  embittering  my  imprisonment. 
_     ,     .  .  What  does  it  matter,  however?     In  any  case     18 

Paul  rejoices  '  .     •' 

that  Christ     Christ  is  preached — either  perversely  or  in  honest 

IS  preache  .    ^j.^.^^  .  ^^^  jj^  ^]^^^  j  rejoice,  aye,  and  will  rejoice. 
For  I  know  that  it  will  result  in  my  salvation  through  your     19 
prayers  and  a  bountiful  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  in     20 
fulfilment  of  my  eager  expectation  and  hope  that  I  shall  never 
have  reason  to  feel  ashamed,  but  that  by  my  perfect  freedom  of 
speech  Christ  will  be  glorified  in  me,  now  as  always,  either  by 
my  life  or  by  my  death, 
r.    ..    ^    ^-  *      For,  with  me,  to  live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is  gain.     21 

Paul's  Conflict  '  '.  *' 

of  Feeling  asto  But  since  to  live  means  a  longer  stay  on  earth,     22 
Lifeand  Death,  ^j^^j.  j,^-,pjjgg  more  labour  for  me— and  not  unsuc- 
cessful labour  ;  and  which  I  am  to  choose  I  cannot  tell.     I  am     23 
in  a  dilemma,  my  earnest  desire  being  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ,  for  that  is  far,  far  better.     But  for  your  sakes  it  is  more     24 
important  that  I  should  still  remain  in  the  body.     I  am  con-     25 
vinced  of  this,  and  I  know  that  I  shall  remain,  and  shall  go  on 
working  side  by  side  with  you  all,  to  promote  your  progress  and 
joy  in  the  faith  ;  so  that,  as  Christians,  you  may  have  additional     26 

13.  For  the  sake  0/  Christ]  And  not  because  the  apostle  had  been  guilty  of  any 
crime. 

14.  Through  my  itnprisonnient\  i.e.   '  through  the  way  I  endure  it  and  through 
the  results  which  follow.' 

17.    The  others]  'I'he  Jud.uzing  party. 

i8.   And  will  rejoice]  Or  '  and  shall  rejoice,'  on  the  day  of  Christ. 

19.  Salvation]  i.e.  '  will  prove  a  blessing  to  me  spiritually."     Or  perhaps  '  deHver- 
ance,'  but  see  the  next  verse. 

20.  Eager  expectation]  One  word  in  the  Greek,  which  also  occurs  in  Rom.  viii.  19. 
22.  Lit.'    But  if  to  live  (is)  to  live  in  (the)  flesh,  that  (is)  for  me  fruit  of  labour.' 

Lightfoot  is  not  far  from  this  when  he  suggests  as  the  meaning  :  "if  my  living  in 
the  flesh  will  be  fruitful  through  a  laborious  career  " 


PHILIPPIANS    I.-II.  479 

reason  for  glorying  about  me  as  the  result  of  my  being  with  you 

again. 
An  Exhorta-        Only  let  the  lives  you  live  be  worthy  of  the  Good     27 
tion  to  noble    News  of  the  Christ,  in  order  that,  whether  I  come 

Conduct  and  ,  u    •  u         .  1      1  e  t 

dauntless      and  see  you  or,  bemg  absent,  only  hear  of  you,  I 
Courage.       jj^^y  j^^ow  that  you  are  standing  fast  in  one  spirit 
and  with  one  mind,  fighting  shoulder  to  shoulder  for  the  faith  of 
the  Good  News.     Never  for  a  moment  quail  before  your  antago-     28 
nists.     Your  fearlessness  will  be  to  them  a  sure  token   of  im- 
pending destruction,  but  to  you  it  will  be  a  sure  token  of  your 
salvation — a  token  coming  from  God.     For  you  have  had  the     29 
privilege  granted  you  on  behalf  of  Christ — not  only  to  believe  in 
Him,  but  also  to  suffer  on  His  behalf ;  maintaining,  as  you  do,     30 
the  same  kind  of  conflict  that  you  once  saw  in  me  and  which  you 
still  hear  that  I  am  engaged  in. 
An  Appeal  ^^  ^^"^  ^  ^^"  appeal  to  you  as  the  followers  of     i    < 

for  mutual     Christ,  if  there  is  any  persuasive   power  in  love 
ro    ery  ove.  ^^^  ^^^  common  sharing  of  the  Spirit,  or  if  you 
have  any  tender-heartedness  and  compassion,   make   my  joy     2 
complete  by  being  of  one  mind,  united  by  mutual  love,  with 
harmony  of  feeling  giving  your  minds  to  one  and  the  same 
object.     Do  nothing  in  a  spirit  of  factiousness  or  of  vainglory,     3 
but,  with  true  humility,  let  every  one  regard  the  rest  as  being 
better  men  than  himself  ;  each  fixing  his  attention,  not  simply  on    4 
his  own  good  qualities,  but  on  those  of  others  also. 

Let  the  same  disposition  be  in  you  which  was     5 

The  wondrous  .      ^,     .    .    j  .  .  ,  ,     ^  ^v      1        ■       •         tt         ^ 

Humility  and    ^  Christ  Jesus.     Altnough  from  the  begmnmg  He     6 

Self  Sacrifice  x^^^  t^g  nature   of  God  He  did  not  reckon    His 
of  Jesus. 

equality  with  God  a  treasure  to  be  tightly  grasped.     7 

27.  For  the  faith  of  the  Good  News]  Or  '  with  Faith  (in  the  Good  News)  as  your 
comrade.'  The  Christian  faith  is  nowhere  else  thus  personified,  and  yet  this  is  a 
possible  rendering  of  the  words. 

30.   You  saw  in  me]  At  Philippi,  Acts  xvi.     That  I  a>n  eriga^ed  in]  Lit.  '  in  me.' 

I.   If  then    .     .    Christ]    Lit.    '  If  then   there    is   any    encouragement   in   Christ." 

1-4  "The  apostle  here  appeals  to  the  Phiiippians,  by  all  their  deepest  experiences 
as  Christians  and  all  their  noblest  impulses  as  men,  to  preserve  peace  and  concord  " 
(Lightfoot). 

4.  Good  qualities]  Or  perhaps  'interests  ;'  but  the  leading  thought  in  the  whole 
context  is  the  commendation  not  of  beneficence  but  of  humility.  There  is  no  noun 
here  in  the  Greek. 

6  Had  the  nature]  Lit.  *  was  in  the  form.' 

6.-11.  See  Moule's  notes  on  this  passage. 

7.  He  stripped  Hiiiiself  of  His  glory]  Lit.  '  He  emptied  Himself.' 

"  The  Lord  of  all  things  made  Himself 
Naked  of  glory  for  His  mortal  change." 

Tennyson,  Holy  Grail,  448. 

Being  recognized  as  truly  huftian]  Lit.  'being  found  in  outward  form  as  a  man.' 


48o  PHILIPPIANS    II. 

Nay,  He  stripped  Himself  of  His  glory,  and  took  on  Him  the 
nature  of  a  bondservant  by  becoming  a  man  like  other  men.     And 
being  recognized  as  truly  human,  He  humbled  Himself  and  even     8 
stooped  to  die  ;  yes,  to  die  on  a  cross.     It  is  in  consequence  of    9 
this  that  God  has  also  so  highly  exalted  Him,  and  has  conferred 
on  Him  the  Name  which  is  supreme  above  every  other,  in  order     10 
that  in  the  Name  of  JESUS  every  knee  should  bow,  of  beings 
in  Heaven,  of  those  on  the  earth,  and  of  those  in  the  under- 
world,  and  that    every    tongue   should   confess    that    JESUS     11 
CHRIST  is  LORD,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 

Salvation  to        Therefore,  my  dearly-loved  friends,   as   I  have     12 
be  strenuously  always  found  you  obedient,  labour  earnestly — not 

wor  e  ou  .  j^gj-gjy  ^^  though  I  were  present  with  you,  but 
much  more  now  since  I  am  absent  from  you — labour  earnestly, 
I  say,  to  make  sure  of  your  own  salvation  ;  for  it  is  God  13 
Himself  whose  power  creates  within  you  the  desire  to  do 
His  gracious  will  and  also  brings  about  the  accomplishment 
of  the  desire. 

Contentment,       Be  ever  on  your  guard  against  a  grudging  and  con-     14 
Peace,  Purity  tentious  spirit,  SO  that  you  may  always  prove  your-     15 

°^'       selves  to  be  blameless  and  spotless — irreproachable 
children  of  God  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  genera- 
tion, among  whom  you  are  seen  as  heavenly  lights  in  the  world, 
holding  out  to  them  a  Message  of  Life.     It  will  then  be  my  glory     16 
on  the  day  of  Christ  that  I  did  not  run  my  race  in  vain  nor  toil 
in  vain.     Nay,  even  if  my  life  is  to  be  poured    as  a  libation     17 
upon  the  sacrificial  offering  of  your  faith,  I  rejoice,  and  I  con- 
gratulate you  all.     And  I  bid  you  also  share  my  gladness,  and     18 
congratulate  me. 

Timothy  to         But  if  the  Lord  permits  it,  I  hope  before  long  to     19 
be  sent  to      send  Timothy  to  you,  that  I,  in  turn,  may  be  cheered 
'  ''^^'        by  getting  news  of  you.     For  I  have  no  one  like-     20 
minded  with  him,  who  will  cherish  a  genuine   care  for   you. 
Everybody  concerns  himself  about  his  own  interests,  not  about     21 
those  of  Jesus  Christ.     But  you  know  Timothy's  approved  worth     22 
— how,  like  a  child  working  with  his  father,  he  has  served  with 
me  in  furtherance  of  the  Good  News.     So  it  is  he  that  I  hope     23 
to  send  as  soon  as  ever  I  see  how  things  go  witli  me  ;  but  trust-     24 

7.  A  bondse'vant]  Humility  always  manifests  itself  in  an  eagerness   to  serve  (see 
John  xiii.  1-17  ;  i  Peter  v.  5,  n.)-  a  willingness,  if  need  be,  to  suffer. 

15.  In  the  world]  Or  '  in  a  (dark)  world.' 

16.  Holding  out\  Like  a  blazing  torch  to  di.nel  the  darkness.     "The  metaphor  of 
the  luminary  is  dropped"  (INIoule). 


PHILIPPIANS    II.-III.  4^1 

ing,  as  I  do,  in  the  Lord,  I  believe  that  I  shall  myself  also  come 
to  you  before  long. 

Yet   I   deem  it  important  to  send  Epaphroditus     25 
^  d1tus^°'      ^°  y*-"^  ^^^"^ — ^^  ^^  ^y  brother  and  comrade  both  in 
labour  and  in  arms,  and  is  your  messenger  who 
has  ministered  to  my  needs.     I  send  him  because  he  is  longing     26 
to  see  you  all  and  is  distressed  at  your  having  heard  of  his  ill- 
ness.    For  it  is  true  that  he  has  been  ill,  and  was  apparently  at     27 
the  point  of  death  ;  but  God  had  pity  on  him,  and  not  only  on 
him,  but  also  on  me,  to  save  me  from  having  sorrow   upon 
sorrow.     I  am  therefore  all  the  more  eager  to  send  him,  in  the     28 
hope  that  when  you  see  him  again  you  may  be  glad  and  I  may 
have  the   less  sorrow.     Receive  him   therefore  with    heartfelt     29 
Christian  joy,  and  hold  in  honour  men  like  him  ;  because  it  was     30 
for  the  sake  of  Christ's  work  that  he  came  so  near  death,  hazard- 
ing, as  he  did,  his  very  life  in  endeavouring  to  make  good  any 
deficiency  that  there  might  be  in  your  gifts  to  me. 

The  com-  ^^   Conclusion,  my  brethren,  be  joyful    in    the     i   J 

parative       Lord.     For  me  to  give  you  the  same  warnings  as 

Worthlessness    ,      ^  .  .   ,  i  -i  r 

of  external     before  IS  not  irksome  to  me,  while  so  tar  as  you  are 
Privileges,      concerned  it  is  a  safe  precaution.     Beware  of  '  the     2 
dogs,'  the  bad  workmen,  the  self-mutilators.     For  we  are  the     3 
true  circumcision — we  who  render  to  God  a  spiritual  worship 
and  make  our  boast  in  Christ  Jesus  and  have  no  confidence  in 
outward  ceremonies  :  although  I  myself  might  have  some  ex-     4 
case  for  confidence  in  outward  ceremonies.      If  any  one  else 
claims  a  right  to  trust  in  them,  far  more  may  I  :  circumcised,  as     5 
I  was,  on  the  eighth  day,  a  member  of  the  race  of  Israel  and  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a  Hebrew  sprung  from  Hebrews  ;  as  to 
the  Law  a  Pharisee  ;  as  to  zeal,  a  persecutor  of  the  Church  ;  as     6 
to  the  righteousness  which  comes  through  Law,  blameless. 

Yet  all  that  was  gain  to  me — for  Christ's  sake  I     7 
'for'com''piet7  ^ave  reckoned  it  loss.     Nay,    I  even  reckon  all     8 
Oneness  with   things  as  pure  loss  because  of  the  priceless  privilege 
of  knowing  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord,  for  the  sake  of 
whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  everything,  and  reckon  it  all 

25.  Deem]  Or  '  have  deemed.' 

26.  To  see  you\  Lit.  '  for  you.'     v.L.  *  to  see  you.' 

28.  See  hiiii  again\  Or  '  safe  returned  to  you.'     Cp.  verse  25. 

2.  Bad  workmen]  Cp.  2  Cor.  xi.  13. 

3.  Render  to  God  a  spiritual  worship]  Lit.  '  worship  through  the  Spirit  of  God.' 
Outward  ceremonies]  Lit.  'flesh.'  "  The  expression  extends  beyond  circumcision 
to  all  external  privileges"  (Lightfoot).     * 

8.  Pure  loss]  Or,  in  mathematical  phrase,  'a  minus  quantity.'     Lit.  simply  'loss.' 

I  I 


482  PHILIPPIANS    III.-IV. 

as  mere  refuse,  in  order  that  I  may  win  Christ  and  be  found  in     9 
union  with  Him,  not  having  a  righteousness  of  my  own,  derived 
from  the  Law,  but  that  which  arises  from  faith  in  Christ — the 
righteousness  which  comes  from  God  through  faith.      I  long  to     10 
know   Christ  and  the  power  which  is  in  His  resurrection,  and 
to  share  in  His  sufferings  and  die  even  as  He  died  ;  in  the  hope     1 1 
that  I  may  attain  to  the  resurrection  from  among  the  dead, 
o     ,,    o  .  I  do  not  say  that  I  have  already  won  the  race     12 

Paul's  Prize  ^  .  •' 

was  still       or  have   already  reached  perfection  ;    but    I    am 
uture.        pressing  on,  striving  to  lay  hold  of  the  prize  for 
which  also   Christ  has  laid  hold  of  me.     Brethren,  I  do   not     13 
imagine  that  I  have  yet  laid  hold  of  it  ;  but  this  one  thing  I  do 
— forgetting  everything  which  is  past  and  stretching  forward  to 
what  lies  in  front  of  me,  with  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  goal  I  push     14 
on  to  secure  the  prize  of  God's  heavenward  call  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Therefore  let  all  of  us  who  are  mature  beHevers  cherish  these     15 
thoughts  ;  and  if  in  any  respect  you  think  differently,  that  also 
God  will  make  clear  to  you.     But  whatever  be  the  point  that  we     16 
have  already  reached,  let  us  persevere  in  the  same  course. 
Self-indulgent       Brethren,  vie  with  one  another  in  imitating  me,     17 
Enemies  of     and   carefully   observe   those  who  follow  the  ex- 
ample  which   we   have   set   you.     For  there   are     18 
many  whom  I  have  often  described  to  you,  and  I  now  with  tears 
describe  them,  as  being  enemies  to  the  Cross  of  Christ.     Their     19 
end  is  destruction,  their  bellies  are  their  God,  their  glory  is  in 
their  shame,  and  their  minds  are  devoted   to  earthly  things. 
We,  however,  are  free  citizens  of  Heaven,  and  we  are  waiting     20 
with   longing   expectation    for  the  coming  from  Heaven   of  a 
Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,   who,    in    the   exercise  of  the     21 
power  which  He  has  even  to  subject  all  things  to  Himself,  will 
transform  this  body  of  our  humiliation  until  it  resembles   His 
own  glorious  body.     Therefore,  my  brethren,  dearly  loved  and     i    i 
longed  for,  my  joy  and  crown,  so  stand  firm  in  the  Lord,  my 
dearly-loved  ones. 
^s'y^iliTche.''         ^  entreat  Euodia,  and  I  entreat  Syntyche,  to  be     2 
of  one  mind,  as  sisters  in  Christ.     Yes,  and  I  beg     3 

IT.  The  resurjectioH  from  among  the  dead\  The  'first'  resurrection,  also  men- 
tioned in  Luke  xx.  35  ;  John  v.  25  ;  Acts  iv.  2  ;  i  Cor.  xv.  23  ;  Rev.  xx.  5,  6.  Cp. 
'a  better  resurrection,'  Heb.  xi    35,  n. 

14.   Heaven7uard\  Lit.  'upward.' 

iS,  Many]  "  The  persons  here  denounced  are  not  the  Judaizing  teachers,  but  the 
antinomian  reactionists"  (Light'"ooi). 

20.  A  Saviour  &^c.]  Or  '  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  our  Saviour.' 

2.  As  sisters  in  Christ]  Lit.  '  in  the  Lord.' 


PHILIPPIANS   IV.  483 

you  also,  my  faithful  yoke-fellow,  to  help  these  women  who 
have  shared  my  toil  in  connexion  with  the  Good  News, 
together  with  Clement  and  the  rest  of  my  fellow  labourers, 
whose  names  are  recorded  in  the  book  of  Life. 

Always  be  glad  in  the   Lord  :  I  will  repeat  it,     4 

misems^h" '  be  glad.      Let    your  forbearing   spirit  be  known     5 

prayerful '     ^°  every  one— the  Lord  is  near.     Do  not  be  over-     6 
anxious  about  anything,  but  by  prayer  and  earnest 
pleading,  together  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be  unre- 
servedly made  known  in  the  presence  of  God.      And  then  the     7 
peace  of  God,  which  transcends  all  our  powers  of  thought,  will 
be  a  garrison  to  guard  your  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Finally,  brethren,   whatever   is    true,    whatever     8 
tifuiThougirts"  ^^^^  respect,  whatever  is  just,  whatever  is  pure, 

Live  noble  whatever  is  lovable,  whatever  is  of  good  repute — 
if  there  is  any  virtue  or  anything  deemed  worthy 
of  praise — cherish  the  thought  of  these  things.  The  doctrines  9 
and  the  line  of  conduct  which  I  taught  you — both  what  you 
heard  and  what  you  saw  in  me— hold  fast  to  them  ;  and  God 
who  gives  peace  will  be  with  you. 

Personal  ^^^  ^  rejoice  with  a  deep  and  holy  joy  that  now     10 

Thanks  for  re-  at  length  you  have  revived   your  thoughtfulness 
cent  Kindness.  ^^^  ^^  welfare.      Indeed    you  have  always  been 
thoughtful  for  me,  although  opportunity  failed  you.     I  do  not     11 
refer  to  this  through  fear  of  privation,  for  for  my  part  I  have 
learned,  whatever  be  my  outward  experiences,  to  be  content.     I     12 
know  both  how  to  live  in  humble  circumstances  and  how  to  live 
amid  abundance  :    I  am  fully  initiated  into  all  the  mysteries 
both  of  fulness  and  of  hunger,  of  abundance  and  of  want.     I     13 
have  strength  for  anything  through  the  help  of  Him  who  gives 
me  power. 

Yet  I  thank  you  for  taking  your  share  in  my     14 
and'se?vSe     troubles.     And  you  men  and  women  of  Philippi     15 

kno^wled^elf"  ^^^°  ^"°^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  preaching  of  the  Good 
News,   when    I    had   left    Macedonia,   no    other 

5.  Forbearing  spirit]  "  Not  only  passively  non-contentious,  but  actively  con- 
siderate,  waiving  even  just  le?al  redress  "  (Ellicott). 

8,  To  the  six  Greek  adjectives  used  in  this  verse  we  have  in  English  no  six  corres- 
ponding adjectives  covering  just  the  same  ground. 

g.  TAe  line  of  conduct]  Lit.  (what)  '  you  received."  Cp.  the  use  of  the  same  verb 
in  I  Thess.  iv.  i.  Holdfast  to]  Lit.  'habitually  do.'  This  applies  to  two  of  the  four 
verbs  preceding,  but  not  to  the  other  two— a  figure  of  speech  ('zeugma')  which  our 
language  does  not  tolerate.     Cp.  i  Cor.  iii.  2. 

12.  Fully]  Lit.  'in  everything  and  all  things  ;'  but  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  an 
expression  so  purely  pleonastic  can  represent  the  apostle's  meaning. 


484  PHILIPPIANS    IV. 

church  except   yourselves  held  communication  with  me  about 
giving  and  receiving;  because  even  at  Thessalonica  you  sent     16 
several  times  to  minister  to  my  needs.     Not  that  I   crave  for     17 
gifts  from  you,  but  I  do  want  you  to  be  praised  for  an  increase 
in  good  works.      I  have  enough  of  everything — and  more  than     18 
enough.     My  wants  are  fully  satisfied  now  that  I  have  received 
from  the  hands  of  Epaphroditus  the  generous  gifts  which  you 
sent  me — they  are  a  fragrant  odour,  an  acceptable    sacrifice, 
truly  pleasing  to  God.      But  my  God — so  great  is  His  wealth  of     19 
glory  in    Christ   Jesus— will   fully  supply  every  need  of  yours. 
And  to  our  God  and  Father  be  the  glory  throughout  the  ages     20 
of  the  ages  !     Amen. 

My  Christian  greetings  to  everyone  of  God's     21 

FareweM.      People.     The  brethren  who  are  with  me  send  their 

greetings.     All   God's    people    here  greet    you—     22 
especially  the  members  of  Caesar's  household. 

May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirits.       23 

19.    Wealth  ofglory\  Lit.  '  wealth  in  glory  ; '  God  being  rich  in  mercy  (Eph.  ii.  4) 
and  in  His  other  glorious  attributes  which  are  treasured  up  in  Christ. 


PAUL'S  LETTER   TO   THE   COLOSSIANS 


This  Letter  belongs  to  the  same  group  as  those  to  the 
Philippians,  the  Ephesians,  and  Philemon,  and  was  probably 
written  from  Rome  about  63  A.D.  Colossae  was  a  town  in 
Phrygia,  on  the  river  Lycus,  and  was  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake in  the  seventh  year  of  Nero's  reign.  The  church  was  not 
founded  by  Paul  himself  (Col.  ii.  i),  but  by  Epaphras  (Col.  i. 
7  ;  iv.  12),  and  this  Letter  arose  out  of  a  visit  which  Epaphras 
paid  to  the  apostle,  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  with  him  the 
development,  at  Colossae,  of  certain  strange  doctrines  which 
appear  to  have  been  a  kind  of  early  Gnosticism.  Paul  here 
writes  to  support  the  authority  and  confirm  the  teaching  of 
Epaphras. 


486 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS 

Greeting.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  by  the  will  of     i 

God — and  Timothy  our  brother  : 
To  the  people  of  God  and  the  believing  brethren  in  Colossae     2 
who  are  in  Christ.    May  grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you 
from  God  our  Father. 

Thanksgiving      ^^  §^^^  thanks  to  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord     3 
to  God  for     Jesus  Christ,  constantly  praying  for  you  as  we  do, 
theColossians.  i  ,  ,  j/r-v-^uT 

because  we  have  heard  of  your  faith  m  Christ  Jesus     4 
andof  the  love  which  you  cherish  towards  all  God's  people,  on     5 
account  of  the   hope  treasured    up  for  you   in   Heaven.     Of 
this  hope  you  have  already  heard  in  the  Message  of  the  truth 
of  the  Good  News  ;  for  it  has  reached  you,  just  as  it  has  also     6 
spread    through   the    whole  world    yielding  fruit    there    and 
increasing,  as  it  has  done  among  you  from  the  day  when  first 
you  heard  it  and  came  really  to  know  the  grace  of  God,  as  you     7 
learned  it  from  Epaphras  our  dearly-loved  fellow  servant.     He  is 
to  you  a  faithful  minister  of  Christ  in  our  stead,  and  moreover     8 
he  has  informed  us  of  your  love,  which  is  inspired  by  the  Spirit. 
A  Prayer  for        For  this  reason  we  also,  from  the  day  we  first     9 
their  spiritual  received  these  tidings,  have  never  ceased  to  pray 
Progress.      ^^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^  entreat  that  you  may  be  filled  with 
a    clear    knowledge    of  His  will    accompanied    by    thorough 
wisdom   and  discernment    in   spiritual   things ;    so   that  your     10 
lives  may  be   worthy  of  the  Lord  and   perfectly  pleasing   to 
Him,  while  you  exhibit  the  results  of  right  action  of  every  sort 
and  grow  into  a  fuller  knowledge  of  God.     Since  His  power  is     1 1 
so  glorious,  may  you  be  strengthened  with  strength  of  every 
kind,  and  be  prepared  for  cheerfully  enduring  all  things  with 
patience  and  long-suffering  ;  and  give  thanks  to  the  Father  who     12 

Colossae]  In  the  heading  of  the  Epistle,  but  not  in  verse  2  (and  it  is  found  no- 
where else  in  the  N.T.)  this  name  occurs  in  what  appears  to  be  a  later  form, 
'  Colassae.' 

3.   To  God,  the  Father]  v.l.  '  to  the  Lord  and  Father.' 

6.  It  has  spread]  Lit.  '  it  is.'     First]  See  Aorist  vi.  6 

9.  First  received]  Cp.  verse  6.     Have  never  ceased]  See  Aorist  iii.  2. 

487 


488  COLOSSIANS    I. 

has  made  us  fit  to  receive  our  share  of  the  inheritance  of  God's 
people  in  Light. 

It   is    God    who    has   delivered  us   out   of  the     13 

Christ  is  the       ,••  rji  Ji  ^  r  j'-. 

'image  of  God'  dominion  of  darkness,  and  has  transferred  us  into 
T1i*c^ '"t'i'"^  the  kingdom  of  His   dearly-loved  Son,  in  whom     14 

we  have  our  redemption — the  forgiveness  of  our 
sins.     Christ  is  the  visible  representation  of  the  invisible  God,     15 
the    Firstborn    and    Lord    of   all  creation  ;     for  in    Him  was     16 
created  the  universe  of  things  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  things 
seen  and  things  unseen,  thrones,  dominions,  princedoms,  powers 
— all  were  created,  and  exist,  through  and  for  Him  :  and  HE  IS     17 
before  all  things  and  in  and  through  Him  the  universe  is  a 
harmonious  whole. 
^^  .  ^ .  ^.  Moreover   He  is   the   Head  of    His  body,  the     18 

Christ  IS  the  .  •' ' 

divine  Head  of  church.     He  is  the  Beginning,  the  Firstborn  from 

t  e  c  urc  .  g^j^-^Qj^g  |-]^e  dead,  in  order  that  He  Himself  may  in 
all  things  occupy  the  foremost  place  ;  for  it  w^as  the  Father's  19 
gracious  will  that  the  whole  of  the  divine  perfections 
should  dwell  in  Him ;  and  God  purposed  through  Him  to  20 
reconcile  the  universe  to  Himself,  making  peace  through  His 
blood,  which  was  shed  upon  the  Cross — to  reconcile  to  Himself 
through  Him,  I  say,  things  on  earth  and  things  in  Heaven. 

And  you,  estranged  as  you  once  were  and  even     21 
""^^had^found"^  hostile  in  your  minds,  amidst   your  evil  deeds,  He     22 

Salvation  in  has  now,  in  His  human  body,  reconciled  to  God  by 
His  death,  to  bring  you,  holy  and  faultless,  into 
His  presence;  if,  indeed,  you  are  still  firmly  holding  to  23 
faith  as  your  foundation,  without  ever  shifting  from  your 
hope  that  rests  on  the  Good  News  that  you  have  heard,  which 
has  been  proclaimed  in  the  whole  creation  under  Heaven,  and 
in  which  I  Paul  have  been  appointed  to  serve. 

The  Sufferings      ^°^^  ^  ^^"  ^^^^  j^^  ^"^^^  ^^^  Sufferings  for  you,     24 
and  Earnest-    and  I  fill  up  in  my  own  person  whatever  is  lacking 
Apostle  to  fhe  in  Christ's  afflictions  on  behalf  of  His  body,  the 
Gentiles.       church.      I   have   been    appointed    to   serve    the     25 

15.  Visible  representation]  So  Liglitfoot.  Or  *  image.'  First-born  and  Lord  of 
all  crc'a/ion]  Or  '  of  earlier  birth  than  any  created  being,'  '  born  before  anything  was 
created.' 

16.  /«  Him]  Not  only  by  Him  ;  the  divine  omnipotence,  omniscience,  and  ubiquity 
being  all  implied.  Thrones  (Vc]  Both  earthly  and  angelic,  celestial  and  infernal. 
Atid  exist]  This  sense  is  contained  in  the  tense  (perfect)  of  the  verb. 

17.  //£  IS]  There  is  here  a  manifest  allusion  to  God's  sublime  declaration  concern- 
ing Himself,  "  I  am  because  I  am"  (Exod.  iii.  14).  Cp.  John  viii.  58. 

22.  Hehas  .  .  reconcile  i]  v. l.  (not  without  grammatical  difficulties)  '  you  have  been 
reconciled.'  '  You  are  reconciled  '  (Lightfoot)  would  be  the  Greek  perfect,  which  it  is 
not. 


COLOSSIANS    I.-II.  489 

church    in    the    position    of   responsibility    entrusted    to    me 

by  God  for  your   benefit,   so  that    I    may  fully  deliver   God's 

Message — the    truth    which    has    been    kept    secret    fnom    all     26 

ages   and   generations,   but    has    now   been    revealed    to    His     27 

people,  to  whom  it   was  His  will  to  make  known  how  vast  a 

wealth  of  glory  for  the  Gentile  world  is  implied  in  this  truth — 

the  truth  that 'Christ  is  in  you,  the  hope   of  glory.'     Him    we     28 

preach,  pdmonishing  every  one  and  instructing  every  one,  so 

that  we  may  bring  every  one  into  God's  presence  as  a  full-grown 

man  in  Christ.     To  this  end,  like  an  earnest  wrestler,  I  exert  all     29 

my  strength  in  rehance  upon  the  power  of  Him  who  is  mightily 

at  work  within  me. 

Paul's  ^^^  ^  would  have  you  know  in   how  severe  a     i   < 

strenuous      Struggle  I  am  engaged  on  behalf  of  you  and  the 

Weifaryof^  brethren   in  Laodicaea  and  of  all  who   have  not 

theCoiossians.  known  me  personally,  in  order  that   their  hearts     2 

may   be    cheered,  they   themselves    being  welded    together   in 

love  and  enjoying  all  the  advantages  of  a  reasonable  certainty, 

till  at  last  they  attain  the  full  knowledge  of  God's  truth,  which 

is  Christ ;  in  whom  all  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge  are     3 

stored  up,  hidden  from  view. 

Hislovine  I  say  this  to  prevent  your  being  misled  by  any     4 

Anxiety  on     one's  plausible  sophistry.     For  although,  as  you     5 

^  ^  '    say,  I  am  absent  from  you  in  body,  yet  in  spirit  I 

am  present  with  you  and  am  delighted  to  witness  your  good 

discipline  and  the  solid  front  presented  by  your  faith  in  Christ. 

As  therefore  you  have  received  the  Christ,  even     6 

"'^fo^^tfie^?^^^  J^s'JS  our  Lord,  live  and  act  in  vital  union  with 

spiritual    Pro-  Him  ;  having  the  roots  of  your  being  firmly  planted     7 

in  Him,  and  continually  building  yourselves  up  in 

Him,  and  always  being  increasingly  confirmed  in  the  faith  as 

you  were  taught  it,  abounding  in  it  with  thanksgiving. 

Christ's  full       Take  care  lest  there  be  some  one  who  leads  you     8 

Divinity        away  as  prisoners  by  means  of  his  philosophy  and 
re-asserted.     .,,-.-,,.,  ,.  .  ,     , 

idle  fancies,  followmg  human  traditions   and  the 

world's   crude  notions    instead  of  following  Christ.     For  it  is     9 

in   Christ  that  the   fulness  of  God's  nature  dwells  embodied, 

5.  Discipline  .  .  solid/ront'\  Military  terms.  "Tlie  enforced  companionship  of 
St.  Paul  with  the  soldiers  of  the  Praetorian  guard  at  this  time  may  have  suggested 
this  image"  (Lightfoot).  "After  these  words  we  have  no  reason  for  doubting  that 
the  Church  of  Colossae,  though  tried  by  heretical  teaching,  was  substantially  sound 
in  the  faith"  (Ellicott). 

6.  Live  and  act  S^c^X  Lit.  'in  Him  walk.' 

7.  In  it]  v.L.  omits  these  words. 


49©  COLOSSIANS   II. 

and   in    Him   you   are    made  complete,    and  He  is   the    Lord     lo 
of  all  princes  and  rulers.     In  Him  also  you  were  circumcised     ii 
with  a  circumcision  not  performed  by  hand,  when  you  threw  off 
your  sinful  nature  in  true  Christian  circumcision  ;  having  been     12 
buried  with  Him  in  your  baptism,  in  which  you  were  also  raised 
with  Him  through  faith  produced  within  you  by  God  who  raised 
Him  from  among  the  dead. 

And  to  you — dead  as  you  once  were  in  your     13 

Christ's  .-'  j-.i-  ••  r 

atoning  Work  transgressions  and  m  the  uncircumcision  of  your 
over  an*EvW.  ^^^ural  state — He  has  nevertheless  given  life  with 
Himself,  having  forgiven  us  all  our  transgressions. 
The  bond,  with  its  requirements,  which  was  in  force  against  14 
us  and  was  hostile  to  us.  He  cancelled,  and  cleared  it  out 
of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  His  cross.  And  the  hostile  princes  15 
and  rulers  He  shook  off  from  Himself,  and  boldly  displayed 
them  as  His  conquests,  when  by  the  cross  He  triumphed  over 
them. 

N    R  om  left       Suffer  no  one  therefore  to  sit  in  judgement  on     16 
for  Jewish     you  as  to  eating  or  drinking  or  with  regard  to  a 
or*angel[c^   festival,  a  new  moon  or  a  sabbath  ;  which  were  a     17 
Mediation,     shadow  of  things  that  were  soon  to  come,  but  the 
substance  belongs  to  Christ.     Let  no  one  defraud  you  of  your     18 
prize,  priding  himself  on  his  humility  and  on  his  worship  of 
the  angels,  and  taking  his  stand  on  the  visions  he  has   seen, 
and    idly   puffed  up    with   his  unspiritual   thoughts.     Such   a     19 
one  does  not  keep  his  hold  upon  Christ,  the  Head,  from  whom 
the   body,  in   all    its  parts   nourished    and    strengthened    by 
its  points  of  contact  and  its  connexions,  grows  with  a  divine 
growth. 

Obedience  to       ^^  V^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^'^^  Christ  and  have  escaped     20 
outward  Rules  from    the   world's   rudimentary   notions,   why,  as 
Si'n^and^Seif   though  your  life  Still  belonged  to  the  world,  do 
unconquered.  yQ^  submit  to  such  precepts  as  "Do  not  handle     21 

10.  Lord]  Lit.  '  Head.'  Princes  and  rulers]  Lit.  'authority  and  power.'  So  in 
verse  15  '  princes  and  rulers  '  is  lit.  '  authorities  and  powers.' 

14.  iVith  its  requirements]  The  construction  seems  to  be  the  same  as  in  the  Greek 
way  of  expressing  "  the  ship  sank  with  all  her  crew." 

15.  "  The  paradox  of  the  crucifixion  is  thus  placed  in  the  strongest  light — triumph 
in  helplessness  and  glory  in  shame.  The  convict's  gibbet  is  the  victor's  scar  " 
(Lightfoot). 

16.  There/ore]  The  Mosaic  Law  being  now  abrogated. 

18.  Priding  himself  on  his  humility]  "  Humility,  when  it  becomes  self-conscious, 
ceases  to  have  any  value  "  (Lightfoot).  "  The  humility  condeiimed  is  not  Christian 
humility,  but  a  false  and  perverted  lowliness,  which  deemed  God  was  so  inaccessible 
that  He  could  only  be  approached  through  the  mediation  of  inferior  beings " 
(Ellicott). 


COLOSSIANS   II.-III.  491 

this  ;"  "  Do  not  taste  that ;"  "  Do  not  touch  that  other  thing" 
— referring  to  tilings  which  are  all  intended  to  be  used  up  and  22 
perish — in  obedience  to  mere  human  injunctions  and  teach- 
ings ?  These  rules  have  indeed  an  appearance  of  wisdom  where  23 
self-imposed  worship  exists,  and  an  affectation  of  humility  and 
an  ascetic  severity,  but  none  of  them  are  of  any  value  in  com- 
bating the  indulgence  of  our  lower  natures. 

If  however  you  have  risen  with  Christ,  seek  the     i  J 
the^HserTand  things  that  are  above,  where  Christ  is,  enthroned 
glorified        at  God's   right   hand.     Give   your  minds  to   the     2 

Christ.  ,  .  ,         °         ,  ,        ,  . 

thmgs  that  are  above,  not  to  the  thmgs  that  are  on 
the  earth.     For  you  have  died,  and  your  life  is  hidden    with     3 
Christ  in  God.     When  Christ  appears — He  is  our  true  Life —    4 
then  you  also  will  appear  with  Him  in  glory. 

Moral   Results      Therefore  put  to  death  your  earthward  inclina-     5 
of  Union      tions — fornication,  impurity,  sensual  passion,  un- 

with  Christ.      ,     ,        ,      •  j       n  j     r  i.         •  r 

holy  desire,  and  all  greed,  for  that  is  a  form  of 
idolatry.     It  is  on  account  of  these  very  sins  that  God's  anger    6 
is  coming,  and  you  also  were  once  addicted  to  them,  while  you     7 
were  living  under  their  power. 

But  now  you  must  rid  yourselves  of  every  kind     8 
must*give^     of  sin — angry  and  passionate  outbreaks,  ill-will, 
Place  to  anew  evil  speaking,  foul-mouthed  abuse— so  that  these 

Nature.  .,  t  ^-^  ^    r  ■,      •,  •, 

may  never  soil  yourlips.  Do  not  speak  falsehoods  to     9 
one  another,  for  you  have  stripped  off  the  old  self  with  its  doings, 
and  have  clothed  yourselves  with  the  new  self  which  is  being     10 
remoulded  into  full  knowledge  so  as  to  become  like  Him  who 
created  it.     In  that  new  creation  there  is  neither  Greek  nor  Jew,     1 1 
circumcision  nor  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  slave  nor 
free  man,  but  Christ  is  everything  and  is  in  all  of  us. 

All  Christlike       Clothe  yourselves  therefore,  as  God's  own  people     12 
Qualities  to  be  holy   and   dearly  loved,  with  tender-heartedness, 

appropna  e  .  j^jf^^j-jggg^    lowliness    of   mind,    meekness,    long- 
suffering  ;  bearing  with  one  another  and  readily  forgiving  each     13 
other,  if  any  one  has  a  grievance  against  another.     Just  as  the 
Lord  has  forgiven  you,  you  also  must  do  the  same.      And  over     14 
all  these  put  on  love,  which  is  the  perfect  bond  of  union  ;  and     15 

I.  //however]  i.e.  'But  if,  besides  having  died  with  Christ,  you  have  on  the 
other  hand,  &c.'  See  Aorist,  Appendix  B,  7,  8.  Have  risen]  See  Aorist  \.  2- 
Seek  &'c.'\  ''Cease  to  concentrate  your  energies  and  your  thoughts  on  mundane 
ordinances  "  (Lightfoot). 

4.   Otir  true  Life]  Lit.  'our  life.'     V.L.  'your'Hfe.' 

J  I.    There  is]  Or  '  there  can  be.'     In  all 0/ us]  Or  'in  all  things." 

13.   The  Lord]  v.l.  '  Christ '  or  '  the  Christ.' 


492  COLOSSIANS    III. -IV. 

let  the  peace  which  Christ  gives  settle  all  questionings  in  your 
hearts,  to  which  peace  indeed  you  were  called  as  belonging  to 
His  one  body  ;  and  be  thankful. 

Let  the  teaching  concerning  Christ  remain  as  a     i6 
^whic'hTre  t!f^  "^^  treasure  in  your  hearts.      In  all  wisdom  teach 
regulate       and  admonish  one  another   with  psalms,  hymns. 
Conduct.  J--,  J-  r  • 

and  spiritual  songs,  and  sing  with  grace  m  your 

hearts  to   God  ;  and  whatever  you  do,  in  word  or  in  deed,  do     17 

ever>'thing  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  let  it  be  through 

Him  that  you  give  thanks  to  God  the  Father. 

Married    women,    be     submissive    to    your     18 

Wives,  Husbands,  •' 

Children,  Parents,  husbands,  as  IS  fitting  in  the  Lord.     Married     19 

Slaves,    Masters.  v         rr     ^-         ^       ...  j     j 

men,   be  affectionate    to    your  wives,  and   do 
not  treat  them  harshly.     Children,  be  obedient  to  your  parents     20 
in  everything  ;  for  that  is  right  for  Christians.      Fathers,  do  not     21 
fret  and  harass  your  children,  or  you  may  make  them  sullen  and 
morose.     Slaves,   be    obedient   in   everything   to   your   earthly     22 
masters:  not  in  acts  of  eye  service,  as  aiming  only  to  please 
men,  but  with  simplicity  of  purpose,  because  you  fear  the  Lord.     23 
Whatever  you  are  doing,  let  your  hearts  be  in  your  work,  as  a 
thing  done  for  the  Lord  and  not  for  men  ;  for  you  know  that  it  is     24 
from  the  Lord  you  will   receive  the  inheritance  as  your  reward. 
Christ  is  the   Master  whose  bondservants  you  are.     The  man     25 
who  perpetrates  a  wrong  will  find  the  wrong  repaid  to  him  ;  and 
with   God  there  are  no  merely  earthly  distinctions.     Masters,     i   A 
deal  justly  and  equitably  with  your  slaves,  knowing  that  you  too 
have  a  Master  in  heaven. 

Praverfuiness       ^^  earnest  and  unwearied  in  prayer,  being  on     2 
and  Discretion  the  alert  in  it  and  in  your  giving  of  thanks.     And     3 

'^^^  ■         pray  at  the   same  time  for  us  also,  that  God  may 
open   for  us  a  door  for  preaching,  for  us  to  tell  the  truths  of 
Christ  for  the  sake  of  which  I  am  even  a  prisoner.    Then  I  shall     4 
proclaim  it  fully,  as  it  is  my  duty  to  do.     Behave  wisely  in  rela-     5 
tion  to  the  outside  world,  buying  up  your  opportunities.     Let     6 
your  language  be  always  seasoned  with  the  salt  of  grace,  so  that 
you  may  know  how  to  give  every  man  a  fitting  answer. 

Tychicus,    our   much-loved   brother,    a   trusty   assistant  and     7 

t6.  Concerning]  Or  'left  us  by."     In  all  zuisdon]  Or  these  words  may  be  con- 
ne:tev'  with  the  precedin?  clause. 

17.  In  the  name  &'c.]  Never  forgetting  that  you  bear  the  name  of  a  Christian. 
22.   In  acts  rf  eye  service]  v.L.  has  the  noun  in  the  singular,  '  in  eye  service.' 
25.  No  ^neyciy  earthly  distinctions]  See  Luke  x.\.  21,  n. 
6.  A  Jitiing  aiisix'cr]  Cp.  Prov.  xxnt.  4.  5  ;  i  Pet.  iii.  15. 


COLOSSIAXS    IV.  493 

fellow  servant   with  us   in   the    Lord's    work,  will 
"''onesi^mu^'^'^   &^^'^  V^^  every  information  about  me  ;  and  for  this 

very  purpose  I  send  him  to  you  that  you  may  know     8 
how  we  are  faring  ;  and  that  he  may  cheer  your  hearts.      And     9 
with  him   I   send  our  dear  and  trusty  brother  Onesimus,  who 
is  one  of  yourselves.     They  will  inform  you  of  everything  here. 
,.^      ^  Aristarchus  my  fellow  prisoner  sends  greeting  to     10 

Anstarchus,  -^  '^  •       -»r      1         -tr 

Mark,  and      you,  and   SO  does  Bamabas's  cousm  Mark.     You 

Jesus  Justus     ,  ...  .  1  •  • /•  1 

have  received  mstructions  as  to  him  ;  if  he  comes 
to  you,  give  him  a  welcome.     Jesus,  called  Justus,  also  sends     1 1 
greeting.     These   three   are    Hebrew    converts.      They    alone 
among    such    have  worked   loyally  with  me  for  the  Kingdom 
of  God — they  are  men  who  have  been  a  comfort  to  me. 

Epaphras,   who  is    one   of  yourselves,   a    bond-     12 
Epaphras,Luke,  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,    sends   greeting   to  you, 

always  wrestling  on  your  behalf  in  his  prayers,  that 
you  may  stand  firm— Christians   of  ripe  character  and  of  clear 
conviction  as  to  everything  which  is  God's  will.     For  I  can  bear     13 
witness  to  the  deep  interest  he  takes  in  you  and  in  the  brethren 
at  Laodicaea  and  in  those  at  Hierapohs.     Luke,  the  dearly  loved     14 
physician,  salutes  you,  and  so  does  Demas. 

Christian  greetings  to  the  brethren  at  Laodicaea,     15 
"""^ilSIicaea  ^*  especially  to  Nymphas,  and  to    the    church  that 

meets  at  their  house.     And  when  this  Letter  has     16 
been  read  among  you,  let  it  be  read  also  in  the  church  of  the 
Laodicaeans,  and  you  in  turn  must  read  the  one  I  am  sending  to 
Laodicaea.    And  tell  Archippus  to  discharge  carefully  the  duties     17 
devolving  upon  him  as  a  servant  of  the  Lord. 

I  Paul  add  with  my  own  hand  this  rinal  greeting.      18 
ConcuUon.     ^^  mindful  of  me   in  my  imprisonment.     Grace 

be  with  you. 

15.  TAe  church  g'c.^  Cp.  Rom.  xvL  5,  n.  "There  is  no  clear  example  of  a 
separate  building  set  apart  for  Christian  worship  within  the  limits  of  the  Roman 
Empire  before  the  third  century,  though  apartments  in  prisate  houses  might  be 
specially  devoted  to  this  purpose  "  (Lierhtfoot). 

16.  Among  you]  Or  'in  your  hearing,'  probably  at  a  meeting  expressly  summoned 
with  tliat  object. 


PAUL'S    FIRST   LETTER    TO    THE 
THESSALONIANS 


During  his  second  missionary  tour  (Acts  xvii.),  Paul  came  to 
Thessalonica  and  preached  the  Good  News  there  with  no  little 
success.  The  city — which  had  had  its  name  given  it  by 
Cassander,  after  his  wife,  the  sister  of  Alexander  the  Great- 
was  the  most  populous  in  Macedonia,  besides  being  a  "  free 
city  "  and  the  seat  of  the  Roman  pro-consular  administration. 
Very  soon,  however,  the  unbelieving  Jews  stirred  up  the  mob 
against  Paul  and  Silas,  and  dragged  Jason  before  the  magis- 
trates. Hence  the  brethren  sent  the  missionaries  away  by  night 
to  Beroea,  being  alarmed  for  their  safety.  As  the  apostle  was 
naturally  anxious  about  the  persecuted  flock  which  he  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  behind,  he  made  two  attempts  to  return  to 
them,  but  these  being  frustrated  (i  Thess.  ii.  i8),  he  then  sent 
Timothy,  from  Athens,  to  inquire  after  their  welfare  and 
encourage  them.  The  report  brought  back  was  on  the  whole 
satisfactory,  but  left  occasion  for  the  self-defence,  the  warnings 
and  the  exhortations  of  this  Letter,  which  was  then  sent  from 
Corinth,  probably  in  53  A.D. 


496 


PAUL'S  FIRST  LETTER  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 

Introduction, 

Paul,  Silas  and  Timothy  :  I 

To  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  which  is  in 
God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  May  grace  and 
peace  be  granted  to  you. 

Reasons  for        ^^^  continually  give  thanks  to  God  because  of    2 
Gratitude  and  you  all,   while   we    make   mention    of  you  in  our 

sgivmg.   p^j^ygj-g    Yor  we  never  fail  to  remember  your  works     3 
of  faith  and  labours  of  love  and  your  persistent  and  unwavering 
hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  presence  of  our  God  and 
Father ;  knowing  as  we  do,  brethren,  that  you  are  beloved  by  God     4 
and  that  He  has  chosen  you.     The  Good  News  that  we  brought     5 
you  did  not  come  to  you  in  words  only,  but  also  with  power  and 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  with  much  certainty,  for  you  know 
the  sort  of  men  we  became  among  you,  as  examples  for  your 
sakes.     And  you  followed  the  pattern  set  you  by  us  and  by  the     6 
Master,  after  you  had  received  the  Message  amid  severe  per- 
secution, and  yet  with  the  joy  which  the  Holy  Spirit  gives,  so     7 
that  you   became  a   pattern   to   all   the   believers    throughout 
Macedonia  and  Greece. 

For  it  was  not  only  from  you  that  the  Master's  Message  8 
sounded  forth  throughout  Macedonia  and  Greece  ;  but  every- 
where your  faith  in  God  has  become  known,  so  that  it  is  un- 
necessary for  us  to  say  anything  about  it.  For  when  others  9 
speak  of  us  they  report  the  reception  we  had  from  you,  and  how 
you  turned  from  your  idols  to  God,  to  be  bondservants  of  the 
true  and  ever-living  God,  and  to  await  the  return  from  Heaven     ic 

I  Si/as'\  Lit.  '  Silvanus.'  0/  the  Thessalonians]  Here,  as  in  the  opening  lines  of 
all  the  other  Letters,  there  is  no  definite  article  in  the  Greek  before  the  name  of  the 
church  addressed. 

7.  8.  Greece]  Lit.  '  Achaia,'  i.e.,  the  Koman  province  of  Achaia  of  which  Corinth 
was  the  capital  :  not  the  district  which  the  Greeks  knew  by  that  name. 

8.  Sounded  forth]  The  Greek  tense  is  the  perfect,  and  conveys  the  sense  '  as  it 
is  echoing  still.'     See  Aorist  vii.  3,  9. 

9.  Others]  Lit.  'they  themselves,'  i.e.  the  be;lievers  belonging  to  all  the  churches 
of  those  two  provinces.      True  and  ever- Uvivg]  Lit.   '  hving  and  tnie.' 

497  K  K 


498  I.   THESSALONIANS   I.-II. 

of  His   Son,   whom    He  raised  from  among  the   dead — even 
Jesus,  our  Deliverer  from  God's  coming  anger. 

The  Apostles  and  their  Converts. 

For  you   yourselves,    brethren,   know    that    our     I   t 

"^'^^  of  the"^'"^  ^^si^  to  yo"  ^^^  ^ot  ^^^^  of  'ts  purpose  ;  but,  as  you     2 
Apostles,  at    will  remember,  after  we  had  already  met  with  suf- 
Thessalonica.    _     .  ,  ^,  ...       .  , 

fermg  and  outrage  at  Philippi,  we  summoned  up 

boldness,  by  the  help  of  our  God,  to  tell  you  God's  Good  News 
amid  much  opposition.  For  our  preaching  was  not  grounded  on  3 
a  delusion,  nor  prompted  by  mingled  motives,  nor  was  there  fraud 
in  it.  But  as  God  tested  and  approved  us  before  entrusting  us  4 
with  His  Good  News,  so  in  what  we  say  we  are  seeking  not  to 
please  men  but  to  please  God  who  tests  and  approves  our 
motives. 

For,  as  you  are  well  aware,  we  have  never  used     5 
^while^there.'^*  the  language  of  flattery  nor  have  we  found  pre- 
texts for  enriching  ourselves —God  is  our  witness; 
nor  did  we  seek  glory  either  from  you  or  from  any  other  mere     6 
men,  althougli  we  might  have  stood  on  our  dignity  as  Christ's 
apostles.     On  the  contrary,  in  our  relations  to  you  we  showed     7 
ourselves  as  gentle  as  a  mother  is   when  she  tenderly  nurses 
her  own  children.     Seeing  that  we  were  thus  drawn  affection-     8 
ately  towards  you,  it  would  have  been  a  joy  to  us  to  have  im- 
parted to  you  not  only  God's  Good  News,  but  to  have  given  our 
very  lives  also,  because  you  had  become  very  dear  to  us. 

For  you  remember,  brethren,  our  labour  and  toil  :  how,  work-     9 
ing  night  and  day  so  as  not  to  become  a  burden  to  any  one  of 
you,  we  came  and  proclaimed  among  you  God's  Good  News. 
You  yourselves  are  witnesses  — and  God  is  witness — how  holy     10 
and   upright   and   blameless    our  dealings   with  you   believers 
were ;  for  you  know  that  we  acted  towards  every  one  of  you  as  a     11 
father  does  towards  his  own  children,  encouraging  and  cheer-     12 
ing  you,  and   imploring  you   to    live  lives  worthy  of  fellowship 
with  God  who  is  inviting  you  to  share  His  own  Kingship  and 
glory. 

I.  Did  not  fall  ^c.\  The  perfect  tense  in  the  Greek  implies  that  the  visit  remains 
cffecuial  still. 
3.   Preaching-]   Lit.   '  exhortation  '  or  '  encouragement,'  to  believe  in  Christ. 

7.  We  shoived  ourselves  as  gentle  as]  v.l.   '  we  showed  ourselves  babes  like.' 

8.  Lives]  Or  'souls.'      So  in  Luke  ix.  24. 

9.  For]  Or  the  unemphatic  '  why.'     See  Aorist,  Appendix  A,  8.      You  7-e7ne»tbe.r\ 
Or,  as  an  imperative,   '  remember,' 


I.   THESSALONIANS   II.-III.  499 

^^    ^^  And  for  this  further  reason  we  render  unceasing     1-5 

The  Thessa-       ,        ,  ^     ,       ,  ,  •       ,  &        J 

lonians'  brave  thanks   to    God,    that    when   you   received    God's 

Persecution.'^  Message  from  our  lips,  it  was  as  no  mere   mes- 
sage   from  men  that  you   embraced  it,   but  as — 
what  it  really  is — God's  Message,  which  also  does  its  work  in 
the  hearts  of  you  who  believe.     For  you,  brethren,  followed  the     14 
example  of  the  churches  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  which  are  in 
Judaea  ;  seeing  that  you  endured  the  same  ill-treatment  at  the 
hands  of  your  countrymen,  as  they  did  at  the  hands  of  the  Jews. 
Those  Jewish  persecutors  killed  both  the  Lord  Jesus  and  the     15 
Prophets,   and   drove  us  out  of  their  midst.      They  are    dis- 
pleasing to   God,  and  are   the  enemies  of  all    mankind ;    for     16 
they  still  try  to  prevent  our  preaching  to  the  Gentiles  so  that 
they  may   find    salvation.       They  thus   continually  fill  up  the 
measure  of  their  own  sins,  and  God's  anger  in  its  severest  form 
has  overtaken  them. 

Paul's  loving       ^^^  ^^^'  brethren,  having  been  for  a  short  time     17 
Interest  in  his  separated   from  you  in    bodily  presence,   though 
not  in  heart,  endeavoured  all  the  more  earnestly, 
with  intense  longing,  to  see  you  face  to  face.     On  this  account     18 
we  wanted  to  come  to  you — at  least  I  Paul  wanted  again  and 
again  to  do  so — but  Satan  hindered  us.     For  what  is  our  hope     19 
orjoy,  orthe  crown  of  which  we  boast?     Is   it  not  you  your- 
selves in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  at  His  Coming.?     Yes,     20 
you  are  our  glory  and  our  joy. 

The  sending        ^°  when  we  could  endure  it  no  longer,  we  de-     i    ' 
of  Timothy  to  cidcd  to  remain  behind  at  Athens  alone  ;  and  sent     2 

essa  onica.    ^jj^-^Qi-j^y  q^^  brother  and  God's  minister  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Christ's  Good  News,  that  he  might  help  you  spiritually 
and  encourage  you  in  your  faith  ;    that  none  of  you  might  be     3 
unnerved  by  your  present  trials  ;  for  you  yourselves  know  that 
they  are  our  appointed  lot.     For  even  when  we  were  with  you,     4 
we  forewarned  you,  saying,  "  We  are  soon  to  suffer  affliction  ;  " 
and  this  actually  happened,  as  you  well  know.     For  this  reason     5 
I  also,  when  I  could  no  longer  endure  the  uncertainty,  sent  to 
know  the  condition  of  your  faith,  lest  perchance  the  Tempter 
might  have  tempted  you  and  our  labour  have  been  lost. 

The  Report        ^^^  ^'°^  ^^^^  Timothy  has  recently  come  back     6 
brought  back  to  US  from  you,  and  has  brought  us  the  happy  tid- 
y     imo     y.      ^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^j^j^    ^^^   ^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^j^   ^^   ^^^ 

13.  /«  i/ie  hearts  o/you]  Lit.  '  in  you.' 

2.  God's  minister]  v.l.  'God's  fellow  worker,'  or  'fellow  worker  for  God.' 


500  I.   THESSALONIANS   III.-IV. 

you  still  cherish  a  constant  and  affectionate  recollection  of  us, 

and  are  longing  to  see  us  as  we  also  long  to  see  you — for  this     7 

reason  in  all  our  distress  and  trouble  we  have  been  comforted 

about  you,  brethren,  by  your  faith.      For  now  Hfe  is  for  us  life     8 

indeed,  since  you  are  standing  fast  in  the  Lord. 

.,   .  ,  For  what  thanksgiving  on  your  behalf  can  we     9 

Paul's  intense  .,  ,        ^^  ^    °  .      °  %         ,,    ,       •  ,  •   , 

Gratitude  to    possibly  offer  to  God  m  return  for  all  the  joy  which 

^°^"  fills  our  souls  before  our  God  for  you,  while  night     10 

and  day,  with  intense  earnestness,  we  pray  that  we  may  see  your 
faces,  and  may  bring  to  perfection  whatever  may  be  still  lack- 
ing in  your  faith. 

.^,     .       „  ,        But  may  our  God  and  Father  Himself — and  our     1 1 

The  Apostle  s  ■' 

Prayer  for  his  Lord  Jesus — guide  US  on  our  way  to  you  ;  and  as     12 

Readers.  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^  l^ord  teach  you  to  love  one 
another  and  all  men,  with  a  growing  and  a  glowing  love,  re- 
sembling our  love  for  you.  Thus  He  will  build  up  your  13 
characters,  so  that  you  will  be  faultlessly  holy  in  the  presence 
of  our  God  and  Father  at  the  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  with 
all  His  holy  ones. 


Practical  Exhortations. 

Moreover,  brethren,  as  you  learnt  from  our  lips     i 
Ch^rlstlan  Llfe^  ^^^  ^^^^^  which  you  ought  to  live,  and  do  live,  so 
as  to  please  God,  we  beg  and  exhort  you  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  live  them  more  and  more  truly.     For    2 
you  know  the  commands  which  we  laid  upon  you  by  the  author- 
ity of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

For  this  is  God's  will — your  purity  of  life,  that     3 
ora     un  y.   ^^^   abstain   from    fornication  ;    that    each    man     4 
among  you  shall  know  how  to  procure  a  wife  who  shall  be  his 
own  in  purity  and  honour  ;  that  you  be  not  overmastered  by     5 
lustful  cravings,  like  the  Gentiles  who  have  no  knowledge  of 
God  ;  and  that  in  this  matter  there  be  no  encroaching  on  the     6 
rights  of  a  brother  Christian  and  no  overreaching  him  ;  for  the 
Lord  is  an  avenger  in  all  such  cases,  as  we  have  already  taught 
you  and  solemnly  warned  you.     God  has  not  called  us  to  an     7 

13.  Holy  ones]  Either  angels  (Matt.  xvi.  27  ;  xxv.  31  ;  Mark  viii.  38  ;  Luke  ix. 
2O),  or  saints  (John  x.  16  :  i  Thess  iv.  14),  or  both. 

I.  3Ioreover]  Or  '  it  remains  (then)  that."  But  on  the  omission  of  this  '  then,'  as 
in  I  Thess,  iv.  i,  see  Aorist,  Appendix  B,  4. 

4.   Jf^;/^]  Or  '  partner.'     Lit.  'vessel.' 

6,  That  there  be  no  i-j'c.]  By  any  violation  of  the  7th  and  loth  Commandments. 


I.    THESSALONIANS    IV.  501 

unclean  life,  but  to  one  of  purity.     Therefore  a  defiant  spirit  in     8 
such  a  case  provokes  not  man  but  God  who  puts   His  Holy 
Spirit  into  your  hearts. 
Brotherly  ^"^  °"  ^^^  Subject  of  love  for  the  brotherhood    9 

Love,  and      it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  write  to  you,  for  you 
yourselves  have  been  taught  by  God  to  love  one 
another  ;  and  indeed  you  do  love  all  the  brethren  throughout     10 
Macedonia.     And  we  exhort  you  to  do  so  more  and  more,  and     1 1 
to  vie  with  one  another  in  eagerness  for  peace,  every  one  mind- 
ing his  own  business  and  working  with  his  hands,  as  we  ordered 
you  to  do  :  so  as  to  live  worthy  lives  in  relation  to  outsiders,  and     12 
not  be  a  burden  to  any  one. 

The  Re -appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Now,  concerning  those  who  from  time  to  time     13 
^^dead  are^"  P^^^  away,  we  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant, 

under  no       brethren,  lest  you  should  mourn  as  others  do  who 
Disadvantage,    ,  '  ''   _        ..  ,     ,.  ,  ^ 

have  no  hope.     For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  has     14 

died  and  risen  again,  we  also  believe   that  through  Jesus  God 
will  bring  with  Him  those  who  shall  have  passed  away. 

For  this  we  declare  to  you  on  the  Lord's  own     15 

Re'slrrectlo^n '  authority— that  we  who  are  alive  and  continue  on 

and  the        earth  until  the  Coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  certainly 

Translation  of       ^  ^         .    n  .u  i        i_    n  i  ■        ■,  , 

the  Living,     not  forestall  those  who  shall  have  previously  passed 

away.     For  the  Lord  Himself  will  come  down  from     16 
heaven  with  a  loud  word  of  command,  and  with  an  archangel's 
voice  and  the  trumpet  of  God,  and  the  dead  in  Christ  will  rise 
first.     Afterwards  we  who  are  alive  and  are  still  on  earth  will  be     17 
caught  up  in  their  company  amid  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in 
the  air.     And  so  we  shall  be  with  the  Lord  for  ever.     Therefore     18 
encourage  one  another  with  these  words. 

8.  A  defiant  spiri(\  One  which  sets  a  brother  Christian's  rights  at  nought. 

12.  Not  be  a  burden  to  any  one}  Or  '  not  be  in  need  of  anything.' 

13.  Those  wfio  from  ti>ne  to  ti»ie  pass  aiuav]  Lit.  'those  who  fall  asleep.'  Not 
those  who  have  so  departed  and  are  dead.  This  tense  of  the  verb  (which  is  not  the 
same  verb  as  that  in  Matt.  ix.  24)  is  not  used  by  Paul  in  the  perfect  sense. 

15.  Shall  have]  See  Aorist  vi.  5.     Passed  azuay]  Lit.  '  fallen  asleep.' 
15.  17.    We    ivko  are  alive}  The  pronouns  '  we'  and  'you'  cannot  be  used  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  persons  speaking  or  immediately  addressed.     Therefore  in  these 
verses  Paul  implies  that  the  return   of  the  Lord  Jesus  would  take  place  in  the  life- 
time of  some  of  the  first  readers  of  this  Letter. 

17.  Caught  up\  Whetherin  the  body,  or  apart  from  the  body  we  are  not  told.  Cp. 
the  use  of  the  same  words  in  2  Cor.  xii.  2,  4  ;  Rev.  xii.  5.  Since  the  human  spirit  is 
the  essential  man.  zve  may  be  caught  up  to  Heaven  although  our  bodies  are  left 
behind  on  earth  an- 1  perish.  So  in  the  present  day  the  really  consecrated  Christian 
does  not  go  do-.vu  into  the  grave  at  death,  but,  rises  to  Christ  and  God.  He  is  no 
longer  here  ;  he  has  ascended  to  Heaven. 


502  i.    THESSALONIANS   V. 

Bat  as  to  times  and  dates  it  is  unnecessary  that     l   j 
Date  ofThe    anything  be  written  to  you.     For  you  yourselves     2 
Lord's  Coming  know  perfectly  well  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  comes 

unknown.        ,.,  ,  .    .  .         ,  .    ,  itt,  •,       , 

like  a  thief  in  the  night.     While  they  are  saying     3 
"  Peace  and  safety  !  "  then  in  a  moment  destruction  falls  upon 
them,  like  birth-pains   on  a  woman  who  is  with  child  ;    and 
escape  there  is  none.     But  you,  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,    4 
that  daylight  should  surprise  you  like  a  thief ;  for  all  of  you  are     5 
sons  of  Light  and  sons  of  the  day  :    we  belong  neither  to  the 
night  nor  to  darkness. 
_..,.-         So  then  let  us  not  sleep,  like  the  rest  of  the    6 

The  Need  of  a  1  t- 

vigilant  and    world,  but  let  US  keep  awake  and  be  sober.     For     7 
sober  Life,     ^.j^^gg  ^^^xo  sleep,  sleep  at  night,  and  those  who 
drink  freely,  drink  at  night.      But  let  us,  belonging — as  we  do —    8 
to  the  day,  be  sober,  putting  on  the  breastplate  of  faith  and  love, 
and  for  a  helmet  the  hope  of  salvation.     For  God  has  not  pre-     9 
destined  us  to  meet  His  anger,  but  to  obtain  salvation  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  who  died  on  our  behalf,  so  that  whether     10 
we  are  awake  or  are  sleeping  we  may  share  His  Life.     There-     11 
fore  encourage  one  another,  and  let  each  one  help  to  strengthen 
his  friend,  as  in  fact  you  do. 


Conclusion. 

Now  we  beg  you,  brethren,  to  show  respect  for     12 
Exh^ortations.  those  who  labour  among  you  and  are  your  leaders 

in  Christian  work,  and  are  your  advisers  ;  and  to     13 
esteem  them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake.     Be  at 
peace  among  yourselves. 

And  we  exhort  you,  brethren,  admonish  the  unruly,  comfort     14 
the  timid,  sustain  the  weak,  and  be  patient  towards  all 

See  to  it  that  no  one  ever  repays  another  with  evil  for  evil  ;     15 
but  always  seek  opportunities  of  doing  good  both  to  one  another 
and  to  all  the  world. 

Be   always  joyful.     Be  unceasing  in  prayer.     In   every  cir-   16,  17,  ] 
curastance  of  life  be  thankful  ;  for  this  is  God's  will  in  Christ 
Jesus   respecting  you.      Do    not    quench  the    Spirit  ;    do  not  19,  20 
think  meanly  of  utterances  of  prophecy  ;  but  test  all  such,  and     21 
retain  hold  of  the  good.     Hold  yourselves  aloof  fron\  every  form     22 
of  evil. 

10.  Awake  or  slee/>ing\  When  the  Lord  comes.     Cp.  iv.  15-17. 
12.  Show  respect for\  Lit.  'know.' 


I.    THESSALONIANS   V.  503 

And  may  God  Himself,  who  gives  peace,  make  you  entirely     23 
holy  ;  and    may    your  spirits,  souls    and  bodies   be  preserved 
complete  and  be  found  blameless  at  the  Coming  of  our   Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Faithful  is  He  who  calls  you,  and  He  will  also     24 
perfect  His  work. 

Brethren,  pray  for  us.     Greet  all  the  brethren    25,  26 
with  a  holy  kiss.     I  solemnly  charge  you  in  the     27 
Lord's  name  to  have  this  Letter  read  to  all  the  brethren. 

May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you.  28 

23.  Bodies\  An  indication  that  the  apostle  expected  the  Coming  of  Christ  to  take 
place  in  the  hfetime  of  the  first  readers  of  this  Letter — whilst  they  were  still  in  the  body. 


PAUL'S   SECOND    LETTER    iO    THE 
THESSALONIANS 


This  Letter  was  written  from  Corinth  not  long  after  the  pre- 
ceding one,  and  probably  in  the  year  54  a.d.  Its  occasion  was 
the  reception  of  tidings  from  Thessalonica  which  showed  that 
there  had  been  a  measure  of  misapprehension  of  the  apostle's 
teaching  in  regard  to  the  return  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  also  that 
there  was  a  definitely  disorderly  section  in  the  church  there, 
capable  of  doing  great  harm.  Hence  Paul  writes  to  correct 
the  error  into  which  his  converts  had  fallen,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  uses  strong  language  as  to  the  treatment  to  be  dealt 
out  to  those  members  of  the  church  who  were  given  to  idleness 
and  insubordination. 


S06 


PAUL'S  SECOND  LETTER  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 
Introduction, 

Greeting.  ^^"^'  ^^^^^'  ^"^  Timothy  :  I 

To  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  which  is  in 
God  our  Eather  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    May  grace  and  peace     2 
be  granted  to  you  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Reasons  for        Unceasing  thanks  are   due  from  us  to  God  on     3 
Gratitude  and  your  behalf,  brethren.     They  are   appropriate  be- 

Thanksgiving.  ''  \.  .  ,     .  .  1  ,      ,        , 

cause  your  faith  is  growing  greatly,  and  the  love 
of  every  one  of  you  for  all  the  others  goes  on  increasing.     It  so     4 
increases  that  we  ourselves  make  honourable  mention  of  you 
among  the  churches  of  God  because  of  your  patience  and  faith 
amid  all  your  persecutions  and  amid  the  afflictions  which  you 
are  enduring.      For  these  are  a  plain  token  of  God's  righteous     5 
Th   c      •       f  judgement,  which  has  in  view  your  being  deemed 
ChristasVindi-  worthy  of  admission  to  God's  Kingdom  for  the  sake 
^Judge?        °f  which,  indeed,  you  are  sufferers — a  plain  token     6 
of  God's  righteous  judgement,  I  say,  since  it  is  a 
righteous  thing  for  Him  to  requite  with  affliction  those  who  are 
now  afflicting  you  ;  and  to  requite  with  rest  you  who  are  suffering     7 
affliction  now — rest  with  us  at  the  re-appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
from  Heaven  attended  by  His  mighty  angels.     He  will  come  in     8 
flames  of  fire  to  take  vengeance  on  those  who  have  no  knowledge 
of  God,  and  do  not  obey  the  Good  News  as  to  Jesus,  our  Lord. 
They  will  pay  the  penalty  of  eternal  destruction,  being  banished     9 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  from  His  glorious  majesty, 
when  He  comes  on  that  day  to  be  glorified  in  His  people  and  to     10 
be  wondered  at  among   all  who  have  believed,  including  you — 
because  you  believed  the  testimony  which  we  brought  for  your 
acceptance. 

I.  Silas^  Lit.  *  Silvanus.' 

7.  Re-appearing]  Lit.  'revealing.'  The  Lord  Jesus  is  already  present.  "What 
we  call  the  Second  Coming  is  really  the  revelation  of  the  Christ  who  is  present  all 
along,  although  unseen  "  (\V.  F.  Adeney). 

9.  His  glorious  majesty]  Lit.  '  the  glory  of  His  might.' 

10.  Co»ies]  Or  '  shall  have  come  '  Have  believed,]  Or  '  shall  (up  to  that  latest 
hour)  have  believed.'      See  Aorist  vi.  5. 

507 


5o8  11.    THESSALONIANS   I.-II. 

The  A  ostie's  ^^  ^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  continually  pray  il 
Prayer  for  his  to  our  God  for  you,  asking  that  He  v/ill  count  you 
®^  ®''®'  worthy  of  His  call,  and  by  His  mighty  power  will 
fully  gratify  your  every  desire  for  what  is  truly  good  and  make 
your  work  of  faith  complete  ;  in  order  that  the  name  of  our  Lord  12 
Jesus  may  be  glorified  in  you,  and  that  you  may  be  glorified  in 
Him,  so  wonderful  is  the  grace  of  our  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  Re=appearlng  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 

But  with  respect  to  the  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus     i  < 

were  to  pre-   Christ  and  our  being  gathered  to  meet   Him,  we 

cede  Christ's   entreat  you,  brethren,  not  readily  to  become  un-     2 

settled  in  mind  or  troubled — either  by  any  pretended 

spiritual  revelation  or  by  any  message  or  letter  claiming  to  have 

been  sent  by  us — through  fancying  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  is 

now  here.     Let  no  one  in  any  way  deceive  you,  for  that  day     3 

cannot  come  without  the  coming  of  the  apostasy  first,  and  the 

appearing  of  the  man  of  sin,  the  son  of  perdition,  who  sets  him-     4 

self  against,  and  exalts  himself  above,  every  so-called  *god'  or 

object  of  worship,  and  goes  the  length  of  taking  his  seat  in  the 

very  temple  of  God,  giving  it  out  that  he  himself  is  God. 

Do  you  not  remember  that  while  I  was  still  with     5 

DestTuct?o'n  ^f  you  I  uscd  to  tell  you  all  this  ?     And  now  you  know     6 

the  Lawless     what  restrains  him,  in  order  that  his  true  character 
one.  ' 

may  be  revealed  at  his  appointed  time.     For  law-     7 

lessness  is  already  at  work  in  secret  ;  but  only  until  the  man  who 

is  now  exercising  a  restraining  influence  is  removed,  and  then     8 

the  lawless  one  will  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  will  sweep 

away  with  the  tempest  of  His  anger,  and  utterly  overwhelm  by  the 

awful  splendour  of  His  Coming. 

An  Outbreak       ^^^  appearing  of  the  Lawless  one  will  be  at-     9 

of  awful       tended  by  various  miracles  and  tokens  and  delusive 

marvels — for  so   Satan  works — and  by  every  kind     10 

of  wicked  deception  for  those  who  are  on  the  way  to  perdition 

because  they  did  not  welcome  into  their  hearts  the  love  of  the 

X.  Gathered]  By  the  angels,  Matt.  xxiv.  31.  O^ir]  Implying  that  the  event  was 
likely  to  happen  in  the  lifetime  of  the  apostle  and  his  first  readers. 

3.  The  man  of  sin\  Possibly  the  Roman  Emperor  Nero.  He  claimed  divine 
honours,  and  was  a  monster  of  cruelty  and  wickedness.  The  appearing]  And  the  full 
manifestation  of  his  true  character. 

6.  What  restrains]  Apparently  a  person  who  at  first  exercised  a  wholesome  in- 
fluence upon  Nero.     This  may  have  been  his  tutor,  the  noble  Seneca. 

8.   Tempest  0/  His ange>]  Lit.  '  breath  of  His  mouth.' 


IT.    THESSALONIANS    II.-III.  509 

truth  so  that  they  might   be  saved.     And  for  this  reason  God     il 
sends  them  a  misleading  influence  that  they  maybeheve  the  lie  ; 
in  order  that  all  may  come  under  judgement  who  have  refused     12 
to  believe  the  truth,  and  have  taken  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness. 

Thanksgiving  and  Exhortations, 

And  from  us  thanks  are  always  due  to  God  on  13 
Thanksjvfng.  X^"^  beli.ilf— brethren  whom  the  Lord  loves— be- 
cause God  from  the  beginning  has  chosen  you  for 
sah^ation  through  the  Spirit's  sanctifying  influence  and  your  be- 
lief in  the  truth.  To  this  blessing  God  has  called  you  by  our  14 
Good  News,  so  that  you  may  have  a  share  in  the  glory  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

An  Exhorta-        ^^  then,  brethren,  stand  your  ground,  and  hold     15 
tion  and  a      fast  to  the  teachings  which  you  have  received  from 
rayer.        ^^^^  whether  by  word  of  mouth  or  by  letter.     And     16 
may  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself — and  God  our  Father  who 
has  loved  us  and  has  given  us  in  His  grace  eternal  consolation 
and  a  bright  hope — comfort  your  hearts  and  make  you  stedfast     17 
in  every  good  work  and  word. 

Finally,  brethren,   pray  for  us,  asking  that  the     i   | 
^  '^Pray^er  ^°^  Lord's  Message  may  spread  rapidly  and  its  glory 

be  displayed,  as  it  was  displayed  among  you  ;  and     2 
that  we  may  be  delivered  from  wrong-headed  and  wicked  men  ; 
for  it  is  not  everybody  who  has  faith.     But  the  Lord  is  faithful,     3 
and  He  will  make  you  stedfast  and  will  guard  you  from  the  Evil 
one.     And  we  have  confidence  in  the  Lord  in  regard  to  you  that     4 
you  are  doing,  and  will  do,  what  we  command.     And  may  the     5 
Lord  guide  your  hearts  into  the  love  of  God  and  into  the  patience 
of  Christ. 
The  Dut  of        ^"^'  ^y  ^^^  authority  of  the  Lord,  we  command     6 
quiet,  honest   you,  brethren,  to  stand  aloof  from  every  brother 
^°'^^-         whose  life  is  disorderly  and  not  in  accordance  with 
the  teaching  which  all  received  from  us.     For  you  yourselves     7 
know  that  it  is  your  duty  to  follow  our  example.     There  was  no 


II.    T/ie  He]  I.E.  the  mass  oflies  weaved  into  one  in  opposition  to  God's  truth. 

13.  From  the  beginning]  Of  the  Gospel,  or  of  the  world.  By  the  Spirifs  sancti- 
fying influence]    The  same  expression  occurs  in  the  Greek  of  i  Pet.  i.  2. 

I.  May  spread  rapidly]  So  Alford.  Or  '  may  hold  its  outward  course'  (Cony 
beare). 

6.  By  the  authority]  Lit.   'in  the  name.'     7^he  Lord]  v.l.  *  our  Lord. 


5io  II.    THESSALONIANS    III. 

disorder  in  our  lives  among  you,  nor  did  we  eat  any  one's  bread     8 
without  paying  for  it,  but  we  laboured  and  toiled,  working  hard 
night  and  day  in  order  not  to  be  a  burden  to  any  of  you.     This     9 
was  not  because  we  had  not  a  claim  upon  you,  but  it  arose  from 
a  desire  to  set  you  an  example — for  you  to   imitate  us.     For     10 
even  when  we  were  with  you,  we  laid  down  this  rule  for  you  : 
"  If  a  man  does  not  choose  to  work,  neither  shall  he  eat." 

For  we  hear  that  there  are  some  of  you  who  live  disorderly     11 
lives  and  are  mere  idle  busybodies.     To  persons  of  that  sort  our     12 
injunction — and  our  command  by  the  authority  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ — is  that  they  are  to  work  quietly  and  eat  their  own  hon- 
estly-earned bread. 

But  you,  brethren,  must  not  grow  weary  in  the  path  of  duty  ;  13 
andif  any  one  refuses  to  obey  these  our  written  instructions,  mark  14 
that  man  and  hold  no  communication  with  him — so  that  he  may 
be  made  to  feel  ashamed.  And  yet  do  not  regard  him  as  an  15 
enemy,  but  caution  him  as  a  brother.  And  may  the  Lord  of  16 
peace  Himself  continually  grant  you  peace  in  every  sense.  The 
Lord  be  with  you  all. 

Conclusion. 

I    Paul    add  the  greeting  with   my  own  hand,     17 
ej^ss^ng!      which  is  the  credential  in  every  letter  of  mine.  This 

is  my  handwriting.     May  the  grace  of  our   Lord     18 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 

8.  IVithout  paving  for  ifllAt.   'as  a  gift.' 

9.  A  c'aitn  icpon  you\  Cp.  i  Cor.  ix.  4. 

13.   In  the  path  of  diity\  Lit.  '  in  doing  right.' 


PAUL'S  FIRST  LETTER  TO  TIMOTHY 


There  has  never  been  any  real  doubt  among  Christian  people 
as  to  the  authorship  of  the  three  "  pastoral "  Letters,  but  definite 
objections  to  their  genuineness  have  been  made  in  recent  times 
upon  the  ground  of  such  internal  evidence  as  their  style,  the 
indications  they  present  of  advanced  organization,  their  historic 
standpoint  and  their  references  to  developed  heresy.  Yet  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  matter  does  not  support  these 
objections.  It  is  certain  that  the  three  Letters  stand  or  fall 
together,  and  there  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  dismissing  the 
ancient  conclusion  that  they  are  all  the  genuine  work  of  Paul, 
and  belong  to  the  last  years  of  his  life,  66-67  A.D.  This  first 
Letter  was  probably  written  from  Macedonia. 


5ia 


PAUL'S   FIRST  LETTER  TO   TIMOTHY 

^     ^.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  by  the  will  of     i 

Greeting.         r-    ^  a       ■  j  r^u   ■   .  t  u 

God  our  baviour  and  Christ  Jesus  our  hope  : 

To   Timothy,    my   own   true   son   in   the  faith.     May  grace,     2 

mercy   and    peace    be  granted  to  you  from  God  the  Father 

and  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Timothy's  When   I  was  on    my  journey  to  Macedonia   I     3 

special  Work    begged  you  to    remain    on    at  Ephesus  that  you 

p  esus.     j^jgj^j-  remonstrate  with  certain  persons  because  of 

their  erroneous  teaching  and  the  attention  they  bestow  on  mere     4 

fables  and  endless  pedigrees  such  as  lead  to  controversy  rather 

than  to  a  true  stewardship  for  God,  which  only  exists  where 

there  is  faith  :  and  I  make  the  same  request  now. 

But  the  end  sought  to  be  secured  by  exhortation     5 

Tficichcps    who  • 

were  false  to  IS  the  love  which  springs  from  a  pure  heart,  a  clear 
Christian      conscience  and  a  sincere  faith.     From  these  some     6 

Truth. 

have  drifted  away,  and  have  wandered  into  empty 
words.     They  are  ambitious  to  be  teachers  of  the  Law,  although     7 
they  do  not  understand  either  their  own  words   or  what  the 
things  are  about  which  they  make  such  confident  assertions. 
The  real  Pur-       ^^^  ^^  know  that  the  Law  is  good,  if  a  man     8 
pose  of  the     uses  it  in  the  way  it  should  be  used,  and  remembers     9 

that  a  law  is  not  enacted  to  control  a  righteous 
man,  but  for  the  lawless  and  rebellious,  the  irreligious  and  sin- 
ful, the  godless  and  profane — for  those  who  strike  their  fathers 
or  their  mothers,  for  murderers,  fornicators,  sodomites,  slave-  ic 
dealers,  liars  and  false  witnesses  ;  and  for  whatever  else  is 
opposed  to  wholesome  teaching  ai)d  is  not  in  accordance  with     11 

3.  Erroneous  teachins;\  Or  'being  teachers  of  other  doctrines.'  "  It  would  seem 
that  the  false  teachers  in  Ephesus  were  among  the  number  of  the  presbyters,  which 
would  agree  with  the  anticipation  expressed  in  Acts  xx.  30"  (Conybeare). 

4.  Pedigrees\  Or  'genealogies.'  (1)  The  genealogical  registers  belonging  either 
to  Israelitish  families,  or  to  Rabbinical  fables  and  fabrications  ;  (2)  spiritual  myths, 
the  'aeons'  and  'emanations'  of  the  Gnostics  ;  or  (3)  the  heathen  mythologies. 
The  last-named  seem  least  probable  of  all.     Cp.  Tit.  i.  14. 

6,  Drr/teci  aivay]  Lit.  '  missed  the  mark.' 

5'3  LL 


5 14  1.    TIMOTHY    I.-II. 

the  Good  News  of  the  blessed  God  with  which   I  have  been 

entrusted. 

I  am  thankful  to  Him  who  made  me  strong —     I2 

iviJr^^shown  ^ven   Christ  Jesus   our   Lord — because    He    has 

*?  f^^Vi        iudoed  me  to  be  faithful  and  has  put  me  into  His 
himself.        JO  t^ 

service,  though  I  was  previously  a  blasphemer  and     13 
a  persecutor  and  had  been  insolent  in  outrage.     Yet  mercy  was 
shown  me,  because  I  had  acted  ignorantly,  not  having  as  yet 
beheved  ;  and  the  grace  of  our  Lord  came  to  me  in  overflowing     14 
fulness,  conferring  faith  on  me  and  the  love  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

Wh  so  reat  Faithful  is  the  saying,  and  deserving  of  universal  15 
a  Sinner  was  acceptance,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world 
orgiven.  ^^  ^^^^  sinners  ;  among  whom  I  stand  foremost. 
But  mercy  was  shown  me  in  order  that  in  me  as  the  foremost  of  i5 
sinners  Christ  Jesus  might  display  the  fulness  of  His  long- 
suffering  patience  as  an  example  to  encourage  those  who  would 
afterwards  be  resting  their  faith  on  Him  with  a  view  to  the  Life 
of  the  ages. 

No'vv  to  the  immortal  and  invisible  King  of  the     17 
of  Praisef*   ^g^s,  who  alone  is   God,  be  honour  and  glory  to 
the  ages  of  the  ages  !     Amen. 
Timoth    ex         '^^'^  ^^  ^^^  charge  which  I  entrust  to  you,  my     18 
horted  and     son  Timothy,  in  accordance  with  the  inspired  in- 
warne  .       structions   concerning  you   which  were  given  me 
long  ago,  that  being  equipped  with  them  as  your  armour  you 
may  be  continually  fighting  the  good  fight,  holding  fast  to  faith     19 
and  a  clear  conscience,  which   some  have  cast  aside  and  have 
made  shipwreck  of  their  faith.     Among  these  are  Hymenaeus     20 
and  Alexander,  whom   I   have  delivered  to  Satan  so  that  they 
„    ^.       .   .    may  be  taught  not  to  blaspheme. 

The  Church  is        /       ,         *  ,  _  r      ,.       ,  ^■        ■ 

to  pray  for  all      I  exhort  then,  first   of  all,    that   supplications,     i   < 

the  World,     prayers,  intercessions  and  thanksgivings  be  offered 

13.  JVot  hiving  believed]  Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  34  :  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

15.  Foremost]  Notice  the  apostle's  ever-deepening  humility.  In  i  Cor.  xv.  9 
(s\'ritten  in  56,  a.u.)  he  describes  himself  as  'the  least  of  the  apostles'  and  as  one 
who  was  '  not  fit  to  be  called  an  apostle  ;'  in  Eph.  iii.  8  (written  in  63,  a.d.  )  as  '  the 
least  of  all  God's  people,'  and  in  this  letter  (written  in  66,  A.D.)  as  having  been  '  the 
chief  (or,  foremost)  of  sinners.' 

16.  After-watds]  More  accurately,  in  accordance  with  N.T.  usage, 'soon  after- 
wards.' No  doubt  God's  wonderful  mercy  to  Paul  will  be  to  the  end  of  time  an 
encouragement  to  even  the  worst  sinner,-?,  if  they  but  repent,  but  naturally  it  was  an 
instance  of  divine  grace  which  specially  appealed  to  the  apostle's  own  contem- 
poraries.    And  that  appears  to  be  the  thought  here. 

20.   laught]  IJy  punishment.     Cp.  i  Cor.  v.  5. 


I.    TIMOTHY   II,  515 

on  behalf  of  all  men  ;  including  kings  and  all  who  are  in  high     2 
station,    in    order    that    we   may   live    peaceful    and    tranquil 
lives    with  all  godliness   and  gravity.     This   is   right,   and   is     3 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour,  who  is  willing  for  all     4 
mankind  to  be  saved  and  come  to  a  full  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
For  there  is  but  one  God  and  but  one  Mediator  between  God     5 
and  men— Christ  Jesus,  Himself  man  ;  who  gave  Himself  as  the     6 
redemption  price  for  all— a  fact  testified  to  at  its  own  appointed 
time,  and  of  which  I  have  been  appointed  a  herald  and  an     7 
apostle  (I  am  speaking  the  truth  :  it  is  not  a  fiction),  a  teacher 
of  the  Gentiles  in  faith  and  truth. 

Men  were  to        ^^  ^^^^  ^  would  have  the  men  everywhere  pray,     8 
lead  in  Prayer  ;  lifting  to  God  holy  hands  which  are  unstained  with 

Women   to  .^  i  t  1  i  1  1 

dress         anger  or  strife  ;  and  I  would  have  the  women  dress     9 
modestly,      becomingly,   with   modesty  and   self-control,   not 
with  plaited  hair  or  gold  or  pearls  or  costly  clothes,  but — as     10 
befits  women  making  a  claim  to  godliness  — with  the  ornament 
of  good  works. 

^      .    ,  A  woman   should  quietly  learn  from  others  with     1 1 

Subordination  entire  submissiveness.     I  do  not  permit  a  woman      12 

to  Man.        j.^  teach,  nor  have  authority  over  a  man,  but  she 
must  remain  silent.    For  Adam  was  formed  first,  and  then  Eve  ;     13 
and  Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  his  wife  was  thoroughly  de-     14 
ceived,  and  so  became  involved  in  transgression.     Yet  a  woman     1 5 
will  be  brought  safely  through  childbirth  if  she  and  her  husband 
continue  to  live  in  faith  and  love  and  growing  holiness,  with 
habitual  self-restraint. 

1.  Supplications.  Prayers\^\v^  first  word  "expresses  our  needs;"  the  second 
"shows  that  we  look  to  God  as  our  only  helper"  (Wordsworth). 

2.  Gravity^  Or  '  reputableness  ; '  i.e.  that  aggregate  of  charactistics  which  claims 
and  enforces  the  respect  of  other  men.     Cp.  Phil.  iv.  8. 

4.  All  mankind  to  be  saved]  "  Redemption  is  universal  yet  conditional ;  all  may 
be  saved,  yet  all  will  not  be  saved,  because  all  will  not  conform  to  God's  appointed 
conditions  "  (Ellicott). 

5.  Himself  vian\  "  Not  individual  but  generic  humanity  is  predicated.  'A  man  ' 
would  convey  the  idea  of  human  individuality  "  (Alford). 

8.  The  jnen]  A  different  Greek  word  is  here  used  from  that  in  verse  5.  The 
latter— which  we  have  in  the  English  '  ^h.\\-anthrop-y '  and'  ant  Arop-ology' — indicates 
a  human  being,  irrespectively  of  age  or  sex.  The  other,  which  is  the  one  here, 
expressly  excludes  women  and  children,  and  .may  often  be  rendered  by  '  husband,' 
'Sir,'  'gentleman.'  So  in  Latin  we  have  '  vir'  as  well  as  '  homo,'  and  in  German 
'Mann'  as  well  as  '  Mensch.'  Everywhere]  I.E.  in  every  place  of  customary  de- 
votional resort.  Unstained  S^r^c]  The  brother  who  offers  the  prayer  not  praying 
'  at'  any  other  brother  by  alluding  to  his  supposed  errors  in  conduct  or  doctrine. 

II,  12.  A  7vo7Han.  A  zvoina?i.  A  vian]  Or  possibly  'A  married  woman.  A 
married  woman.     Her  husband.'     Cp.  i  Cor.  xiv.  34,  n. 

14.  Became  involved]  The  perfect  tense  of  the  Greek.     See  Aorist  vii. 

15.  Brought  safely  through  childbirth]  Or  'saved  through  the  childbearing '  of 
the  Christ  by  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  primal  curse  having  been  then  turned  into  a 
blessing  to  the  whole  race.     She  and  her  husband]  Lit.  '  they.'     Cp.  i  Pet.  iii.  7. 


5i6  I.    TIMOTHY    III. 

Faithful  is  the  saying,  "If  any  one  is  eager  to     i   [ 

®tion?of^^"  have  the  oversight  of  a  church,  he  desires  a  noble 

^.9.'^'^'^*'^"     work."     A  minister  then  must  be  a  man  of  irre-     2 
Minister.  ,     ,  ,         ,  ,  .  -r 

proachable  character,  true  to  his  one  wife,   tem- 
perate, sober-minded,  well-behaved,  hospitable  to  strangers,  and 
with  a  gift  for  teaching  ;  not  a  hard  drinker  nor  given  to  blows  ;     3 
not  selfish  or  quarrelsome  or  covetous  ;  but  ruling  his  own  house-     4 
hold  wisely  and  well,  with  children  kept  under  control  with  true 
dignity.     (If  a  man  does  not  know  how  to  rule  his  own  house-     5 
hold,  how  shall  he  have  the  church  of  God  given  into  his  care  ?) 
He  ought  not  to  be  a  new  convert,  for  fear  he  should  be  blinded    6 
with  pride  and  come  under  the  same  condemnation  as  the  devil. 
It  is  needful  also  that  he  bear  a  good  character  with  people  out-     7 
side  the  church,  lest  he  fall  into  reproach  or  a  snare  of  the  devil. 

Deacons,    in    the   same    way,   must   be  men  of    8 
^tioiisW^^'  serious    demeanour,    not   double-tongued,  nor  ad- 
Deacons  and    dieted  to  much  wine,  nor  greedy  of  base  gain,  but     Q 
Deaconesses.    ....  ,  .        '        ,     *=^  .  /     .  ,  f        '  ^ 

holding  the  truths  of  the  faith  with  a  clear  con- 
science.   And  they  must  also  be  well-tried  men,  and  when  found     10 
to  be  of  unblemished  character  then  let  them  serve  as  deacons. 
Deaconesses,  in  the  same  way,  must  be  sober-minded  women,     11 
not  slanderers,  but  in  every  way  temperate  and  trustworthy. 

A  deacon  must  be  true  to  his  one  wife,  and  rule  his  children     12 
and  his  own  household  wisely  and  well.     For  those  who  have     13 
filled  the  deacon's  office  wisely  and  well,  are  already  gaining  for 
themselves  an    honourable  standing,  and  are  acquiring  great 
freedom  of  speech  in  proclaiming  the  faith  which  rests  on  Christ 
Jesus. 
^,     ^^      ^         All   this  I   write  to  you,   though  I   am   hoping     14 

The  Church     ,^,  ^       '  ^  r      r         r 

of  the  ever-  before  long  to  come  to  see  you  ;  but,  for  fear  I  may     15 
hving  God.     ^^  hindered,  I   now  write,  so  that  you  may  have 
rules  to  guide  you  in  dealing  with  God's  household.     For  this  is 
what  the  church  of  the  ever-Hving  God  is,  and  it  is  the  pillar  and 
foundation-stone  of  the  truth.     And,  beyond  controversy,  deep     16 
is  the  mystery  of  godliness.     He  who  appeared  in  human  form, 

2.  Minister]  Lit.  'one  who  has  the  oversight,'  '  a  bishop.'  The  identity  of 
*  bishops'  and  '  elders'  in  the  early  church  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  qualifica- 
tions here  required  from  '  bishops  '  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  required  from 
'elders'  in  Tit.  i.  5-9,  where  indeed  the  word  'bishop'  occurs.     See  Acts  xx.  28,  n. 

2,  12.  True  to  his  ojie  2ui/e\  Lit.  'one  woman's  man.'  Cp.  v.  9.  Hospitable]  At 
this  time  Christians  on  a  journey  could  not  resort  to  the  houses  of  the  heathen  or  to 
the  public  inns. 

13.  An  honourable  statuiing]  On  the  day  of  Judgement. 

15.  For  this  is  what]  Lit.  'wliich.'    Cp.  1  Cor.  iii.  17.  Ever-living]    Lit.  'living.' 


I   TIMOTHY   III.-IV.  517 

and  had  His  claims  justified  by  the  Spirit,  was  seen  by  angels 
and  was  proclaimed  among  the  nations,  was  believed  on  in  the 
world,  and  was  received  up  into  glory. 
FaiseTeachers      ^^^^'^  *^^  Spirit  expressly  declares  that  in  later     i  t 

on  the        times  some  will  fall  away  from  the  faith,  giving 
Marriageand   heed  to   deceiving   spirits   and   the   teachings    of 

Food.         demons  ;  through  the  hypocrisy  of  men  who  teach     2 
falsely  and  have  their  own  consciences  seared  as  with  a  hot 
iron  ;  forbidding  people  to  marry,  and  recommending  abstinence     3 
from  foods  which    God   has    created  to  be   partaken  of,  with 
thankfulness,  by  those  who  believe  and  have  a  clear  knowledge 
of  the  truth.     For  everything  that  God  has  created  is  good,  and     4 
nothing  is  to  be  cast  aside,  if  only  it  is  received  with  thanks- 
giving.     For  it  is   made  holy   by  the  word  of  God  and  by     5 
prayer. 
Error  to  be        ^^  ^^^  warn  the  brethren  of  these  dangers  you     6 
faithfully      will  be  a  good  and  faithful  servant  of  Christ  Jesus, 
""^  "  ®  ■       inwardly  feeding  on  the  lessons  of  the  faith  and  of 
the  sound  teaching  of  which  you  have  been,  and  are,  so  close  a 
follower.     But  worldly  stories,  fit  only  for  credulous  old  women,     7 
have  nothing  to  do  with. 

Train  yourself  in  godliness.     Exercise  for  the     8 
t^  exerci^     body  is  not  useless,  but  godliness  is  useful  in  every 
spiritual  Self-  respect,  possessing,  as  it  does,  the  promise  of  Life 

now  and  of  the  Life  which  is  soon  coming.    Faith-     9 
ful  is  this  saying  and  deserving  of  universal  acceptance  :  and     10 
here  is  the  motive  of  our  toiling  and  wrestling,  because  we  have 
our  hopes  fixed  on  the  ever-living  God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all 
mankind,  and  especially  of  believers. 
,.,  u.  ,>     ^    *      Command    this  and  teach  this.    Let     no    one  11,  1 

NobleConduct    ,.,,.,.,        ^  , 

and  untiring  thmk  slightmgly  of  you  because  you  are  a  young 
Zeal  needful.  ^^^^^  .  ^^^  ^^  speech,  conduct,  love,  faith  and 
purity,  be  an  example  for  your  fellow  Christians  to  imitate. 
Till  I  come,  bestow  your  attention  on  reading,  exhortation  13 
and  teaching.  Do  not  be  careless  about  the  gifts  with  14 
which  you  are  endowed,  which  were  conferred  on  you 
through    a    divine   revelation    when   the  hands  of  the   elders 


I.   The  Spirit]  The  Holy  Spirit  of  prophecy.      Later  titnes']  Cp.  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 

10.  IVresiliu/]  v.L.  '  bearing  reproach.'  IVe  have  our  hopes  fixed\  The  Greek 
perfect  implying  '  and  on  Him  the  hopes  still  rest,'  with  more  emphasis  than  the 
English  perfect  contains.  Ever-living]  Lit.  'living.'  0/  ail  S'c.]  Cp.  ii.  4, 
Ellicott's  note. 

13.  Reading  &>c.]  i.e.  public  reading,  public  exhortation,  public  teaching. 


5i8  I.    TIMOTHY  IV. -V. 

were  placed  upon  you.     Habitually  practise  these  duties,  and     15 

be  absorbed  in  them  ;  so  that  your  growing  proficiency  in  them 

may  be  evident  to  all.     Be  on  your  guard  as  to  yourself  and     16 

your  teaching.     Persevere  in  these  things  ;  for  by  doing  this 

you    will   make  certain  your  own  salvation  and    that    of  your 

hearers. 

Never  administer  a  sharp  reprimand  to  a  man     i    ( 

i?.^Rebukl^     ^^^^^  ^^^"  yourself  ;  but  entreat  him  as  if  he  were 

your  father,  and  the  younger  men  as  brothers  ;  the     2 

elder  women  too  as  mothers,  and  the  younger  women  as  sisters, 

with  perfect  modesty. 

_,.      ,.  Honour  widows  who  are  really  in  need.     But  if  3,  4 

Directions  as  .,  ,  ,.,,  /,.,,  ,         ^ 

to  Widowed    a  widow  has  children  or  grandchildren,  let  these 

omen.       jg^rn  first  to  show  piety  towards  their  own  homes 
and  to  prove  their  gratitude  to  their  parents  ;  for  this  is  well 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God.     A  widow  who  is  really  in  need,     5 
friendless  and  desolate,  has  her  hopes  fixed  on  God,  and  con- 
tinues at  her  supplications  and  prayers,  night  and  day  ;  but  a     6 
pleasure-loving  widow  is  dead  even  while  still  alive.     Press  these     7 
facts  upon  them,  so  that  they  may  live  lives  free  from  reproach. 
But  if  a  man  makes  no  provision  for  those  dependent  on  him,     8 
and  especially  for  his  own  family,  he  has  disowned  the  faith  and 
is  behaving  worse  than  an  unbeliever. 

No  widow  is  to  be  put  on  the  roll  who  is  under  sixty  years  of    9 
age.     She  must  have  been  true  to  her  one  husband,  and  well     10 
reported  of  for  good  deeds,  as  having  brought  up  children,  re- 
ceived strangers  hospitably,  washed  the  feet  of  God's  people, 
given  relief  to  the  distressed,  and  devoted  herself  to  good  works 
of  every  kind. 

But  the  younger  widows  you  must  not  enrol  ;  for  as  soon  as     11 
they  begin  to  chafe  against  the  yoke  of  Christ,  they  want  to 
marry,  and  they  incur  disapproval  for  having  broken  their  original     ]  2 
vow.     And  at  the  same  time  they  also  learn  to  be  idle  as  they     13 
go  round  from  house  to  house  ;  and  they  are  not  only  idle,  but 

3.  5,  16.  Really  in  need]  Lit.  '  really  widows.'  Such  are  to  be  put  on  the  widows' 
roll  of  the  church.     See  Acts  vi.  i-6. 

4.  First]  Before  the  church  collectively  has  to  intervene  and  discharge  their  ne- 
glected duty. 

5.  Has  .  .  Jixed]  Greek  perfect.     Cp.  iv.  lo. 

8.  Those  dependent  on  him]  Lit.  'his  own,'  including  his  own  slaves.  So  Cyprian 
veqiiired  Christian  masters  to  tend  their  sick  slaves  in  time  of  pestilence.  (Cony- 
beare.) 

9.  True  to  her  one  husband]  Lit.  '  one  man's  woman.'     Cp.  iii.  2. 

II.  Christ]  To  whom  the  widows  of  the  church  made  profession  of  entire  devotion 
when  their  names  were  put  on  the  Roll  of  the  widows.     (Wordsworth.) 


I.    TIMOTHY  V.  519 

are  gossips  also  and  busybodies,  speaking  of  things  that  ought 
not  to  be  spoken  of. 

I    would   therefore   have    the    younger    women     14 
^WomTn^^     marry,   bear   children,  rule  in  domestic  matters, 
and   furnish   the   adversary    with    no    excuse    for 
slander.     For  already  some  of  them  have  gone  astray,  following     15 
Satan.     If  a  believing  woman  has  widows  dependent  on  her,     16 
she  should  relieve  their  wants,  and  save  the  church  from  being 
burdened — so  that  the  church  may  relieve  the  widows  who  are 
really  in  need. 

Let  the  elders  who  perform  their  duties  wisely     17 
and  well  be  held  worthy  of  double  honour,  especi- 
ally those  who  labour  in   preaching   and  teaching.     For   the     18 
Scripture  says,  "You  are  not  to  muzzle  the  ox  while  it 
IS  TREADING  OUT  THE  GRAIN"  (Deut.  XXV.  4)  ;  and  the  work- 
man deserves  his  pay. 

Never  entertain  an  accusation  against  an  elder  except  on  the     19 
evidence  of  two  or  three  witnesses.     Those  who  persist  in  sin     20 
reprove  in  the  presence  of  all,  so  that  it  may  also  be  a  warning 
to  the  rest. 

I  solemnly  call  upon  you,  in  the  presence  of  God     21 
Appelt"lnd    ^"^  ^^  Christ  Jesus  and   of  the  elect  angels,  to 

personal       carrv  out  these  instructions  of  mine  without  pre- 
Advice  "* 

judice,  and  to  do  nothing  from  partiality.     Do  not     22 

ordain  any  one  hastily  ;  and  do  not  be  a  partaker  in  the  sins  of 

others;  keep  yo/irse// pure.     (No  longer  be  a  water-drinker;     23 

but  take  a  little  wine  for  the  sake  of  your  digestion  and  your 

frequent  ailments.) 

The  sins  of  some  men  are  evident  to  the  world,     24 

HindranJ^s^to  leading  the  way  to   your  estimate  of  their  char- 

atrue Estimate  acters,  but  the  sins  of  others  lag  behind.     So  also     25 

of  Character.      ,         .  ',  .  ^  ^,  ,  ,  , 

the  right  actions  of  some  are  evident  to  the  world, 
and  those  that  are  not  cannot  remain  for  ever  out  of  sight. 


16.  T/iai  the  church  may  relieve]  Or  '  that  it  (i.e.  its  resources)  may  suffice  for.' 
(See  Sandys'  Athen.  Polit.,  p.  42,  n.) 

17.  Honour]  i.e.  remuneration.  Preaching  and  teaching]  These  words  clearly 
imply  the  existence  at  that  time  of  two  kinds  of  ruling  presbyters— those  who 
preached  and  taught,  and  those  who  did  not.  (Ellicott.)  What  duties  devolved 
on  the  latter  of  these  classes  is  partly  shown  in  Acts  vi.  1-6  ;   xi.  30. 

20.  Who  persist  in  sin]  Cp.  the  Greek  present  participle  in  i  John  iii.  6. 

21.  Partinlity]  i.e.  bias  in  one  direction  or  the  other.  Pure]  If  Timothy  had  ad- 
mitted lunvorthy  candidates  to  the  ministry  from  bias  or  negligence,  his  own  char- 
acter would  have  suffered.     (Alford.) 

23.  Ailments]  Or  'illnesses.' 

24.  Your  estiinate  of  their  characters]  Lit.  simply  'judgement.' 


520  I.    TIMOTHY   VI. 

Let  all  who  are  under  the  yoke  of  slavery  hold     i   ( 
Slaves.  ,     .  ,       ,      -^     .  ^  ,        -^  ^ 

their  own  masters  to  be  deserving  of  honour,  so 

that  the  name  of  God  and  the  Christian  teaching  may  not  be 

spoken  against.     And  those  who  have  believing  masters  should     2 

not  be  wanting  in  respect  towards  them  because  they  are  their 

brethren,  but  should  serve  them  all  the  more  willingly  because 

those  who  profit  by  the  faithful  service  rendered  are  believers 

and  are  friends. 

False  Teach-        ^°  teach  and  exhort.     If  anyone  is  a  teacher     3 

ingand  its     of  any  Other  kind  of  doctrine,  and  refuses  assent 

to  wholesome  instructions — those  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ — and  the  teaching  that  harmonizes  with  true  godli- 
ness, he  is  puffed  up  with  pride  and  has  no  true  knowledge,  but  4 
is  crazy  over  discussions  and  controversies  about  words  which 
give  rise  to  envy,  quarrelling,  revilings,  ill-natured  suspicions, 
and  persistent  wranglings  on  the  part  of  people  whose  intellects  5 
are  disordered  and  they  themselves  blinded  to  all  knowledge  of 
the  truth  ;  who  imagine  that  godliness  means  gain. 

And    godliness   is   gain,  when  associated    with     6 
against'*Greed    contentment ;     for  we    brought  nothing  into  the     7 

world,  nor  can  we  carry  anything  out  of  it  ;  and  if    8 
we  have  food  and  clothing,  with  these  we  will  be  satisfied.     But     9 
people  who  are  determined  to  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a 
snare,  and  into  many  unwise  and  pernicious  ways  which  sink 
mankind  in  destruction  and  ruin.     For  from  love  of  money  all     10 
sorts  of  evil  arise  ;  and  some  have  so  hankered  after  money  as 
to  be  led  astray  from  the  faith  and  be  pierced  through  with 
countless  sorrows. 

But  you,  O  man  of  God,  must  flee  from  these      il 
^^ppea"^      things  ;  and  strive  for  uprightness,  godliness,  good 

faith,  love,  fortitude,  and  a  forgiving  temper.  Exert  12 
all  your  strength  in  the  honourable  struggle  for  the  faith  ;  lay 
hold  of  the  Life  of  the  ages,  to  which  you  were  called,  when  you 
made  your  noble  profession  of  faith  before  many  witnesses.  I  13 
charge  you— as  in  the  presence  of  God  who  gives  life  to  all 
creatures,  and  of  Christ  Jesus  who  at  the  bar  of  Pontius  Pilate 
made  a  noble  profession  of  faith — that  you  keep  God's  com-     14 

3.  Refuses  assent]  Lit.  '  does  not  go  over  to.' 

ic.  T/tese  things]  The  love  of  money  "and  the  evil  principles  and  results  associ- 
ated witli  it"  (Ellicott).  Good  faith]  Or  'faithfulness;'  or  'faith'  in  its  usual 
theological  sense. 

12.  Stritg^^lc]  Or  'contest  for  the  iirize.'  The  foot-race  is  specially  alluded  to. 
Cp.  2  Tim.  iv.  7.  Before  many  zvitiiesses]  At  his  baptism,  or  during  some  time  of 
special  persecution. 


I.    TIMOTHY   VI.  521 

mandments  stainlessly  and  without  reproach  till  the  Appearing 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  for,  at  its  appointed  time,  this  will  be     15 
brought  about  by  the  blessed  and  only  Sovereign,  the  King  of 
kings   and    Lord  of  lords,    who    alone  possesses    immortality,     16 
dwelling  in  unapproachable  light,  and  whom  no  man  has   seen 
or  can  see.     To  Him  be  eternal  honour  and  power  !     Amen. 
An  Exhorta-       Impress  on  those  who  are  rich  in  the  present     17 
tiontothe     age  that  they  must  not  be  haughty  nor  set  their 
hopes  on  riches — that  unstable  foundation — but  on 
God  who  provides  us  richly  with  all  things  for  our  enjoyment. 
They  must  be  beneficent,  rich  in  noble  deeds,  open-handed  and     18 
liberal  ;  storing  up  for  themselves  that  which  shall    be  a  solid     19 
foundation  for  the  future,  that  they  may  lay  hold  of  the  Life 
which  is  life  indeed. 

O  Timothy,  guard  the  truths  entrusted  to  you,     20 
and"BiSing.   shunning  irreligious  and  frivolous  talk,  and  contro- 
versy with  what  is  falsely  called  'knowledge'  ;  of     21 
which  some  have  spoken  boastfully  in  connexion  with  the  true 
faith,  and  have  erred. 

Grace  be  with  you  all.  22 

15.  For  .  .   this  will  be  brought  abonfl  I/it.  '  which  (Appearing)  He  will  show.' 
19.    The  future^  More  accurately,  in  accordance  with  the  N.T.  usage  of  the  word, 
'  the  future  which  is  near.' 

21.  In  connexion  &'c.\  Lit.    '  have  shot  round  about  the  target  (of  the  true  faith) 
but  not  hit  it.'     Or  "  have  gone  wide  in  aim  concerning  the  faitii  "  (Ellicott). 

22.  You  all]  v.L.  'you'  (Timothy),  in  the  singular. 


PAUUS   SECOND   LETTER    TO 
TIMOTHY 


The  marks  of  genuineness  in  this  Letter  are  very  pronounced  : 
e.g.^  the  thanksgiving,  the  long  list  of  proper  names — twenty- 
three  in  number — the  personal  details  and  the  manifest  tone  of 
sincerity  and  earnestness.  Hence  it  is  accepted  as  Paul's  even 
by  some  who  reject  the  former  Letter  and  that  addressed  to 
Titus.  But  it  is  inseparable  from  the  others,  and  was  probably 
written  from  Rome  during  the  apostle's  second  imprisonment. 
It   is  his  last  Letter  known  to  us,   and   its   apparent   date   is 

67  A.D. 


524 


PAUL'S  SECOND  LETTER  TO  TIMOTHY 

Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus,  by  the  will  of 
ree  mg.       Qq^^   f^j.   proclaiming   the    promise    of  the    Life 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  : 

To  Timothy  my  dearly  loved  child.  May  grace,  mercy  and 
peace  be  granted  to  you  from  God  the  Father  and  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord. 

I  thank  God,  whom   I   serve   with  a  pure  con- 

'of  Gratitude"  science — as  my  forefathers  did — that  night  and  day 

I  unceasingly  remember  you  in  my  prayers,  being 

always  mindful  of  your  tears,  and  longing  to  see  you  that  I  may 

be  filled  with  joy  ;  for  I  recall  the  sincere  faith  which  is  in  your 

heart — a  faith  which  dwelt  first  in  your  grandmother  Lois  and 

then  in  your  mother  Eunice,  and,  I  am  fully  convinced,  now 

dwells  in  you  also. 

An  Exhorta         ^°^  ^^^^^  reason  let  me  remind  you  to  rekindle 

tion  to  fresh     God's  gift  which  is  yours  through  the  laying  on  of 

^®*''  my  hands.     For  the  Spirit  which  God  has  given 

us  is  not  a  spirit  of  cowardice,  but  one  of  power  and  of  love  and 

of  sound  judgement. 

Do  not  be  ashamed  then  to  bear  witness  for  our 
"tion  °o  ^"  Lord  and  for  me  His  prisoner  ;  but  rather  share 
^FormucT"*^  suffering  with  me  in  the  service  of  the  Good  News, 
strengthened  by  the  power  of  God.  For  He  saved 
us  and  called  us  with  a  holy  call,  not  in  accordance  with  our 
deserts,  but  in  accordance  with  His  own  purpose  and  the 
free  grace  which  He  bestowed  on  us  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the 
commencement  of  the  ages,  but  which  has  now  been  plainly 

7.  Sound  judgement\  Or  '  wise  admonition.' 

8.  Strengthened by\  \i\X..  'according  to.'  "Since  God's  power  to  support,  save, 
and  reward  us  who  suffer  for  Him,  is  infinite,  our  willingness  to  suffer  ought  to  be  in 
(some)  proportion  to  His  power"  (Wordsworth). 

10.  The  Appearing^  The  only  passage  where  this  word  is  so  used.  Iinniortality] 
Lit.  '  incorruptibility,'  inununity  not  only  from  death  but  from  all  alhneiits  and 
decay. 

525 


526  11.    TIMOTHY   I.-II. 

revealed  through  the  Appearing  of  our  Saviour,  Christ  Jesus. 
He  has  put  an  end  to  death  and  has  brought  Life  and  Immor- 
tality to  light  through  the  Good  News,  of  which  I  have  been  ii 
appointed  a  preacher,  apostle  and  teacher,  to  the  Gentiles. 
That  indeed  is  the  reason  why  I  suffer  as  I  do  ;  but  l,am  not  12 
ashamed,  for  I  know  in  whom  my  trust  reposes,  and  I  am  con- 
fident that  He  has  it  in  His  power  to  keep  what  I  have  en- 
trusted to  Him  safe  until  that  day. 

Provide  yourself  with  an  outline  of  the  sound     13 
Truth  to  be    teaching  which  you  have  heard  from  my  lips,  and 

zealously      ^-jg  ^^ue  to  the  faith  and  love  which  are  in  Christ 
guarded. 

Jesus.     That  precious   treasure  which  is  in  your     14 

charge,  guard  through  the   Holy  Spirit  who  has  His  home  in 

our  hearts. 

Of  this  you  are  aware,  that  all  the  Christians  in     i; 

Phygelus,  •'  '  -' 

Hermogenes,    Roman  Asia  have  deserted  me  :  and  among  them 
Onesiphorus.    pj^y^gi^g  ^^^d  Hemiogenes.     May  the  Lord  show     16 
mercy  to  the  household  of  Onesiphorus  ;    for  many  a  time  he 
cheered  me  and  he  was  not  ashamed  of  my  chain.     Nay,  when     17 
he  was  here  in  Rome,  he  took  great  pains  to  inquire  where  I  was 
living,  and  at  last  he  found  me,      (The  Lord  grant  that  he  may     18 
obtain  mercy  at  His  hands  on  that  day  !)      And  you  yourself 
well  know  all  the  services  which  he  rendered  me  at  Ephesus. 

Timothy  urged      ^^^  ^^^"'  """^  ^^^^^^'  ^^^^^  ^^  Strong  in  the  grace     i   r 
to  be  diligent   that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.     All  that  you  have  been     2 
n    eac  ing.     (.g^^gj^i-  y^y  j^g  jj^  ^-j-jg  hearing  of  many  witnesses, 

you  must  hand  on  to  trusty  men  who  shall  themselves,  in  turn, 
be  competent  to  instruct  others  also. 

As  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus  accept  your  3 
^prt°ence°and°  ^hare  of  suffering.  Every  one  who  serves  as  a  4 
Concentration  soldier  keeps  himself  from  becoming  entangled  in 

of  Purpose.        ,  ,  ,,      ,        •  ,  ,  •    r        , 

the  world  s  busmess — so  that  he  may  satisfy  the 
officer  who  enlisted  him.     And  if  any  one  takes  part  in  an  ath-     5 
letic  contest,  he  gets  no  prize  unless  he  obeys  the  rules.     The     6 
harvestman  who  labours  in  the  field  must  be  the  first  to  get  a 
share  of  the  crop.     Mark  well  what  I  am  saying  :  the  Lord  will     7 
give  you  discernment  in  everything. 

II.  Ofivhich^  Lit.  'into  which.'     Teacher\  v.L.  adds  'of  the  nations.' 

13.  Provide  yourself -with  an]  Or  '  hold  fast  (or,  be  faithful  to)  the.'  Outime]  Or 
'sketch.'     Andbe  true  to\   Lit.  'in.' 

16.  Household]  Onesiphorus  himself  was  perhaps  dead. 

I.  Be  strong]  Lit.  '  be  strengthened,"  i.e.  '  be  ever  gaining  fresh  strength.'  Alford 
is  inexact  here.  ' 


II.    TIMOTHY    II.  527 

The  Encour-        Never  forget   that   Jesus  Christ  is   risen  from     8 

^ge'yient  among  the  dead  and  is  a  descendant  of  David,  as 
Christ's  Re-  is  declared  in  the  Good  News  which  I  preach.  For  9 
surrection.  preaching  the  Good  News  I  suffer,  and  am  even 
put  in  chains,  as  if  I  were  a  criminal  :  yet  the  word  of  God  is 
not  imprisoned.  For  this  reason  I  endure  all  things  for  the  10 
sake  of  God's  own  people  ;  so  that  they  also  may  obtain  salva- 
tion— even  the  salvation  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus — and  with  it 
eternal  glory. 

Faithful  is  the  saying  :  11 

th'l^Crown  a"re      "  ^^  ^e  died  with  Him,  we  shall  also  live  with 

inseparably      Him  ; 

If  we  patiently  endure  pain,  we  shall  also  share     12 
His  Kingship  ; 

If  we  disown  Him,  He  will  also  disown  us  ; 

And  even  if  our  faith  fails,   He  remains   true — He  cannot     13 
prove  false  to  Himself." 
^.      ,      ^     ^      Bring  all  this  to  men's  remembrances,  solemnly     14 

Disputes  about     ,.**,.,  ^^,  ^         -^ 

Words  are  to   chargmg  them  m  the  presence  of  God  not  to  waste 
be  avoided,     ^j^^^  -^^  wrangling  about  mere   words,   a   course 
which  is  altogether  unprofitable  and  tends  only  to  the  ruin  of 
the  hearers. 

Earnestly  seek  to  commend  yourself  to  God  as  a     15 
and'phire^tus.    servant  who,  because  of  his  straightforward  deal- 
ing with  the  word  of  truth,  has  no  reason  to  feel 
any  shame.     But  from  irreligious  and  frivolous  talk  hold  aloof,     16 
for  those  who  indulge  in  it  will  proceed  from  bad  to  worse  in 
impiety,   and  their  teaching  will  spread  like  a  running   sore.     17 
Hymenaeus  and  Philetus  are  men  of  that  stamp.     In  the  matter     18 
of  the  truth  they  have  gone  astray,  saying  that  the  Resurrection 
is  already  past,  and  so  they  are  overthrowing  the  faith  of  some. 
csod's  Church       ^^^   God's   solid   foundation   stands   unmoved,     19 
remains       bearing  this  inscription, 
unshaken.  <' XHE    LORD   KNOWS   THOSE  WHO    REALLY   BE- 

LONG TO  Him  "  (Num.  xvi.  5). 
And  this  also, 
"Let  everyone  who  names  the  Name  of  the  Lord 

RENOUNCE   ALL  WICKEDNESS "  (Isa.  xxvi.  I3). 

II,  12.  If  we  died  dj^c]  Cp.  Rom.  vi.  8.     The  saying  seems  to  have  been  part  of  a 
hymn. 

14.  God]  v.L.  'the  Lord.' 

15.  Dealing  ivitli\   Lit.  '  cutting  '  or  '  laying  out,'  like  a  new  road. 

18.   Gone  astray]  Or  'missed  the  mark.'     Js  already  past]  i.e.  was  already  pa^t 
when  this  Letter  was  written  in  67  a.d. 


528  11.    TIMOTHY    II.-III. 

Now  in  a  great  house  there  are  not  only  articles  20 
"chri?°ians°^  °^  S^^*^  ^"*^  silver,  but  also  others  of  wood  and  of 
earthenware  ;  and  some  are  for  specially  honour- 
able, and  others  for  common  use.  If  therefore  a  man  keeps  21 
himself  clear  of  these  latter,  he  himself  will  be  for  specially 
honourable  use,  consecrated,  fit  for  the  Master's  service,  and 
fully  equipped  for  every  good  work. 

Timothy  to  be       Keep  a  Strong  curb,  however,  on  your  youthful     22 
scrupulously    cravincrs  :  and  strive  for  integrity,  good  faith,  love, 
careful  as  to  °.  •  1        ,,      ,  ,        t        1 

his  own       peace,  m  company  with  all  who  pray  to  the  Lord 
Conduct.      ^jj.|^  p^j.g  hearts^     But  avoid  foolish   discussions     23 

with   ignorant   men,  knowing — as  you  do — that  these  lead  to 
quarrels  ;  and  a  bondservant  of  the  Lord  must  not  quarrel,  but     24 
must   be   inoffensive   towards  all  men,  a  skilful  teacher,  and 
patient  under  wrongs.     He  must  speak  in  a  gentle  tone  when     25 
correcting  the  errors  of  opponents,  in  the  hope  that  God  will  at 
last  give  them  repentance,  for  them  to  come  to  a  full  knowledge 
of  the  truth  and  recover  sober-mindedness  and  freedom  from  the     26 
devil's  snare,  though  they  are  now  entrapped  by  him  to  do  his  will. 
Q.      ^  But  of  this  be  assured  :  in  the  last  days  grievous     i   J 

Times  were    times  will  set  in.     For  men  will  be  lovers  of  self,     2 
commg.       lovers  of  money,  boastful,  haughty,  profane.    They 
will  be  disobedient  to  parents,  thankless,  irreligious,  destitute  of    3 
natural  affection,  unforgiving,   slanderers.     They  will  have  no 
self-control,  but  will  be  brutal,  opposed  to  goodness,  treacher-     4 
ous,  headstrong,  self-important.     They  will  love  pleasure  instead 
of  loving  God,  and  will  keep  up  a  make-beheve  of  piety  and  yet     5 
live  in  defiance  of  its  power.    Turn  away  from  people  of  this  sort. 

Among  them  are  included  the  men  who  make     6 
^  w?fo"woukf '^^  ^^^^^  ^^^y  ^^^^  private  houses  and  carry  off  weak 
meet  with      women   as  their  prisoners — women  who,  weighed 
some    uc       .  ^^^^,^  -^^  ^^iq  burden  of  their  sins,  are  led  by  ever- 
changing  caprice,  and  are  always  learning  something  new,  and     7 
yet  are  never  able  to  arrive  at  real  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

And  just  as   Jannes    and  Jambres    withstood     8 

Their  Hostility  Mqscs,   SO    also   these    false   teachers    withstand 
to  the  Truth.  '  r    1    1  i    • 

the  truth— being,  as  they  are,  men  of  debased  m- 

tellects,  and  of  no  real  worth  so  far  as  faith  is  concerned.     But     9 

they  will  have  no  further  success  ;  for  their  folly  will  be  as 

23.  Avoid]  Lit.  '  beg  to  be  excused  from.' 

I.    The  last  day s\  See  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 

3.    To goo.iness\  Or  '  to  good  men.'     Cp.  Titus  i.  8. 


11.    TIMOTHY    III,-IV.  529 

clearly  manifest  to  all  men,  as  that  of  the  opponents  of  Moses 
Vv'hat  Paul     ^^^^^^  ^o  be.     But  you  have   intimately  known  my     10 

had  suffered    teaching,  life,  aims,  faith,  patience,  love,  resigna- 
tion, and  the  persecutions  and  sufferings  which  I     11 
have  endured  ;  the  things  which  happened  to  me  at  Antioch, 
Iconium  and  Lystra.     You  know  the  persecutions   I  endured, 
and  how  the  Lord  delivered  me  out  of  them  all.     And  indeed     12 
every  one  who  is  determined  to  live  a  godly  life  as  a  follower  of 
Christ  Jesus  will  be  persecuted.     But  bad  men  and  impostors     13 
will  go  on  from  bad  to  worse,  misleading  and  being  misled. 
Timothy  urged      ^^^  V^^  must  cling  to  the  things  which  you  have     14 

to  be  faithful    learnt  and  have  been  taught  to  believe,  knowing 

to  the  Lessons       ,  ,  ,     ,         -  .   '  ° 

of  his  Child-    vvho  your  teachers  were,  and  that  from  mfancy  you     15 

^°°*^'         have  known  the  sacred  writings  which  are  able 
to  make  you  wise  to  obtain  salvation  through  faith  in   Christ 
Jesus.     Every   Scripture  is  inspired  by   God  and  is  useful  for     16 
teaching,  for  convincing,  for  correction  of  error,  and  for  instruc- 
tion in  right  doing;  so  that  the  man   of  God  may  himself  be     17 
complete  and  may  be  perfectly  equipped  for  every  good  work. 
An  Appeal  for      ^  solemnly  implore  you,  in  the  presence  of  God     i   ^ 
Zeal  and      and     of    Christ    Jesus   who    is    about    to  judge 
as  ram  .  ^^^  living  and  the  dead,  and  by  His  Appearing 
and    His    Kingship  :    proclaim    God's    message,  be    zealous  in     2 
season  and  out  of  season  ;  convince,  rebuke,  encourage,  with 
the  utmost  patience  as  a  teacher.     For  a  time  is  coming  when     3 
they  will  not  tolerate  wholesome  instruction,  but,  wanting  to 
have  their  ears  tickled,  they  will  find  a  multitude  of  teachers  to 
satisfy  their  own  fancies  ;  and  will  turn  away  from  listening  to     4 
the  truth  and  will  turn  aside  to  fables. 

But  as  for  you,  you  must  exercise  habitual  self-control,  and     5 
not  live  a  self-indulgent  life,  but  do  the  duty  of  an  evangelist 
and  fully  discharge  the  obligations  of  your  ofifice. 

Paul's  own         ^  ^^^  "^^  P^^^  ^"^  ^^^^  ^  drink-offering  which  is     6 
Work  was  now  already  being  poured  out  ;  and  the  time  for  my 

departure   is   now  close  at  hand.      I    have  gone     7 

10.  Intimately  knoivn]  Lit.  'accurately  traced  out  ;'  as  in  Luke  i.  3  ;  i  Tim. 
iv.  6. 

12.   As  a  folhwer  of]  Lit.  'in.' 

15.  And  that]  Or  'and  because.'  Make  wise]  "The  Old  Testament  did  make 
wise  by  teaching  Salvation  through  Christ  that  should  come  ;  the  New  by  teach' ng 
that  Christ  the  Saviour  is  come"  (Hooker). 

16.  Every]  Or  'all.'  Is  .  .  .  and  is]  Or  '  being  ...  is  also.'  Scripture]  This 
word  occurs  about  50  times  in  the  New  I'estament. 

6.  Drink-offering].   Cp.  Phil.  ii.  17. 

7.  Gone  through  the  glorious  contest]  Cp.  i  Tim.  vi.  12. 

MM 


53©  II.    TIMOTHY    IV. 

through  the  glorious  contest  ;  I  have  run  the  race  ;  I  have 
guarded  the  faith.  From  this  time  onward  there  is  reserved  for 
me  the  crown  of  righteousness  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
Judge,  will  award  to  me  on  that  day,  and  not  only  to  me,  but 
also  to  all  who  love  the  thought  of  His  Appearing. 

Make  an  effort  to  come  to  me  speedily.     For 

The   lonely      _^  ,  ,  ,  ,       .  ,        ,  , 

Apostle  longs  Denias  has  deserted  me — lovmg,  as  he  does,  the 

jlmo^hy       present    age — and    has    gone    to    Thessalonica  ; 

Crescens  has  gone  to  Galatia,  and  Titus  to  Dal- 

matia.     Luke  is  the  only  friend  I  now  have  with  me.     Call  for 

Mark  on  your  way  and  bring  him  with  you,  for  he  is  a  great 

help  to  me  in  my  ministry.     Tychicus   I  have  sent  to  Ephesus. 

When   you    come,    bring   with  you  the   cloak   which    I    left 

behind  at   Troas  at  the  house  of  Carpus,  and  the  books,  but 

especially  the  parchments. 

Alexander  the  metal-worker  showed  bitter  hos- 

Meta^"wo'i-ke^^  ^'I'^V  towards  me  :   the   Lord   will    requite    him 

according  to  his  doings.     You  also  should  beware 

of  him  ;  for  he  has  violently  opposed  our  preaching. 

„     „   ^    .         At  my  first  defence  I  had  no  one  at  my  side, 
Pauls  first  . 

Trial  before   but  all  deserted  me.     May  it  not  be  laid  to  their 

^^''°-         charge.     The  Lord,  however,  stood   by  me  and 

filled  me  with  inward  strength,  that  through  me  the   Message 

might  be  fully  proclaimed  and  that  all  the  Gentiles  might  hear 

it  ;  and   I   was  rescued  from  the  lion's  jaws.     The   Lord   will 

deliver  me  from  every  cruel  attack  and  will  keep  me  safe  in 

preparation  for  His  heavenly  Kingdom.     To  Him  be  the  glory 

until  the  ages  of  the  ages  !     Amen. 

Greet    Prisca  and  Aquila,   and   the  household 

Greetings.      ^^    Onesiphorus.      Erastus    stayed    at    Corinth  ; 

Trophimus    I    left    behind    me    at    Miletus,    ill. 

Make  an  effort  to  come  before  winter.      Eubulus  greets  you, 

and  so  do  Pudens,  Linus,  Claudia,  and  all  the  brethren. 

The  Lord  be  with  your  spirit.     Grace  be  with  you  all. 

lo.   The  present  a^e]  Or,  "  the  present  (evil)  course  of  things"  (Ellicott). 

13.  There  is  a  striking  parallel  to  this  touching  little  personal  message  in  the  letter 
written  by  the  martyr  William  Tyndale,  from  the  damp  cell  of  his  prison  at  Vilvorde, 
in  the  winter  before  his  death.  He  wrote  to  beg  for  something  to  patch  his  leggings, 
and  for  a  woollen  shirt,  a  warmer  cap,  and  above  all  for  his  Hebrew  Bible,  grammar 
and  dictionary  !    (F.  W.  Farrar,  Tejvts  Explained.^ 

14.  Metal-worker]  Or  '  bronze-dealer.' 

17.  Frovi  the  lion  s  jaws]  i.e.  from  the  power  of  the  Roman  Emperor  Nero.  In 
view  of  the  probability  of  the  'wild  Beast'  in  the  book  of  Revelation  having  also 
been  Nero,  it  is  interesting  to  find  him  designated  '  the  lion  '  here  ! 


PAUL'S   LETTER    TO    TITUS 


This  Letter  was  probably  written  from  Ephesus  in  67  A.D. 
Titus,  who  was  a  Greek  by  birth,  is  mentioned  in  eleven  other 
places  in  the  Pauline  Letters  and  always  with  marked  approval 
(2  Cor.  ii.  13  ;  vii.  6,  13,  14  ;  viii.  6,  16,  23  ;  xii.  iS  ;  Gal.  ii.  i, 
3  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  10).  He  was  often  a  trusted  messenger  to  the 
churches,  his  last  errand  being  to  Dalmatia.  Tradition  confirms 
the  inference  commonly  drawn  from  this  Letter  that  he  was 
long  the  bishop  of  the  church  in  Crete,  and  regards  Candia  as 
having  been  his  birthplace. 


53a 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  TITUS 

Paul,  a  bondservant  of  God  and  an  apostle  of     i 
Jesus  Christ  for  building  up  the  faith  of  God's  own 
people    and    spreading    a   full    knowledge    of    the    truths     of 
religion,  in  hope  of  the  Life  of  the  ages  which  God,  who  is  never     2 
false  to  His  word,  promised  before  the  commencement  of  the 
ages  ;  and  at  the  appointed  time  He  clearly  made  known  His     3 
Message  in  the  preaching  with  which  I  was  entrusted  by  the 
command  of  God  our  Saviour  : 

To  Titus  my  own  true   child  in  our  common  faith.       May     4 
grace  and  peace  be  granted  to  you  from  God  the  Father  and 
Christ  Jesus  our  Saviour. 

I  have  left  you  behind  in  Crete  in  order  that  you     5 

tlonsofa^    may  set  right  the  things  which  still  require  atten- 
Christian  Mm-  j-jqj^^    ^^^  appoint   elders   in    every    town,    as     I 

directed  you  to  do  ;  wherever  there  is  a  man  of    6 
blameless  life,  true  to  his  one  wife,  having  children  who  are 
themselves  believers  and  are  free  from  every  reproach  of  pro- 
fligacy  or   of  stubborn    self-will.      For,    as    God's    steward,    a     7 
minister  must  be  of  blameless  life,  not  over-fond  of  having  his 
own  way,  not  a  man  of  a  passionate  temper,  nor  a  hard  drinker, 
not  given  to  blows  nor  greedy  of  gain,  but  hospitable  to  strangers,     8 
a  lover  of  goodness,   sober-minded,   upright,   saintly,  self-con- 
trolled;    holding  fast  to  the  faithful   Message  which  he  has     9 
received,  so  that  he  may  be  well  qualified  both  to  encourage 
others  with  sound  teaching  and  to  reply  successfully  to  oppo- 
nents. 
_.     _      .  ,  For  there  are  many  that  spurn  authority — idle,     10 

The  Troublers       ,,       .  ,     ,        •  /,  ,        r         \ 

of  the  Church  talkative  and  deceitful  persons,  who,  for  the  most 
at  Crete.       p^^.^.^    ^^.^   adherents    of    the    Circumcision.     You     li 

4.  Our  cotmnon  faith^  i.e.  *  the  faith  which  we  both  hold  in  common.' 

6.  True  to  his  one  ivife\  Cp.  i  Tim.  iii.  2,  12. 

7.  A  7>tinisier]  Lit.  '  he  who  has  the  oversight.' 

8.  0/ good?iess]  Or  '  of  good  men.'     Cp.  2  Tim.  iii.  3. 

9.  W/iich  he  has  received\  I. if.  '  according  to  the  teaching.' 

533 


534  TITUS   I.-II. 

must  stop  the  mouths  of  such  men,  for  they  overthrow  the  faith 
of  whole  families,  teaching  what  they  ought  not,  just  for  the 
sake  of  making  money.      One  of  their  own  number — a  prophet     12 
who  is  a  countryman  of  theirs— has  said,  "  Cretans  are  always 
liars,  dangerous  animals,  idle  gluttons." 

These  false         '^^^'^  testimony  is  true;   therefore  sternly  de-     13 
Teachers  to  be  nounce  them,  that  they  may  be  robust  in  their 

denounced.    f^\^Y^^  ^^^j  ^^^  gj^^  attention  to  Jewish  legends  and     14 
the    maxims    of  men    who    turn    their    backs    on    the   truth. 
To  the  pure  everything  is  pure  ;  but  to  the  polluted  and  unbe-     15 
lieving  nothing  is  pure,  but  on  the  contrary  their  very  minds 
and  consciences  are  polluted.     They  profess  to  know  God  ;  but     16 
in  their    actions    they   disown  Him,   and   are  detestable  and 
disobedient  men,  and  for  any  good  work  are  utterly  useless. 

But  as  for  you,  you  must  speak  in  a  manner  that     i   ^ 
"  aged.*  *  befits  wholesome  teaching.     Exhort  aged  men  to     2  • 
be  temperate,  grave,  sober-minded,  robust  in  their 
faith,  their  love  and  their  patience.     In  the  same  way  exhort     3 
aged  women  to  let  their  conduct  be  such  as  becomes  conse- 
crated persons.     They  must  not  be  slanderers  nor  enslaved  to 
wine-drinking.     They  must  be  teachers  of  what  is  right.     They     4 
should  school  the  young  women   to   be   affectionate  to   their 
husbands  and  to  their  children,  to  be    sober-minded,   pure   in     5 
their  lives,  industrious  in  their  homes,  kind,  submissive  to  their 
husbands,  so  that  the  Christian  teaching  may  not  be  exposed  to 
reproach. 

Duties  of  ^^  ^^®  same  way  exhort  the  younger  men  to  be     6 

younger  Men    discreet,   and   above   all    make   your    own   life   a    7 
an    o      aves.  p^^j-g^j^  ^f  j-jg-j^^  conduct,  having  in  your  teaching 
no  taint  of  insincerity,  but  a  serious  tone,  and  healthy  language     8 
which  no  one  can  censure,  so  that   our  opponents   may   feel 
ashamed  at  having  nothing  evil  to  say  against  us.       Exhort     9 
slaves  to  be  always  obedient  to  their  owners,  and  to  give  them 
satisfaction  in  everything,  not  contradicting  and  not  pilfering,     10 
but  manifesting  perfect  fidelity  and  kind  feeling,    in  order  to 
bring  honour  to  the  teaching  of  our  Saviour,  God,  in  all  things. 
^^    ^,         .^         For  the  grace  of  God  has  displayed  itself  with     11 

The  Necessity    ,        ,.  ^  ,,  ,  .     ,  ^     ■'.    . 

ofa  pure  and  healmg    power   to   all   mankmd,   trammg    us    to     12 

noble  Life,     j-enounce  ungodliness  and  all  the  pleasures  of  this 
world,  and  to  live  sober,  upright,  and  pious  lives  at  the  present 

14.  Maxims']  Especially  concerning  ascetic  restrictions  in  eating  and  drinking. 
4.  Affectionate  hr'c]  Or  "  loving  wives  and  loving  mothers  "  (Conybeare). 


TITUS    IL-III.  535 

time,  in  expectation  of  the  fulfilment  of  our  blessed  hope — the     13 

Appearing  in  glory  of  our  great  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ; 

who  gave   Himself  for  us   to  purchase   our   freedom    from    all     14 

iniquity,  and  purify  for  Himself  a  people  who  should  be  specially 

His  own,  zealous  for  doing  good  works. 

Thus  speak,  exhort,  reprove,  with  all  impressiveness.     Let  no     15 

one  make  light  of  your  authority. 

Remind   people  that  they  must  submit   to  the     i  J 

^o^Rli'ie^rs"    rulers  who  are  in  authority  over  them  ;  that  they 

must  obey  the  magistrates,  be  prepared  for  every 

right  action,  not  speak  evil  of  any  one,  nor  be  contentious,  but     2 

yield  unselfishly  to  others  and  constantly  manifest  a  forgiving 

spirit  towards  all  men. 

For  there  was  a  lime  when  we  also  were  deficient     3 

"subfime  °   i"  understanding,  obstinate,  deluded,  the  slaves  of 

religious       various  cravings  and  pleasures,  spending  our  lives 
Experiences.    .  ,.  ,  =»  ,  r  ,  1  1   i       • 

m  malice  and  envy,  hateful  ourselves  and  hatmg 

one  another.     But  when  the  goodness  of  God  our  Saviour,  and     4 
His  love  to  man,  dawned  upon  us,  not  in  consequence  of  things     5 
which  we,  as  righteous  men,  had  done,  but  as  the  result  of  His 
own  mercy  He  saved  us  by  means  of  the  bath  of  regeneration 
and  the  renewal  of  our  natures  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  He     6 
poured  out  on  us  richly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour  ;  in     7 
order  that  having  been  declared  righteous  through  His  grace 
we  might  become  heirs  to  the  Life  of  the  ages  in  fulfilment  of 
our  hopes. 

This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  on  these  various     8 
^nobiT L?Jir/g.'*  points  I  would  have  you  insist  strenuously,  in  order 
that  those  who  have  their  faith  fixed  on  God  may 
be  careful  to  set  an  example  of  good  actions.     For  these  are 
not  only  good  in  themselves,  but  are  also  useful  to  mankind. 

But    hold   yourself  aloof  from   foolish    contro-     9 
DisctTssi^ons.     versies  and  pedigrees  and  discussions  and  wrang- 
ling about  the  Law,  for  they  are  useless  and  vain. 
After    a    first    and    second    admonition,    have     10 
^"fflnders.'^    ^"'^i^g"  farther  to  do  with  any  one  who  will  not  be 

taught  ;  for,  as  you  know,  a  man  of  that  descrip-     1 1 

13.  Appearing  <5r=c.]  Or  '  Appearing  of  the  glory  of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour. ' 

14.  Specially  His  own]  Cp.  Mai.  iii.  17,  A.V.  margin. 

4,  Dawned]  Ox  '  made  its  Epiphany,'  'manifested  itself.' 
Q.   Pedigrees]  See  i  Tim    i.  4,  n. 

10.    lyJio  will  not  be  taught]  Lit.    'a  heretic'     The  word  occurs  nov\here  else 
in  the  N.T. 


536  TITUS    III. 

tion  has  turned  aside  from  the  right  path  and  is  a  sinner  self- 
condemned. 

After  I  have  sent  Artemas  or  Tychicus  to  you,     12 
R?qSesfs.      ^°^^  ^'^  ^^^^  ^"  joining  me  at  Nicopolis  ;    for  I 

have  decided  to  pass  the  winter  there.     Help  Zenas     i;^ 
the   lawyer   forward    on    his  journey    with    special    care,    and 
Apollos,   so  that  they  may  have  all  they  require.     And  let  our     14 
people  too  learn  to  set  a  good  example  in  following   honest 
occupations  for  the  supply  of  their  necessities,  so  that  they  may 
not  live  useless  lives. 

Every  one  here  sends  you  greeting.     Greet  the 
Greeti^K-s.      believers  who  iiold  us  dear. 
May  grace  be  with  you  all. 


PAUL'S    LETTER    TO    PHILEMON 


This  letter  (63  A.D.)  was  written  as  the  result  of  Paul's  deep 
interest  in  Onesimus,  a  slave  who  had  fled  from  Colossae  to 
Rome  to  get  free  from  Philemon  his  master  (Col.  iv.  9).  "A 
Phrygian  slave  was  one  of  the  lowest  known  types  to  be  found 
in  the  Roman  world,  displaying  all  the  worst  features  of  charac- 
ter which  the  servile  condition  developed.  Onesimus  had 
proved  no  exception.  He  ran  away  from  his  master,  and,  as 
Paul  thought  probable  (verses  18,  19),  not  without  helping 
himself  to  a  share  of  his  master's  possessions.  By  the  help  of 
what  he  had  stolen,  and  by  the  cleverness  which  afterwards 
made  him  so  helpful  to  Paul,  he  made  his  way  to  Rome, 
naturally  drawn  to  the  great  centre,  and  prompted  both  by  a 
desire  to  hide  himself  and  by  a  youthful  yearning  to  see  the 
utmost  the  world  could  show  of  glory  and  of  vice.  But  whether 
feeling  his  loneliness,  or  wearied  with  a  life  of  vice,  or  im- 
poverished and  reduced  to  want,  or  seized  with  a  fear  of 
detection,  he  made  his  way  to  Paul,  or  unbosomed  himself  to 
some  Asiatic  he  saw  on  the  street.  And  as  he  stepped  out  of 
the  coarse  debauchery  and  profanity  of  the  crowded  resorts  of 
the  metropolis  into  the  room  hallowed  by  the  presence  of  Paul, 
he  saw  the  foulness  of  the  one  life  and  the  beauty  of  the  other, 
and  was  persuaded  to  accept  the  gospel  he  had  so  often  heard 
in  his  master's  house.  How  long  he  remained  with  Paul  does 
not  appear,  but  it  was  long  enough  to  impress  on  the  apostle's 
mind  that  this  slave  was  no  common  man.  Paul  had  devoted 
and  active  friends  by  him,  but  this  slave,  trained  to  watch  his 
master's  wants  and  to  execute  promptly  all  that  was  entrusted 
to  him,  became  almost  indispensable  to  the  apostle.  But  to 
retain  him,  he  feels,  would  be  to  steal  him,  or  at  any  rate  to 
deprive  Philemon  of  the  pleasure  of  voluntarily  sending  him  to 
minister  to  him  (verse  14).  He  therefore  sends  him  back  with 
this  Letter,  so  exquisitely  worded  that  it  cannot  but  have 
secured  the  forgiveness  and  cordial  reception  of  Onesimus " 
(Marcus  Dods,  D.D.,  New  Testament  hitroductioji). 


533 


PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  PHILEMON 
Paul,  a  prisoner  for  Christ  Jesus,  and  Timothy     i 

Greeting.  ,      \i 

our  brother  : 

To  Philemon  our  dearly-loved  fellow  labourer — and  to  our     2 

sister  Apphia  and  our  comrade   Archippus — as   well  as  to  the 

church  in  your  house.     May  grace  be  granted  to  you  all,  and     3 

peace,  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

^^     ,     .  .  I  give  continual  thanks  to  my  God  while  making     4 

Thanksgiving,  ^.  ^  ,        ,  .  &      t 

mention    of    you,    my    brother,    m    my    prayers, 

because  I  hear  of  your  love  and  of  the  faith  which  you  have     5 
towards  the  Lord  Jesus  and  which  you  manifest    towards  all 
God's  people  ;  praying  as  I  do,  that  their  participation  in  your     6 
faith  may  result  in  others  fully  recognizing  all  the  right  affec- 
tion that  is  in  us  toward  Christ.     For  I  have  found  great  joy     7 
and  comfort  in  your  love,  because  the  hearts  of  God's  people 
have  been,  and  are,  refreshed  through  you,  my  brother. 

Therefore,  though  I  might  with  Christ's  authority     8 
speak   very   freely    and   order  you  to  do  what  is 
fitting,  it  is  for  love's  sake  that — instead  of  that — although  I  am     9 
none  other  than  Paul  the  aged,  and  am  now  also  a  prisoner  for 
Christ  Jesus,   I  entreat  you  on  behalf  of  my  own  child  whose     10 
father  I  have  become  while  in  my  chains— I  mean,  Onesimus. 
Formerly  he  was  useless  to  you,  but  now — true  to  his  name — he     1 1 
is  of  great  use  to  you  and  to  me. 

I  am  sending  him  back  to  you,  though  in  so  doing   I   send      12 
part  of  myself.     It  was  my  wish  to  keep  him  at  my  side  for  him     13 
to  attend  to    my    wants,    as   your    representative,    during   my 
imprisonment  for  the  Good  News  ;  only  I  wished  to  do  nothing     14 

2.  Church   in  your  house]  i.e.  accustomed   to    hold  its  meetings  in  Philemon's 
house,  '  your  '  being  singular  here,  as  it  is,  for  the  most  part,  throughout  the  Letter. 

3,  25.  These  short  benedictions  are  addressed  to  all,   the   '  you  '  (in  the   Greek) 
being  plural. 

7.  Found]  Or  'got.'     'Had'  is  an  inexact  rendering.    See  Aorisi  vi.  6,  n.    Joy] 
V.L.  with  very  insufficient  authority,  'thankfulness.'     Hearts]  Lit.  'bowels.' 

8.  Though  &=€.]  Lit.  'having  boldness,'  or  '  though  1  have  boldness.' 
12.  Atn  sending]  Or  '  have  sent.' 

539 


540  PHILEMON 

without  your  consent,  so  that  this  kind  action  of  yours  might  not  be 
done  under  pressure,  but  might  be  a  voluntary  one.     For  perhaps     1 5 
it  was  for  this  reason  he  was  parted  from  you  for  a  time,  that  you 
might  receive  him  back  wholly  and  for  ever  yours  ;  no  longer     16 
as  a  slave,  but  as  something  better  than  a  slave — a  brother 
peculiarly  dear  to  me,  and  even  dearer  to  you,  both  as  a  servant 
and  as  a  fellow  Christian.     If  therefore  you  regard  me  as  a     17 
comrade,  receive  him  as  if  he  were  I  myself. 

And  if  he  was  ever  dishonest  or  is  in  your  debt,  debit  me  with     18 
the  amount.     I  Paul  write  this  with  my  own  hand — I  will  pay     19 
you  in  full.     (I  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  you  owe  me  even  your 
own  self.)     Yes,  brother,  do  me  this  favour  for  the  Lord's  sake.     20 
Refresh  my  heart  in  Christ. 

I  write  to  you  in  the  full  confidence  that  you  will  meet  my     21 
wishes,  for  I  know  you  will  do  even  more  than  I  say.     And  at     22 
the  same  time  provide  accommodation  for  me  ;  for  I  hope  that 
through  your  prayers  I  shall  be  permitted  to  come  to  you. 

Greetings  to  you,   my  brother,  from  Epaphras     23 
my  fellow  prisoner  for  the  sake  of  Christ  Jesus  ; 
and  from  Mark,   Aristarchus,    Demas,    and    Luke,  my  fellow     24 
workers. 

May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  the  spirit  of    25 
every  one  of  you. 

15.   For  this  reason]  In  the  providence  of  God. 
25.  V.L.  adds  '  Amen.' 


THE    LETTER    TO    THE    HEBREWS 


As  regards  the  date  of  this  Letter,  the  only  sure  conclusion 
appears  to  be  that  it  was  before  70  A.D.  The  book  itself  claims 
to  have  been  written  at  the  end  of  the  Jewish  age  (i.  2  ;  ix.  26), 
whilst  the  earthly  temple  was  still  in  existence  (ix.  8),  and  it  is 
inconceivable  that  such  an  overwhelming  comment  upon  the 
writer's  whole  position  as  that  afforded  by  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  would  have  been  overlooked,  had  it  been  available. 
Hence  67-68  a.d.  may  with  probability  be  alleged  as  the  time 
of  composition. 

The  only  fact  clear  as  to  the  author  is  that  he  was  not  the 
apostle  Paul.  The  early  Fathers  never  attributed  it  to  Paul, 
and  not  until  the  seventh  century  did  the  tendency  to  do  this, 
derived  from  Jerome  and  Augustine,  swell  into  an  ecclesiastical 
practice.  From  the  book  itself  we  see  that  the  author  must 
have  been  a  Jew  and  a  Hellenist,  familiar  with  Philo  as  well  as 
with  the  Old  Testament,  a  friend  of  Timothy  and  well-known 
to  those  addressed,  and  not  an  apostle  but  decidedly  acquainted 
with  apostolic  thoughts  ;  and  that  he  not  only  wrote  before  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  but  apparently  himself  was  never  in 
Palestine.  The  name  of  Barnabas,  and  also  that  of  Priscilla, 
has  been  suggested,  but  in  reality  all  these  distinctive  marks 
appear  to  be  found  only  in  ApoUos,  so  that  with  Luther,  and 
not  a  few  modern  scholars,  we  must  either  attribute  it  to  him 
or  give  up  the  quest. 

There  has  never  been  any  question  as  to  the  canonicity  of 
this  Letter,  nor  can  there  be  any  doubt  as  to  its  perennial  value 
to  the  church  of  Christ.  Where  it  was  written  cannot  be  de- 
cided. "They  of  Italy"  (xiii.  24)  is  quite  indeterminate.  Nor 
is  it  possible  to  decide  to  whom  it  was  sent.  "  The  Hebrews," 
to  whom  it  was  addressed,  may  have  been  resident  in  Jerusalem, 
Alexandria,  Ephesus,  or  Rome.  The  most  remarkable  feature 
of  the  Letter  is  manifestly  its  references  to  the  old  Covenant. 
Here  there  is  a  mingling  of  reverence  and  iconoclasm.  The 
unquestionably  divine  origin  of  the  Jewish  dispensation  is  made 
use  of  for  laying  emphasis  upon  the  infinitely  superior  glory  of 
the  Christian  order.  Thus  an  a  fortiori  argument  pervades  the 
w}^ole-~if  the  shadow  was  divine  how  much  more  must  the 
substance  be  !  "  The  language  of  the  epistle,  both  in  vocabu- 
lary and  style,  is  purer  and  more  vigorous  than  that  of  any 
other  book  of  the  New  Testament "  (Westcott). 


S42 


THE    LETTER    TO    THE    HEBREWS 

Introduction,     Christ's  Superiority  to  Proptiets 
and  Angels 

God,  who  in  ancient  days  spoke  to  our  fore- 
spoken  tolSan,  fathers  in  many  distinct  messages  and  by  various 
'"  ^"i*.**^''°"S^  methods  through  the  prophets,  has  at  the  end  of 
these  days  spoken  to  us  through  a  Son,  who  is  the 
pre-destined  Lord  of  the  universe,  and  through  whom  He  made 
the  ages.  He  brightly  reflects  God's  glory  and  is  the  exact  repre- 
sentation of  His  being,  and  upholds  the  universe  by  His  all- 
powerful  word.  After  securing  man's  purification  from  sin  He 
took  His  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  being 
made  as  far  superior  to  the  angels  as  the  Name  He  possesses  by 
inheritance  is  more  excellent  than  theirs. 
Christ  is  the       For  to  which  of  the  angels  did  God  ever  say, 

Son,  Angels  «  Mv    SON   ART   THOU  : 

are  mere  ,  ^  r-  ,. 

Servants,    of  I    HAVE  THIS   DAY   BECOME  THY    FaTHER" 

''-^'  (Ps.  ii.  7) ; 

and  again, 

"I  WILL  BE  A  Father  to  Him, 
And  He  shall  be  My  Son"  (2  Sam.  vii.  14)? 
But  speaking  of  the  time  when  He  once  more  brings  His  First- 
born into  the  world,  He  says, 

"And  let  all  God's  angels  worship  Him" 

(Deut.  xxxii.  43,  LXX. ;  Ps.  xcvii.  7,  LXX.). 
Moreover  of  the  angels  He  says, 

"  He  changes  His  angels  into  winds, 

1.  Through  the  prophets]  Lit.  *  in  (the  person  of)  the  prophets.' 

2.  At  the  end  of  these  days]  See  Acts,  ii.  17,  n.  Through  a  Son]  Lit.  'in  (the 
person  of)  a  Son.' 

3.  Being]  Or  '  nature,' or  *  substance.'  Cp.  xi.  i.  Man's  purification  from  ^in] 
Lit.  'a  purification  of  sins.' 

6.  Once  more  brings]  "  The  word  can  only  refer  to  the  great  entering  of  the  Mes- 
siah on  His  kingdom  "  (Alford). 

7.  A  precarious  tenure  of  existence  is  here  attributed  to  the  angels  in  contrast  to 
the  eternity  of  the  life  and  reign  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  an  ancient  Jewish  belief 
that  angels  sometimes  lose  their  personality  and  are  reduced  to  impersonal  forces  of 
nature.     See  A.  S.  Peake's  excellent  note  in  the  Century  Bible 

543 


544  HEBREWS    I.-II. 

And   His   ministering   servants   into  a   flame  of 
fire"  (Ps.  civ.  4)  ; 
but  of  His  Son,  He  says,  8 

"Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and  for  ever, 
And   the   sceptre  of  Thy   Kingdom  is   a  sceptre 

OF  absolute  justice. 
Thou  hast  loved  righteousness   and  hated  law-    9 

lessness  ; 
Therefore  God,  Thy  God,  has  anointed  Thee 
With  the  oil  of  gladness  beyond  Thy  companions  " 

(Ps.  xlv.  6,  7). 
It  is  also  of  His  Son  that  God  says,  10 

"Thou,  O    Lord,  in    the  beginning  didst  lay   the 
foundations  of  the  earth, 
And  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  Thy  hands. 
The  heavens  will  perish,  but  Thou  remainest  ;        11 
And  they  will  all  grow  old  like  a  garment, 
And  as  though  they  were  a  mantle   Thou   wilt 

ROLL   them    up;  12 

Yes,    like   a   garment,    and    they    will    undergo 

change. 
But  Thou  art  the  same, 
And  Thy  years  will  never  come  to  an  end  " 

(Ps.  cii.  25-27). 
To  which  of  the  angels  has  He  ever  said,  13 

"Sit  at  My  right  hand 
Till  1  make  Thy  foes  a  footstool  for  Thy  feet" 

(Ps.  ex.  I)? 
Are  not  all  angels  spirits  that  serve  Him— whom  He  sends  out     14 
to  render  service  for  the  benefit  of  those  who,  before  long,  will 
inherit  salvation  ? 
^^     _    .,    -       For  this  reason  we  ought  to  pay  the  more  earnest     i   C 

The    Peril  of  ,         ,  •  ,  •    f  u  i.         j     r        r  ^ 

Disobedience   heed  to  the  thmgs  which  we  have  heard,  for  fear 
Saviour's      we   should  drift  away   from   them.     For   if    the     2 
Message.       message   delivered  through  angels  proved  to  be 

8.  Is  for  ever  and  ever,  &'c.]  "The  angels  are  subject  to  constant  change,  He 
has  a  dominion  for  ever  and  ever  ;  they  work  through  material  powers ;  He — the 
Incarnate  Son— fulfils  a  moral  sovereignty  and  is  crowned  with  unique  joy  "  (West- 
cott).     A  sce/>tre  of  absolute  justice']  Lit.  '  the  rod  of  straightness.' 

9.  Thcri'fore  God,  Thy  God,  has  anointed]  Or  '  Therefore,  O  God,  Thy  God  has 
anointed.'  Thy  companions]  i.e.  all  other  servants  of  God,  of  whatever  rank  in 
Heaven  or  on  earth. 

\-2.  As  though  .  .  roll  them  up]    i.K.  '  Thou  shalt  fold  them  up  and  put  them 
aside  as  if  they  were  a  worn-out  cloak.* 
I.  Drift  away]    Drifting  is  an  unconscious  process.     Often  it  is  not  until  we  are 


HEBREWS    II.  545 

true,  and  every  transgression  and  act  of  disobedience  met  with 
just  retribution,  how  shall  we  escape  if  we  are  indifferent  to  a  3 
salvation  as  great  as  that  now  offered  to  us  ?  This,  after  having 
first  of  all  been  announced  by  the  Lord  Himself,  had  its  truth 
made  sure  to  us  by  those  who  heard  Him,  while  God  corroborated  4 
their  testimony  by  signs  and  marvels  and  various  miracles,  and 
by  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  distributed  in  accordance  with  His 
own  will. 

Jesus  becaus        ^^  ^^  ^°^  ^°  angels  that  God  has  assigned  the     5 
of  His' Death,  is  sovereignty  of  that  coming  world,  of  which   we 
"wTth^Giory!     speak-     But,  as  we  know,  a  writer  has  solemnly    6 
said, 

■"How  POOR  A   CREATURE   IS   MAN,    AND     YET    THOU   DOST 
REMEMBER    HIM, 

And  A  SON  of  man,  and  yet  Thou  dost  come  to  him  ! 
Thou   hast  made  him   only  a  little  inferior  to    7 

the  angels  ; 
With  glory  and  honour  Thou  hast  crowned  him. 
And   hast  set  him  to  govern  the  works  of  Thy 

HANDS ; 

Thou  hast   put  everything  in  subjection  under    8 
his  feet  "  (Ps.  viii.  4-6). 
For  this  subjecting  of  the  universe  to  man  implies  the  leaving 
nothing  not  subject  to  him.     But  we  do  not  as  yet    see   the 
universe  subject  to  him.     But  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little     9 
inferior  to  the  angels  in  order  that  through  God's  grace  He 
might  taste  death  for  every  human  being — ^we  already  see  wear- 
ing a  crown  of  glory  and  honour  because  of  His  having  suffered 
death. 

Man's  divine       ^°^  ^^  ^^^  fitting  that  He  for  whom, and  through     10 
Brother  made  vvhom,  all  things  exist,  after  He  had  brought  many 
through       sons    to    glory,  should   perfect    by    suffering   the 
Suffering,     pj-jnce  Leader  who  had  saved  them.      For  both     11 

actually  on  the  rocks  that  we  know  that  we  were  in  danger.  "  We  are  all  con- 
tinually exposed  to  the  action  of  currents  of  opinion,  habit,  action,  which  tend  to 
carry  us  away  insensibly  from  the  position  which  we  ought  to  maintain  "  (Westcott). 
3.  If  we  are  indifferent  to]  Lit. '  if  we  shall  have  been  neglectful  of.'  See  Aorist 
■vi.  5. 

5.  Worhi]   Or  '  inhabited  (earth).'     The  word  also  occurs  i.  6. 

6.  As  tve  know\   Or  '  somewhere.' 

7.  A  little]  Or  '  for  a  little  time.'  And  hast  set  hint  to  govern  the  works  oj  Thy 
■  hands]    v.l.  omits  this  clause. 

9.  Through  God' s  grace]  v.l.  '  apart  from  God,' or  (every  human  being)  'except 
God.'  Because  0/ His  having  suffered  death]  Or  '  because  man  has  to  suffer  death. ' 
Xit.  '  because  of  the  suffering  of  death.' 

10.  Many  sons]  Cp.  Rev,  vii.  9-14. 

N  N 


546  HEBREWS    II.-III. 

He  who  sanctifies  and  those  whom  He  is  sanctifying  have  all 
one  Father  ;  and  for  this  reason  He  is  not  ashamad  to  speak  of 
ihem  as  His  brothers  ;  as  when  He  says  :  12 

"I    WILL   PROCLAIM   THY   NAME   TO    MY    BROTHERS; 

In  the   midst   of   the  congregation  I  will  hymn 
Thy  praises"  (Ps.  xxii.  22)  ; 
and  again,  13 

"As  for  Me,  I  WILL  be  one  whose  trust  reposes  in 
God  "  (Ps.  xviii.  2  ;  Isa.  xii.  2)  ; 
and  again, 

"Here  am    I,  and  here  are  the  children  God  has 

GIVEN  Me"  (Isa.  viii.  18). 
Our  High  Since  then  the  children  referred  to  are  all  ahke     14 

^Buffered 'and"'  sharers  in  perishable  human  nature,  He  Himself 
died.  also,  in  the  same  way,  took  on  Him  a  share  of  it, 

in   order  that  through  death   He  might  render  powerless  him 
who  had  authority  over  death,  that  is,  the  devil,  and  might   set     15 
at  liberty  all  those  who  through  fear  of  death  had  been  subject 
to  lifelong  slavery.     For  assuredly  it  is  not  to  angels  that  He  is     16 
continually  reaching  a  helping  hand,  but  it  is  to  the  descendants 
of  Abraham.     And  for  this  purpose  it  was  necessary  that  in  all     17 
respects  He  should  be  made  to  resemble  His  brothers,  so  that 
He  might  become  a  compassionate  and  faithful  High  Priest  in 
things  relating  to   God,  in  order  to  atone   for  the  sins  of  the 
people.       For  inasmuch  as   He  has   Himself  felt  the  pain    of     18 
temptation  and  trial,  He  is  also  able  instantly  to  help  those  who 
are  tempted  and  tried. 

Christ's  Therefore,    holy  brethren,  sharers  with    others     i    < 

Superiority     in  a  heavenly  invitation,  fix  your  thoughts  on  Jesus, 
o     OSes.      ^^^  Apostle  and  High  Priest  whose  followers  we 
profess  to  be.     How  faithful   He  was  to   Him   who  appointed     2 
Him,  just  as  Moses  also  was  faithful  in  all  God's  house  !     For     3 
Jesus  has  been  counted  worthy  of  greater  glory  than    Moses,  in 
so  far  as  he  who  has  built  a  house  has  higher  honour  than  the 


12.  In  the  midst  of  the  congregation]  i.e.  as  a  worshipper  among  other  wor- 
shippers. 

14.  Perishable  human  nattire]  Lit.  '  blood  and  flesh.' 

18.  Te/je/>tation  and  trial]  Both  these  thoughts  are  included  in  the  Greek  word, 
as  in  Jas.  i.  2. 

2.  fust  as  Moses  also]   Cp.  Exod.  xl.  16-32  ;  Num.  xii.  7. 

3,  4.  He  ivho  has  built  a  house]  Or  '  he  who  founded  (or,  established)  a  house- 
hold.' The  Greek  verb  used  here  three  times  for  '  build  '  denotes  not  only  the 
putting  up  of  an  edifice,  but  also  the  supt)lying  it  with  every  material  and  personal 
requisite. 


HEBREWS    III. 


547 


house   itself.      For   every   house    has  had   a   builder,   and   the     4 
builder  of  all  things  is  God. 

Moses  was         Moreover,  Moses  was  faithful  in  all  God's  house     5 
only  a  faithful  as  a  Servant  in  delivering  the  message  given  him 

to  speak  ;    but  Christ  was  faithful  as  a  Son  having     6 
authority  over  God's  house,  and  we  are  that  house,  if  we  hold 
firm  to  the  End  the  boldness  and  the  hope  which  we  boast  of  as 
ours. 

For  this  reason — as   the  Holy  Spirit  warns  us,     7 

aga.TsrUnbe-  "  TO-DAY,  IF   YOU    HEAR    HiS    VOICE, 

lief  and  UO      NOT     HARDEN     YOUR      HEARTS      AS  8 

Disobedience. 

your  forefathers  did  in  the  time 
of  the  provocation 
On  the  day  of  the  temptation  in  the  desert. 
Where     your    forefathers    so    sorely    tried     My    9 

patience  and  saw  all  that  I  did 
During    forty    years.     Therefore   I   was   greatly    10 

grieved  with  that  generation. 
And  I  said,  'They  are  ever  going  astray  in  heart, 
And  have  not  learnt  to  know  My  paths.' 
As  I  SWORE  in  My  anger,  ii 

They  shall  not  be  admitted  to  My  rest" 

(Ps.  xcv.  7-11) — 
see  to  it,  brethren,  that  there  is  never  in  any  one  of  you — as     12 
perhaps  there  may  be — a  sinful  and  unbelieving  heart,  mani- 
festing itself  in  revolt  from  the  ever-living  God. 

The  Necessity       ^^   ^^^   Contrary  encourage  one  another,  day     13 
of  Fidelity  to  after  day,  so  long  as  To-day  lasts,  so  that  not  one 
of  you   may  be  hardened  through   the  deceitful 
character  of  sin.     For  we  have,  all  alike,  become  sharers  with     14 
Christ,  if  we  really  hold  our  first  confidence  firm  to  the  End  ; 
seeing  that  the  warning  still  comes  to  us,  15 

"To-day,  if  you  hear  His  voice. 
Do  not  harden  your  hearts  as  your  forefathers 
did  in  the  time  of  the  provocation  "  (Ps.  xcv.  7). 

6,  T/ie  En.:{\  i.e.  of  the  Jewish  age,  in  which  the  writer  and  his  first  readers  were 
living.  For  us  it  siguifiis  the  end  of  our  earthly  lives.  Hope  ivhich  &'c.]  Lit. 
'  boast  — i.e.  thing  boasted  of — of  our  hope.' 

7,  15.  To-day  <&*c.]  Or  'Oh  that  to-day  you  would  but  listen  to  His  voice.'  So 
in  iv.  7. 

8,  Provjcaiion]  Hebrew,  *  Meribah.'  Teviptatiiyft]  Hebrew,  '  Massah.'  Exod. 
xvii.  7. 

13.  Om  another^  Or  '  yourselves.'  So  long  as  To-day  lasts\  An  indication  of 
what  the  writer  regarded  as  the  certainty  of  the  nearness  of  Christ's  Return  to  the 
earth.     Siii\  Or  '  his  sin.' 


548  HEBREWS   III.-IV. 

For  who  were  they  that  heard,  and  yet  provoked     i6 
A  Lesson  from   „     ,  ^      ,,,  ,  ,     ,       '       ,  ^    ,         , 

Jewish        God  ?     Was  It  not  the  wnole  of  the  people  who 
History.       j^^j  come  out  of  Egypt  under  the  leadership  of 
Moses  ?     And  with  whom  was  God  so  greatly  grieved  for  forty     17 
years  ?     Was  it  not  with  those  who  had  sinned,  and  whose  dead 
bodies  fell  in  the  desert?    And  to  whom  did  He  swear   that     18 
they  should  not  be  admitted  to  His  rest,  if  it  was  not  to  those 
who  were  disobedient  ?     Aud  so  we  see  that  it  was  owing  to     19 
lack  of  faith  that  they  could  not  be  admitted. 

We  enter  the       ^^^  ^^  therefore  be  on  our  guard  lest  perhaps,     i  a 
heavenly       while  He  Still  leaves  us  a  promise  of  being  ad- 
through       mitted  to  His  rest,  some  one  of  you  should  be 
Faith.        found  to  have  fallen  short  of  it.     For  Good  News     2 
has  been  brought  to  us  as  truly  as  to  them  ;  but  the  message 
they  heard  failed  to  benefit  them,  because  they  were  not  one 
in    faith    with   those  who  gave   heed    to    it.      We   who    have     3 
beheved  are  soon  to  be  admitted  to  the  true  rest  ;  as  He  has 
said, 
"As  I  SWORE  IN  My  anger, 
They  shall  not  be  aDxMitted  to  My  rest" 

(Ps.  xcv.  11) 
although  God's  works  had  been  going  on  ever  since  the  creation 
of  the  world.     For,  as  we  know,  when  speaking  of  the  seventh     4 
day   He  has  used  the   words,   "And  God  rested  on  the 
seventh  day  from  all  His  works"  (Gen.  ii.  2);  and  He    5 
has  also  declared,  "They  shall  not  be  admitted  to  My 
rest"  (Ps.  xcv.  II ). 

The  Possession      Since,  then,  it   is  still  true  that  some   will  be     6 
°^did'n'ot"*    admitted  to  that  rest,  and  that  because  of  disobe- 
exhaust  the    dience  those  who  formerly  had  Good  News  pro- 
claimed to  them,  were    not   admitted,   He  again     7 
definitely  mentions  a  certain  day,  "To-day,"  saying  long  after- 
wards, by  David's  lips,  in  the  words  already  quoted, 
"To-day,  if  you  hear  His  voice, 
Do  not  harden  your  hearts"  (Ps.  xcv.  7). 

16,  Who  heard]  A  special  reference  seems  to  be  intended  here  to  those  who 
heard  the  good  report  of  the  two  spies,  Joshua  and  Caleb  (Num.  xiii.  30  ;  xiv.  6-9, 
23).  The  whole  0/  the  people]  Joshua  and  Caleb  were  not  among  those  who 
listened.     They  were  themselves  the  speakers. 

17.  Dead  bodies]  Lit.  'limbs.' 

2.  Good  News]  Of  rest.      Those  who  gave  heed  to  it]  i.e.  Joshua  and  Caleb. 

3,  8.    IVte  true  rest]  Lit.  simply  '  rest.' 

6.  Who  formerly  Ssr'c.]  "Only  two  generations  are  contemplated — that  of  Mo.ses 
and  that  of  Christ "  (Westcott). 


HEBREWS    IV.-V.  549 

For  if  Joshua  had  given  them  the  true  rest,  we  should  not  after-  8 

wards  hear  God  speaking  of  another  still  future  day.     It  follows  9 
that  there  still  remains  a  sabbath  rest  for  the  people  of  God. 

For  He  who  has  been  admitted  to  His  rest,  has  rested  from  His  10 
works  as  God  did  from  His. 

Let  it  then  be  our  earnest  endeavour  to  be  ad-  1 1 

An    Appeal   to       .        ,  ,  ^  ,  .  , 

the  Warnings  mitted  to  that  rest,  so  that  no  one  may  perish 
G^°d'*1vi"^sa' e  through  following  the  same  example  of  unbelief. 

For  God's  Message  is  full  of  life  and  power,  and  12 
is  keener  than  the  sharpest  two-edged  sword.  It  pierces  even 
to  the  severance  of  soul  from  spirit,  and  penetrates  between  the 
joints  and  the  marrow,  and  it  can  discern  the  secret  thoughts 
and  purposes  of  the  heart.  And  no  created  thing  is  able  to  13 
escape  its  scrutiny  ;  but  everything  lies  bare  and  completely 
exposed  before  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do. 

Inasmuch,  then,  as  we  have  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of     14 
SyI?pathy"of   God,  a  great  High  Priest  who  has  passed  beyond 
our  great  High  the  sky,   let  US  hold   firmly  to  our  profession  of 

faith.     For  we  have  not  a  High  Priest  who  is  un-     15 
able  to  feel  for  us  in  our  weaknesses,  but  one  who  was  tempted 
in  every  respect  just  as  we  are  tempted,  and  yet  did  not  sin. 
Therefore  let  us  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we     16 
may  receive  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  us  in  our  times  of 
need. 

For  every  High  Priest  is  chosen  from  among     i    ( 
mSstthlm^    men,  and  is  appointed  to  act  on  behalf  of  men  in 
selves  be       matters  relating  to  God,  in  order  to  offer  both  sifts 

human.  '^  '  i' 

and  sin-offerings,  and  must  be  one  who  is  able  to     2 

bear  patiently  with  the  ignorant  and  erring,  because  he  himself 
also  is  beset  with  infirmity.     And  for  this  reason  he  is  required     3 
to  offer  sin-offerings  not  only  for  the  people  but  also  for  himself 

8.  IVe  should  not  afterwards  hear  God  speaking\  Lit.  '  He  would  not  now  be 
speaking.' 

TO.  He  zvho  .  .  His  rest  .  .  His  ivorks^  i.e.  Christ  has  ceased  from  His  work  of 
redemption,  just  as  God  did  from  His  work  of  creation. _  Or,  giving  the  words  a 
wider  application,  we  may  render,'  Whoever  has  been  admitted  to  his  rest  has  ceased 
from  his  works.' 

12.  God's  Message\  Lit.  'the  word  of  God;'  i.e.  not  Christ  Himself,  but  His 
teaching.     The  sharpest^  Lit.  'every,' i.e.  'any.' 

13.  Completely  exposed]  Like  the  victim  whose  neck  is  bent  back  for  the  knife. 
With  2vhoin  we  have  to  do]  Or  '  to  whom  we  are  responsible.' 

14.  Beyond  the  sky]  Lit.  '  through  the  (lower)  heavens  : '  to  the  highest  Heaven 
— into  the  very  presence  of  God.  Profession  o/ faith]  Or  '  allegiance.'  Lit.  'con- 
fession.' 

I.  ffigh  Priest]  Only  the  Levitical  High  Priests  are  referred  to  here.  Gifts  .  . 
sin-offerings]  The  former  eucharistic  (meal-offerings),  the  latter  expiatory  (blood- 
offerings). 


550  hebrp:ws  v. 

.^.  ^  „  ,    ^  And  no  one  takes  this  honourable  office  upon     4 

High  Priests     ,  .  ,.  ,  ,  .        ,  ,,     ,        •    ,      ^    , 

are  appointed  himself,  but  only  accepts  it  when  called  to  it  by  God, 

by  God.        ^^  Aaron  was.     So  Christ  also  did  not  claim  for     5 
Himself  the  honour  of  being  made  High   Priest,  but  was  ap- 
pointed to  it  by  Him  who  said  to  Him, 
"My  Son  art  Thou  : 

I    HAVE   TO-DAY   BECOME   THY   FATHER  "   (Ps.  ii.  7)  ; 

as  also  in  another  passage  He  says,  6 

"  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever, 
Belonging  to  the  order  of   Melchizedek" 

(Ps.  ex.  4). 
For   Jesus  during    His    earthly   life   offered    up     7 

The  Prayers  "^         ,  .  •  ,        ,  ,  . 

and  Tears  of  prayers  and  entreaties,  crying  aloud  and  weeping 
theManJesus.  ^^  ^^  pleaded  with  Him  who  was  able  to  bring 
Him  in  safety  out  of  death,  and  He  was  delivered  from  the 
terror  from  which  He  shrank.     Although  He  was  God's  Son,     8 
yet  He  learned  obedience  from  the  sufferings  which  He  endured  ; 
and  so  having  been  made  perfect.  He  became  to  all  who  obey     9 
Him  the  source  and  giver  of  eternal  salvation.     For  God  Him-     10 
self  addresses  Him  as  a  High  Priest  for  ever,   belenging  to  the 
order  of  Melchizedek. 

Concerning"   Him    we   have   much   to  say,   and     11 
Christians  JhT^  much  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  make  clear  to  you, 
^°w^  ^^^^'     since  you  have  become  so  dull  of  apprehension,     12 
For  although,  considering  the  long  time  you  have 
been  believers,  you  ought  now  to  be  teachers  of  others,  you 
really  need  some  one  to  teach  you  over  again  the  very  rudiments 
of  the  truths  of  God,  and  you  have  come  to  require  milk  instead 
of  solid  food.     By  people  who  live  on  milk  I  mean  those  who  are     13 
imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  teaching  concerning  righteous- 
ness.    Such  persons  are  mere   babes.     But    solid  food    is  for     14 
adults — that  is,  for  those  who  through  constant  practice  have 
their  spiritual  faculties  carefully  trained  to  distinguish  good  from 
evil. 


4.  Honourable  office']    Lit.  '  honour,'  or  '  dignity.' 

7.  From  the  termor  from  which  He  shrank^  Or  '  on  account  of  His  reverent  sub- 
mission.' 

9.  Made  perfect^  Or  '  fully  consecrated  to  His  work.'  Cp.  ii.  lo.  Source  and 
giver\  Lit.    author.' 

ID.  Addresses  Him]  Possibly,  as  Rendall  suggests,  at  the  Ascension, 

II.  So  dull  of  apprehension']  Lit.  '  hard  of  hearing.' 

13.  Teaching  concerning]  Lit.  'word  of.' 

14.  Is  ybr]  Or  '  belongs  to.'  Lit.  'is  of.'  Cp.  Matt.  v.  3,  10;  xix.  14;  Mark 
xii,  7. 


HEBREWS   VI.  551 

Therefore  leaving  elementary  instruction  about     r  ( 

An  Appeal  for     ,       ^,     .         ,  ,  i  .         j 

manly         the  Christ,  let  us  advance  to  mature  manhood  and 
Progress.       ^^^  ^^  continually  re-laying  a  foundation  of  repent- 
ance from  lifeless  works  and  of  faith  in  God,  or  of  teaching  about     2 
ceremonial  washings,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and  the  last  judgement.     And  advance  we  will,  if  God     3 
permits  us  to. 

For  it  is  impossible,  in  the  case  of  those  who  have    4 
WartlfrlJ"      0"ce  for  all  been  enlightened,  and  have  tasted  the 
sweetness  of  the  heavenly  gift,  and  have  been  made 
partakers  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  have  realized  how  good  the     5 
word  of  God  is  and  how  mighty  are  the  powers  of  the  coming 
age,  and  then  fell  away — it  is  impossible,  I  say,  to  keep  bringing    6 
them  back  to  a  new  repentance,  for,  to  their  own  undoing,  they 
are  repeatedly  crucifying  the  Son  of  God  afresh  and  exposing 
Him  to  open  shame.     For  land  which  has  drunk  in  the  rain  that     7 
often  falls  upon  it,  and  brings  forth  vegetation  useful  to  those 
for  whose  sakes,  indeed,  it  is  tilled,  has  a  share  in  God's  bless- 
ing ;   but  if  it  only  yields  a  mass  of  thorns  and  briers,  it  is     8 
considered  worthless,  and  is  in  danger  of  being  cursed,    and  in 
the  end  will  be  destroyed  by  fire. 

But  we,  even  while  we  speak  in  this  tone,  have     9 

A  confident  ,  .      '  .     .  .  ,        , 

Expectation  of  a  happier  conviction  concerning  you,  my  dearly- 
better  Things,  joved  friends— a  conviction  of  things  which  point 
towards  salvation.     For  God  is  not  unjust,  so  that   He  is  un-     10 
mindful  of  your  labour,  and  of  the  love  which  you  have  mani- 
fested towards   Himself  in   having   rendered    services  to    His 
people  and  in  still  rendering  them.     But  we  long  for  each  of  you     11 
to  continue  to  manifest  the  same  earnestness,  with  a  view  to  your 
enjoying  fulness  of  hope  to  the  very  end  ;  so  that    you  may  not     12 
become  half-hearted,  but  be  imitators  of  those  who  through  faith 
and  patient  endurance  are  now  heirs  to  the  promises. 

For  when  God  gave  the  promise  to  Abraham,     13 

God's  pro-  ..,,,  ITT 

mises  inspire    since  He  had  no  one  greater  to  swear  by,  He  swore 
infinite  Hope,   by  Himself,  saying, 

1.  Lifeless  zvorks]  Such  as  were  habitual  with  us  when  we  were  "  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins  '  Eph.  ii.  i.     Faith  in]  lit.  '  faith  (resting)  on.' 

2.  Ba/'tisnis]  Or  "  washings  ; '  inchiding  Christian  Haptism.  See  Acts  xix.  3,  4. 
0/  the  dead]  Lit.  '  of  dead  '  (persons),  referring  eiiher  to  all  the  dead  (John 
V.  29  ;  I  Cor.  XV.  23  ;  i  Thess.  iv.  16  ;  Kev.  xx.  12),  or  to  a  part  only  (John  v.  25; 
Phil.  iii.  II  ;  Rev.  xx.  4).  The  last  judgement]  Lit.  '  the  judgement  of  the  ages.' 
Judgement  may  be  pronounced,  and  carried  into  effect,  in  the  present  life  (Matt, 
vii.  2  ;  Luke  xxiii.  40)  ;  or  both  the  pronouncement  and  the  carrying  out  may  be 
deferred. 

6.  To  their  oiun  undoing]  Lit.  '  to  themselves  ;'  the  dative  of  disadvantage.  Or 
the  words  may  mean  '  in  their  hearts.' 


552  HEBREWS   VI.-VII. 

"Assuredly  I  will  bless  you  and  bless  you,  14 

I  WILL  increase  you  AN^  INCREASE  YOU"  (Gen.  xxii.  l6,  Ij). 

And  so,  as  the  result  of  patient  waiting,  our  forefather  obtained     15 
what  God  had  promised.     For  men   swear  by  what  is  greater     16 
than  themselves  ;  and  with  them  an  oath  in  confirmation  of  a 
statement  always  puts  an  end  to  a  dispute.     In  the  same  way,     17 
since  it  was  God's  desire  to  display  more  convincingly  to  the 
heirs  of  the  promise  how  unchangeable  His  purpose  was,  He 
added  an  oath,  in  order  that,  through  two  unchangeable  things,     18 
in  which  it  is  impossible  for  Him  to  prove  false,  we  may  possess 
mighty  encouragement — we  who,  for  safety,  have  hastened  to  lay 
hold   of  the  hope  set  before  us.     That   hope  we   have  as  an     19 
anchor  of  the  soul — an  anchor  that  can  neither  break  nor  drag. 
It  passes  in  behind  the  veil,  where  Jesus  has  entered  as  a  fore-     20 
runner  on  our  behalf,  having  become,  like  Melchizedek,  a  High 
Priest  for  ever. 

^.  .         For  this  man,  ]\Ielchizedek,  king  of  Salem  and     i   ' 

Jesus,  a  High  '  ° 

Priest  like      priest  of  the  Most  High  God — he  who  when  Abra- 

Meichizedek.  [^^^^^  ^^.^5  returning  after  defeating  the  kings  met 
him  and  pronounced  a  blessing  on  him — to  whom  also  Abraham  2 
presented  a  tenth  part  of  all — being  first,  as  his  name 
signifies,  King  of  righteousness,  and  secondly  King  of  Salem, 
that  is,  King  of  peace  :  with  no  father  or  mother,  and  no  record  3 
of  ancestry  :  having  neither  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life, 
but  made  a  type  of  the  Son  of  God — this  man  Melchizedek 
remains  a  priest  for  ever. 

p/eichizedek's       -^  °^^  think  how  great  this  priest-king  must  have     4 
Greatness,      been    to  whom   Abraham    the    patriarch    gave    a 

His  Superior.    ^^^^^    ^^^^    ^^  ^^^   ^^^^   ^^  ^^^  ^p^j^       ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^      ^ 

Abraham.  i\^q  descendants  of  Levi  who  receive  the  priesthood 
are  authorized  by  the  Law  to  take  tithes  from  the  people,  that  is, 
from  their  brethren,  though  these  have  sprung  from  Abraham  ; 
but,  in  this  instance,  one  who  does  not  trace  his  origin  from  6 
them  takes  tithes  from  Abraham,  and  pronounces  a  blessing  on 
him  to  whom  the  promises  belong.  And  beyond  all  dispute  it  7 
is  always  the  inferior  who  is  blessed  by  the  superior. 

t8.    Tivo  unchangeable  things']  God's  promise  and  God's  oath. 

20.  A  forerunner]  A  forerunner  immediately  precedes  those  whose  approach  he 
heralds  and  prepares  for.  Hence  the  use  here  of  the  word  is  an  indication  of  tlie 
writer's  beHef  in  the  nearness  of  the  time  when  Christ's  people  would  follow  Him  into 
the  innermost  sanctuary  of  .Heaven.  0}i  our  behalf]  i.e.  to  prepare  a  place  for  us. 
Cp.  John  xiv.  2. 

3.  \Fith  no  father  or  mother]  So  Philo  calls  Sarah  'without  mother,'  because 


HEBREWS   VII. 


553 


Levi,  as  it  were,       Moreover  here  frail  mortal  men  receive  tithes  :     8 

PB.'f*  him       there    one   receives  them    about    whom   there    is 

evidence  that  he  is  alive.    And  Levi  too — if  I  may     9 

so  speak— pays  tithes  through  Abraham  :  for  Levi  was  yet  in     10 

the  loins  of  his  forefather  when  Melchizedek  met  Abraham. 

Now  if  the  crowning  blessing  was  attainable  by     11 

f^tfon"o?the  means  of  the  Levitical  priesthood — for  as  resting 

Jewish        on  this  foundation  the  people  received  the  Law,  to 

Priesthood.         ....  -i,        ,  •  ,  ^      ,  , 

which   they   are    still  subject — what  further  need 

was  there  for  a  Priest  of  a  different  kind  to  be  raised  up  belong- 
ing to  the  order  of  Melchizedek  instead  of  being  said  to  belong 
to  the  order  of  Aaron  .^     For  when  the  priesthood  changes,  a     12 
change  of  law  also  of  necessity  takes  place. 

He,  however,  to  whom  that  prophecy  refers  is     i  3 
Jesus  did  not  !         ,       .  ,  ,.^^  .,     ^      ^        ^  -^ 

belong  to  the  associated  with  a  different  tribe,  not  one  member 
Tribe  of  Levi.  ^^  ^vhich  has  anything  to  do  with  the  altar.     For  it     14 
is  undeniable  that  our  Lord  sprang  from  Judah,  a  tribe  of  which 
Moses  said  nothing  in  connexion  with  priests.     And  this  is  still     15 
more  abundantly  clear  when  we  read  that  it  is  as  belonging  to 
the  order  of  Melchizedek  that  a  priest  of  a  different  kind  is  to 
arise,  and  hold  His  office  not  in  obedience  to  any  temporary  Law,     16 
but  by  virtue  of  an  indestructible  Life.     For  the  words  are  in     17 
evidence,   "Thou  art  a  Priest  for  ever,  belonging  to 
THE  order  of  Melchizedek"  (Ps.  ex.  4). 

^^     ,     .  ^         On  the  one  hand  we  have  here  the  abrogation     18 
The  Jewish  ,  ■,    • 

Priesthood     of  an  earlier  code  because  it  was  weak  and  in- 
superseded,    effective— for  the  Law  brought  no  perfect  bless-     19 
ing — but  on  the  other  hand  we  have  the  bringing  in  of  a  new 
and  better  hope  by  means  of  which  we  draw  near  to  God. 

And   since  it  was  not   without   an   oath  being   taken  —  for     20 
these   men   hold  office  without  any  oath   having  been   taken, 

her  mother  is  not  mentioned,  and  Scipio  addressed  the  mob  in  the  forum  as  '  You 
who  have  no  father  or  mother  '  (F.  W.  Farrar,  Texts  Explaineif). 

8.  Here]  i.e.  in  the  system  of  things  that  exists  around  us,  as  opposed  to  that  in 
which  Melchizedek  was  the  chief  actor. 

IT.  The  croivning  blessing]  Lit.  'perfection.'  As  resting  on  this  foundation]  Or 
'  as  based  on  this  condition.'  To  tvhich  they  are  still  subject]  Implied  in  the  tense 
(perfect)  of  the  verb  '  received.'  See  Aorist  vii.  4.  What  further  <5^c.]  Why  change 
the  priest,  when  that  means  change  of  the  Lajv  ? 

13.  He,  Jio-vever,  <5^c.]  "If  the  priesthood  be  changed,  the  Law  must  also  be 
changed  ;  but  (^Aorist,  Appendix  A,  11,  12;  and  i  Sam.  xv.  35,  A.V.  margin)  the 
priesthood  is  changed  (i.e.  Christ,  who  is  appointed  to  the  priesthood,  sprang 
from  the  tribe  of  Judah);  therefore  the  Law  is  laid  aside  "  (Stuart).  Is  associated 
with]  The  Greek  perfect  indicates  that  He  voluntarily  connected  Himself  with 
another  tribe  and  that  the  connexion  is  permanent.  "He  was  of  His  own  will  so 
born  "  (Westcott). 

15.  And  this]  i.e.  the  change  of  the  law. 

20.  //]  The  appointment  of  Jesus  as  the  Christ. 


554  HEBREWS   VIL-VIII. 

but   He  holds  it  attested  by  an  oath   from   Him     2i 
hood  *has  been  ^^^   ^^^^   ^^    ^''^'    "THE  LORD  HAS   SWORN  AND 
made  sure  to    WILL    NOT     RECALL    HlS    WORDS,    THOU    ART    A 
Him  by  God.     ^  ,,    zt^  \       c^  ^       ■, 

Priest  for   ever"   (Ps.  ex.  4).     So  much   the    22 
more    also    is   the    covenant  of   which  Jesus  has  become  the 
guarantor,  a  better  covenant. 

^,    .  ^  ^,  And  they  have  been  appointed  priests  many  in     23 

Christ,  the  one  ,  ,  "^  ,        ,  ,     •  • 

Priest  who     number,  because  death  prevents  their  contmuance 
never  dies.     -^^  office  :  but  He,  because  He  continues  for  ever,     24 
has  a  priesthood  which  does  not  pass  to  any  successor.     Hence     25 
too  He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  those  who  come  to  God 
through  Him,  seeing  that  He  ever  lives  to  plead  for  them. 

^,      .  ,  ,      Moreover  we  needed  just  such  a  High  Priest  as     26 

Thesmlessand  ,    /-,     ,     r 

perfect  this — holy,  guileless,  undefiled,  far  removed  from 
Son  o  God.  gjj-jf^i  j^-jgj^  ^-^^  exalted  above  the  heavens  ;'  who,  27 
unlike  other  High  Priests,  is  not  under  the  necessity  of  offering 
up  sacrifices  day  after  day,  first  for  His  own  sins,  and  afterwards 
for  those  of  the  people  ;  for  this  latter  thing  He  did  once  for  all 
when  He  offered  up  Himself  For  the  Law  constitutes  men  28 
High  Priests — men  with  all  their  infirmity— but  the  utterance 
of  the  oath,  which  came  later  than  the  Law,  constitutes  High 
Priest  a  Son  who  has  been  made  for  ever  perfect. 

Christ's  High  Priesthood,  and  the  new  Covenant. 

Now  in  connexion  with  what  we  have  been  say-     i   ( 

A  heavenly,  not  .  ,,.-..,  ,  ^-..    ,     _,  .  ( 

an  earthly      ing  the  chief  point  IS  that  we  have  a  High  Priest 
Priesthood.    ^j^Q  i^^g  ^^i^gj^  Hig  gg^t  ^t  ^he  right  hand  of  the 

throne  of  God's  Majesty  in  the  heavens,  and  ministers  in  the  Holy    2 
place  and  in  the   true  tabernacle  which  not  man,  but  the  Lord 
pitched. 

.  Every    High    Priest,   however,  is  appointed   to     3 

System  a  dim  offer  both  bloodless  gifts  and  sacrifices.    Therefore 
^s^f?iri°uar^     this   High  Priest  also  must  have  some  offering  to 
Realities.      present.     If  then  He  were  still  on  earth,  He  would     4 
not  be  a  priest  at  all,  since  here  there  are  already  those  who  pre- 
sent the  offerings  in  obedience  to  the  Law,  and  serve  a  copy     5 
and  type  of  the  heavenly  things,  just  as  Moses  was  divinely  in- 

21.  Recall  His  words]  Lit.  'change  His  mind.' 

22.  Guarantor]  Or  '  surety.'  Cp.  Job  xvii.  3,   R.V. 

3.  However]  See  Aorist  xii. 

4.  The  fact  that  the  author  here  asserts  that  the  Jewish  priesthood  was  still  in 
existence  proves  that  this  Letter  was  written  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  in 
70,  A.D.     Cp.  ix.  8,  9. 


HEBREWS    VIII.-IX.  555 

structed  when  about  to  build  the  tabernacle.     For  God  said, 

"  See  that  you  make  everything  in  imitation  of  the 

pattern  shown  you  on  the  mountain"  (exod.  xxv.  40). 

Rut,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  ministry  which  Christ  has  obtained     6 

is  all  the  nobler  a  ministry,  in  that  He  is  at  the  same  time 

the  negotiator  of  a  sublimer   covenant,   based    upon    sublimer 

promises. 

For  if  that  first  covenant  had  been  free  from     7 
A  new  and      .  ^       .  ,  , ,    ,  ,  ' 

spiritual       imperfection,  there  would  have  been   no  attempt 

^°p'rom?s*ecl^^  ^^  introduce  another.     For,  being  dissatisfied  with     8 

His  people,  God  says, 

"There  are  days  coming,  says  the  Lord, 

When   I  will  establish  with  the  house  of  Israel 

AND   with    the   house   OF  JUDAH  A  NEW  COVENANT— 

A  Covenant  unlike  the  one  which    I    made    with    9 

their  forefathers 
On  the  day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand  to  lead 

them  out  from  the  land  of  Egypt  ; 
For  they  would  not  remain  faithful  to  that. 
So  I  turned  from  them,  says  the  Lord. 
But  this  is  the  Covenant  that    I   will    covenant     10 

with  the  house  of   Israel 
After  those  days,  says  the  Lord  : 
I  will  put  My  laws  into  their  minds 
And  will  write  them  upon  their  hearts. 

And    I    WILL    INDEED    BE  THEIR    GOD 
And    THEY    SHALL   BE    Mv    PEOPLE. 

And  there  shall  be  no  need  for  them  to  teach  each     ii 

one  his  fellow  citizen 
And  each  one  his  brother,  saying,  '  Know  the  Lord  ;' 
For  all  will  know  Me 

From  the  least  of  them  to  the  greatest  ; 
Because  1  will  be  merciful  to  their  wrongdoings,  12 

And  their  sins  I  will  remember  no  longer" 

(Jer.  xxxi.  31-34)- 
By  using  the  words,  "a  nev*^  Covenant,"  He  has  made  the  first     13 
one  obsolete  ;  but  whatever  is  decaying  and  showing  signs  of 
old  age  is  not  far  from  disappearing  altogether. 

A  Description  ^     '^  ,        ^  ^  ,       ,  .      .  ^ 

of  the  earthly       Now  even  the  first    Covenant   had  regulations     i    Q 
Sanctuary.     ^^^  divine   worship,  and   had   also    its  sanctuary 

9.    T/inf]  Lit    '  My  Covenant.' 

I.    The  first  Covenant^  Or  '  the  first  tabernacle.'      Lit.  simply  'the  first.' 


556  HEBREWS   IX. 

— a  sanctuary  belonging  to  this  world.     For  a  sacred  tent  was     2 
constructed — the  outer  one,  in  which  were  the  lamp  and    the 
table  and   the  presented  loaves  ;  and  this  is  called  the  Holy- 
place.     And  behind  the  second  veil  was  a  sacred  tent  called  the     3 
Holy  of  holies.     This  contained  a  censer  of  gold,  and  the  ark  of    4 
the  Covenant  lined  with  gold  and  completely  covered  with  gold, 
and  in  it  were  a  gold  vase  which  held  the  manna,  and  Aaron's 
rod  which  budded  and  the  tables  of  the  Covenant ;  and  above     5 
the  ark  were  the  Cherubim  denoting  God's  glorious  presence  and 
overshadowing  the  Mercy-seat.      But  I  cannot  now  speak  about 
all  these  in  detail. 

These  arrangements  havinglong  been  completed,     6 

The  innermost    .  ■      ^  ,  j       i^-  ^i        j-    • 

Sanctuary  of  the  priests,  when   conductmg  the  divme  services, 

Heaven  was    continually   enter   the  outer   tent :    but    into    the     7 
not  yet  open.  ''  '  ' 

second,  the   High  Priest  goes  only  on  one  day  of 

the  year,  and  goes  alone,  taking  with  him  blood,  which  he  offers 

on  his  own  behalf  and  on  account  of  the  sins  which  the  people 

have  ignorantly  committed.      And  the  lesson  which  the  Holy     8 

Spirit  teaches  is  this — that  the  way  into  the  true  Holy  place  is 

not  yet  open  so  long  as  the  outer  tent  still  remains  in  existence. 

And  this  is  a  figure — for  the  time  now  present — answering  to     9 

which  both  gifts  and  sacrifices  are  offered,  unable  though  they 

are  to  give  complete  freedom  from  sin  to  him  who  ministers. 

For  their  efficacy  depends  only  on  meats  and  drinks  and  various     ic 

washings,  ceremonies  pertaining  to  the  body  and  imposed  until 

a  time  of  reformation. 

But  Christ  appeared  as   a    High  Priest  of  the     11 

^H*gh"  Pnest^*  blessings  that  are  soon  to  come  by  means  of  the 

was  already  be- orreater  and  more  perfect  Tent  of  worship,  a  tent 

hind  the  Veil.    *=,.,,  ,  ,      .,        .  ,    ,  ,  ,         • 

which  has  not  been  built  with  hands — that  is  to  say 


2.  The  presented  loaveslYJiX..  '  the  presentation  of  the  loaves.'  The  Holy  {>lace\ 
Lit.  '  Holy  tilings.'     Outer\  Lit.  'first.'     So  in  verse  6. 

3.  Holy  o/holies]  Or  '  the  most  Holy  place.'     Lit.  '  Holies  of  Holies.' 

4.  Censer]  The  word  "  may  mean  either  an  altar  upon  which,  or  a  censer  in  which, 
incense  was  burnt"  (Aiford). 

5.  Denoting  God's  glo7  ions  presence  and]  Lit.  simply  '  of  glory.' 

8.  True]  Not  expressed  in  the  Greek.  So  long  as  the  outer  tent  d^c.]  Words 
which  prove  that  at  the  time  this  Letter  was  written,  Jerusalem  had  not  yet  been 
destroyed. 

8,  12,  24,  25.  The  Holy  place]  Evidently  signifying  here  the  Most  Holy  place — not 
Paradise  the  outer  court,  or  garden,  of  Heaven,  but  the  innermost  sanctuary,  the 
very  presence  of  God.  Cp.  verse  3  and  xiii.  ii.  So  long  as  the  earthly  temple 
stood,  the  saints  of  by-gone  ages  were  not  made  perfect  (.xi.  40),  but  remained  in  the 
outer  court  of  Heaven.  See  John  iii.  13  ;  Acts  ii.  34  ;  Rev.  xiv.  13.  But  in  this 
Letter,  written  at  the  very  end  of  the  Jewish  age  (i.  2),  they  are  spoken  of  as  having 
been  at  length  made  perfect  (xii.  23). 

II.  Appeared]  In  the  presence  of  God,  at  the  Ascension.      Thai  are  soon  to  come] 


HEBREWS   IX.  557 

does   not  belong  to   this  material   creation — and   once  for  all     12 
entered  the  Holy  place,  taking  with  Him  not  the  blood  of  goats 
and  calves,   but   His  own  blood,  and  thus  procuring   eternal 
redemption  for  us. 
_.       ,  For  if  the  blood   of  goats  and  bulls  and   the     13 

The    cleansing        ,  r        i.    -r  •    i  v  i  i.      i. 

Power  of  ashes  of  a  heifer  sprmklmg  those  who  have  con- 
nst  s  Bioo  .  |-j.^(,|-g(j  defilement  make  them  holy  so  as  to  bring 
about  ceremonial  purity,  how  much  more  certainly  shall  the  14 
blood  of  Christ,  who  strengthened  by  the  eternal  Spirit  offered 
Himself  to  God,  free  from  blemish,  purify  your  consciences  from 
lifeless  works  for  you  to  serve  the  ever-living  God .'' 
^^  ^  And    because    of   this    He    is  the    negotiator     15 

ThenewCov-        .  ^  •  ■,  ,  •  ir    1 

enant  owes  its  of  a  new  Covenant,  m  order  that,  smce  a  life  has 
Chrfst's'Death.  ^^^^  given  in  atonement  for  the  offences  com- 
mitted under  the  first  Covenant,  they  who  have 
been  called  may  receive  the  eternal  inheritance  which  has  been 
promised  to  them.  For  where  there  is  a  legal  '  will,'  there  must  16 
also  be  a  death  brought  forward  in  evidence — the  death  of  him 
who  made  it.  And  a  will  is  only  of  force  in  the  case  of  a  17 
deceased  person,  being  never  of  any  avail  so  long  as  he  who 
made  it  Uves. 

Accordingly   we   find  that   the   first     Covenant     18 

Sin  requires  .  ...  ,  ,        ,        „  , 

the  Surrender  was  not   inaugurated   without  blood.     For   when     19 
of  some  Life.   p^Qg^g  j^^^  proclaimed  to  all  the  people  every  com- 
mandment contained  in  the  Law,  he  took  the  blood  of  the  calves 
and  of  the  goats  and  with  them  water,  scarlet  wool  and  hyssop, 
and  sprinkled  both  the  book  itself  and  all  the  people,   saying,     20 
"  This  is  the  blood  which  confirms  the  Covenant  that 

V.L.   'that   have   (already)  come.'      For  us]  These  words  must  be  supplied  in  the 
English,  although  they  are  not  expressed  in  the  Greek. 

13.  Tke  blood\  "  The  Scriptural  idea  of  Blood  is  essentially  an  idea  of  life  and  not 
of  death"  (Westcott).  Ceremonial  purity]  Lit.  '  the  purity  of  the  flesh,'  not  the  act 
of  purification  but  the  state  of  legal  cleanness  which  results. 

14.  Strengthened  by\  Lit.  '  by  means  of.'  The  eternal  Spirit]  Lit.  '  an  eternal 
Spirit  ;'  perhaps  His  own  human  spirit.  Offered  Himself]  "When  Christ's  self- 
offering  is  spoken  of  generally,  we  are  to  take  the  whole  from  the  beginning,  not  merely 
that  which  (on  the  Cross)  was  the  last  act  of  it  "  (Alford).  Your  .  .  you]  v.l.  '  our 
.  .  us.'  Lifeless  works]  See  vi.  i,  n.  Serve]  Or  'worship.'  Ever-living]  Lit. 
'living.' 

15.  And  because  of  this]  i.e.  because  "the  Blood  of  Christ  purifies  the  soul  with  a 
view  to  a  divine  service  "  (Westcott). 

16.  Legal '■  will.'  Will]  In  the  N.T.  this'word  is  usually  rendered  'Covenant.' 
In  this  exceptional  instance,  "  the  sacred  writer  starts  from  the  sense  of  a  '  covenant,' 
and  glides  into  that  of  a  'testament'  "  (Lightfoot,  on  Gal.  iii.  15).  On  the  other  hand 
see  Westcott ;  Hatch's  Biblical  Greek,  p.  47  ;  and  Magoun  on  '  Roman  Law,'  in 
The  Thinker,  viii.  40-45. 

18.  We  fi7id]'i&&  Aorist\n.%. 

19.  Every  conimatidment]  Exod.  xx.-xxiii.  To  all  the  people]  Exod.  xxiv.  3. 
Hyssop]  To  be  used  as  a  sprinkler.  Sprinkled  all  the  people]  "  Not  of  course  liter* 
ally,  but  representatively"  (Westcott). 


558  HEBREWS    IX.-X. 

God  has  made  binding  upon  you"  (Exod.  xxiv.  8).   And  in     21 
the  same  way  he  also  sprinkled  blood  upon  the  Tent  of  worship 
and  upon  all  the  vessels  used  in  the  ministry.     Indeed  we  may     22 
almost  say  that  in  obedience  to  the  Law  everything  is  sprinkled 
with  blood,  and  that  apart  from  the  outpouring  of  blood  there  is 
no  remission  of  sins. 
^,    .  ,,  It  was  needful  therefore  that  the  copies  of  the     2^ 

Chnst'sone       ,-  •      tt  u       u  u        i  j    •        .• 

Sacrifice  does  thmgs  m  Heaven  should  be  cleansed  m  this  way, 
away  with  Sin.  ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^  heavenly  things  themselves  should  be 
cleansed  with  more  costly  sacrifices.    For  it  was  not  into  a  Holy     24 
place   built   by  men's   hands — mere  copies  of  the  reality — that 
Christ  entered,  but  He  entered  Heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  in  the 
presence  of  God  on  our  behalf.     Nor  did  He  enter  for  the  pur-     25 
pose   of  many  times  offering  Himself  in  sacrifice,  just  as  the 
High  Priest  enters  the  Holy  place,  year  after  year,  taking  with 
him  blood  not  his  own.     In  that  case  Christ  would  have  needed     26 
to  suffer  many  times,  from  the  creation  of  the  world  onwards  ; 
but  as  a  matter  of  fact  He  has  appeared  once  for  all,  at  the  Close 
of  the  ages,  in  order  to  do  away  with  sin  by  the  sacrifice   of 
Himself. 

.  .     .  And  since  it  is  reserved  for  all  mankind  once  to     27 

Death  IS  always    ,.  ,       .  ,  ,        •     ,       ,  ,        ^,     •  \ 

followed  by    die,  and  afterwards  to  be  judged  ;  so  the   Christ     28 
Judgement,     ^j^^^  having  been  once  offered  in  sacrifice  in  order 
that  He  might  bear  the  sins  of  many,  will  appear  a  second  time, 
separated  from  sin,  to  those  who  are  eagerly  expecting  Him,  to 
make  their  salvation  complete. 

For  since  the  Law  exhibits  only  an  outhne  of    i 

The  Mosaic        ,       ,  ,        •  ,  r 

Sacrifices  were  the  blessings  to  come  and  not  a  perfect  representa- 
of  small  Value.  ^-^^^  of  the  things  themselves,  the  priests  can  never, 
by  repeating  the  same  sacrifices  which  they  continually  offer 
year  after  year,  give  complete  freedom  from  sin  to  those  who 
draw  near.  For  then  would  not  the  sacrifices  have  ceased  to  2 
be  offered,  because  the  consciences  of  the  worshippers — who  in 
that  case  would  now  have  been  cleansed  once  for  all — would 

21.  I/e']  There  were  no  priests  as  yet. 

22.  The  outpouring]  Or  'the  shedding.' 

26.  The  Close  of  the  ages]  Cp.  the  phrase,  '  Close  of  the  age,'  Matt.  xiii.  39,  40,  49  ; 
xxiv.  3  ;  xxviii.  20  ;  and  see  Matt.  x.  22,  n.  The  soLcrifice  of  Himself]  Lit.  '  His 
sacrifice.' 

28.  Many]  A  countless  army,  saved  by  a  single  sacrifice.  Cp.  Rev.  vii.  9,  10, 
Separatedfro>n  sin]  Having  done  with  sin  for  ever.  To  those  -who  are  eagerly  ex- 
pecting Him]  And  not  to  the  rest  of  His  people.  The  secrecy  of  an  Eastern  wedding, 
taking  place  at  midnight,  is  assigned  to  the  Lord's  Return  in  Matt.  xxv.  1-13  ; 
'  foolish  virgins,'  i.e.  imperfectly  sanctified  believers,  missing  the  sight  of  Him.  Cp. 
Matt.  xxiv.  43  ;  Luke  xii.  38  ;  John  xiv.  19,  21 ;  xvi.  17  ;  Acts  i.  11,  n.  ;  i  Thess.  v.  2  ; 
Heb.  xii.  14  ;  Rev.  iii.  3  ;  xvi.  15. 

I.    T/u priests]  v.L.  '  it.' 


HEBREWS   X.  559 

no  longer  be  burdened  with  sins  ?     But  in  those   sacrifices  sins     3 

are  recalled  to  memory  year  after  year.     For  it  is  impossible     4 

for  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  to  take  away  sins. 

That  is  why,  when  He  comes  into  the  world,  He     5 
ItistheSur-  ^ 

render  of        aa)  b, 

Man's  Will  that        "SACRIFICE    AND   OFFERING   THOU    HAST  NOT 
God  wants. 

DESIRED, 

But  a  body  Thou  hast  prepared  for  Me  ; 

In  whole  burnt-offerings  and  in  sin-offerings  Thou    6 
hast  taken  no  pleasure. 

Then  I  said,  '  I  have  come — in  the  roll  of  the  book    7 
IT  is  written  concerning  Me— 

To  do  Thy  will,  O  God'^'  (Ps.  xl.  6-8). 

After  saying  the   words  I  have  just  quoted,    "  Sacrifices     8 
and    offerings   or    whole    burnt-offerings    and    sin- 
offerings  Thou  hast  not  desired  or  taken  pleasure 
IN  " — all  such  being  offered  in  obedience  to  the  Law — He  then     9 
adds,  "  I  HAVE  COME  TO  DO  Thy  WILL."     He  does  away  with 
the  first  in  order  to  establish  the  second.     It  is  through  that     10 
divine  will  that  we  have  been  set  free  from  sin,  through  the 
offering  of  Jesus  Christ  as  our  sacrifice  once  for  all. 

And  while  every  priest  stands  ministering,  day     11 

Christ's  one  r  ^  J  ^  rr       ■  ^  ^  f 

Sacrifice  is  of  after  day,  and  constantly  offering  the  same  sacri- 
^*^cacy  ^^'"  ^^^^ — though  such  can  never  rid  us  of  our  sins—     12 
this  Priest,  on  the  contrary,  after  offering  for  sins 
a  single  sacrifice  of  perpetual  efficacy,  took  His  seat  at  God's 
right  hand,  waiting  from  that  time  onward   until   His  enemies     13 
be  put  as  a  footstool  under  His  feet.     For  by  a  single  offering     14 
He  has  for  ever  completed  the  blessing  for  those  whom  He  is 
setting  free  from  sin. 

And  the  Holy  Spirit  also  gives  us  His  testimony  ;     1 5 
clv^e^na"nris    ^^^  ^hen  He  had  said, 

written  on       <<  7^13   13   THE    COVENANT     THAT    I    WILL    MAKE      16 
Men  s  Hearts. 

with  them 
After  those  days,  says  the  Lord  : 

I    WILL    PUT    My    laws    UPON    THEIR    HEARTS 
And    WILL    WRITE    THEM  'ON    THEIR     MINDS" 

(Jer.  xxxi.  ^3,  34) ; 

9.  Adds]  See  Aorist  vii.  8. 

10.  Have  been  set  free  from  si'/e]  Implying  'and  are  a  holy  people.'  The  Greek 
perfect,  here  as  elsewhere,  marks  a  permanent  condition  resulting  from  a  past 
action.     See  Aorist  vii. 

11.  Prustl  V  L.  '  High  Priest." 


56o  HEBREWS   X. 

He  adds,  17 

"And  their  sins  and  offences  I  will  remember  no 

LONGER." 

But  where  these  have  been  forgiven  no  further  offering  for     18 
sin  is  required. 

Exhortations  based  on  the  new  Covenant. 

Since  then,  brethren,  we  have  free  access  to  the     19 
oAnteHnf*  Holy  place  through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  the  new     20 
God's  immedi-  ^^^  ever-living  way  which  He  opened  up  for  us 

ate  Presence.  -,  r   ,  •,  . 

through  the  rending  of  the  veil — that  is  to  say,  of 
His  earthly  nature — and  since  we  have  a  great  Priest  who  has     21 
authority  over  the  house  of  God,  let  us  draw  near  with  sincerity     22 
and  unfaltering  faith,  having  had  our  hearts  sprinkled,  once  for 
all,  from  consciences  oppressed  with  sin,  and  our  bodies  bathed 
in  pure  water.     Let  us  hold  firmly  to  an  unflinching  avowal  of    23 
our  hope,  for  He  is  faithful  who  gave  us  the  promises  ;  and  let    24 
us  bestow  thought  on  one  another  with  a  view  to  arousing  one 
another  to  brotherly  love  and  right  conduct  ;  not  neglecting —    25 
as  some  habitually  do — to  meet  together,  but  encouraging  one 
another,  and  doing  this  all  the  more  since  you  can  see  the  day 
of  Christ  approaching. 

For  if  we  wilfully  persist  in  sin  after  having    26 
Guilt         received  the  full  knowledge  of  the  truth,  there  no 
°  Apostas^*^  longer  remains  in  reserve  any  other  sacrifice  for 

sins  ;  there  remains  nothing  but  a  certain  awful     27 
expectation  of  judgement,  and  the  fury  of  a  fire  which  before 
long  will  devour  the  enemies  of  the  truth.     Any  one  who  bids     28 
defiance  to  the  Law  of  Moses  is  put  to  death  without  mercy  on 

19.  Free  access]  Lit.  '  boldness  for  the  entrance.' 

20.  Ever-living]  Lit.  'living.' 

25.  The  day  of  Christ]  Such  to  the  first  readers  of  this  Letter  was  the  time  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70,  a.d.     See  Acts  ii.  20,  n.     Lit.  simply  'the  day.' 

27.  The  enemies  0/ the  trutlt]  Lit.,  simply,  'the  enemies.'  All  the  most  terrible 
denunciations  of  woe  recorded  in  the  New  Testament  are  directed  against  a  specially 
heinous  and  hardened  class  of  sinners.  See  Rev.  xxi.  8,  and  cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  24  with 
John  vi.  70  ;  xiii.  27  ;  and  John  viii.  44  with  Matt,  xxiii.  33.  Those  whom  the  Noble- 
man in  Luke  xix.  27  ordered  away  to  execution  were  men  who  hated  him  (verse  14), 
and  were  in  definite  rebellion  against  him.  So  in  Phil.  iii.  18  it  is  the  avowed 
enemies  of  the  Cross  whose  end  is  declared  to  be  utter  ruin,  and  in  2  Thess.  i.  9  the 
cruel  persecutors  of  the  Thessalonian  church  who  appear  to  be  specially  referred  to. 
Devour]  The  name  '  Valley  of  Slaughter '  given  in  Jer.  vii.  32  ;  xix.  6  ;  to  Gehenna 
(the  Valley  of  Hinnom),  and  the  use  in  the  N.T.  of  such  words  ais  '  death,'  '  destruc- 
tion,' 'fire,'  'perish,'  to  describe  Future  Retribution,  points  to  the  likelihood  of 
fearful  anguish,  followed  by  extinction  of  being,  as  the  doom  which  awaits  those  who 
by  persistent  rejection  of  the  Saviour  prove  themselves  utterly,  and  therefore 
irremediably  bad. 


HEBREWS    X.-XL  561 

the  testimony  of  two  or  three  witnesses      How  much  severer     29 
punishment,   think  you,   will  he  be   held  to  deserve  who  has 
trampled  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  has  not  regarded  as  holy 
that  Covenant-blood  with  which  he  was  set  free  from  sin,  and 
has  insulted  the  Spirit  from  whom  comes  grace  ?     For  we  know     30 
who  it  is  that  has  said,  "VENGEANCE  belongs  TO  Me:  I  will 
PAY  back"  (Deut.  xxxii.  35)  ;  and  again,  "The  Lord  will 
BE  His  people's  Judge"  (Deut.  xxxii.  36).     It  is  an  awful     31 
thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  ever-living  God. 
.    .  But  continually    recall  to   mind  the    days  now     ^2 

A  Cn66rinfir  j  •j 

Appeal  to  the   past,   when   on  being  first  enlightened   you  went 

Past.  through  a  great  conflict  and  many  sufferings.     This     33 

was  partly  through  allowing  yourselves  to  be  made  a  public 
spectacle  amid  reproaches  and  persecutions,  and  partly  through 
coming  forward  to  share  the  sufferings  of  those  who  were  thus 
treated.  For  you  not  only  showed  sympathy  with  those  who  34 
were  imprisoned,  but  you  even  submitted  with  joy  when  your 
property  was  taken  from  you,  being  well  aware  that  you  have 
in  your  own  selves  a  more  valuable  possession  and  one  which 
will  remain. 

The  Nearness  Therefore  do  not  cast  from  you  your  confident  35 
of  Reward  or  hope,  for  it  will  receive  a  vast  reward.  For  you  36 
Retribution.       ^  "^    ,  .  j     r       ^-      i.        j  ^i.    ..  .u 

stand  m  need  of  patient  endurance,  so  that,  as  the 
result  of  having  done  the  will  of  God,  you  may  receive  the 
promised  blessing.     For  there  is  still  but  a  short  time  and  then     37 
"  The  coming  One  will  come  and  will  not  delay. 
But  it  is   v.v   faith   that    My  righteous   servant    38 

shall  live  ; 
And  if  he  shrinks  back.  My  soul  takes  no  plea- 
sure IN  him"  (Hab.  ii.  3,  4). 
But  we  are  not  people  who  shrink  back  and  perish,  but  are     39 
among  those  who  believe  and  gain  possession  of  their  souls. 

Faith   and  its  ancient  Me  roes. 

Now  faith    is    a    well-grounded    assurance    of    i  1 
""of  Fai\h1^    that     for    which  we   hope,    and   a   conviction    of 

the  reality  of  things    which  we  do  not  see.     For     2 

29.  Se7.>erer]  Even  than  bodily  death.     See  Matt.  x.  28  ;  Luke  xii.  5. 

3t.   ETer-l'ming^  Lit.  'living.' 

34.  Tliat  yoii,  have  in  your  own  selves]  Some  render  'that  you  yourselves  have,' 
making  the  '  yourselves  '  the  subject  of  the  verb  instead  of  the  object ;  but  this  would 
require  a  different  pronoun. 

I.   "  Faith  is  that  principle,  that  exercise  of  mind  and  soul,  which  has  for  its  object 

00 


5^2  HEBREWS    XI. 

by  it  the  saints  of  old  won  God's  approval.     Through  faith  we     3 
understand  that  the  worlds  came  into  being,  and  still  exist,  at 
the  command  of  God,  so  that  what  is  seen  does  not  owe  its 
existence  to  that  which  is  visible  (Gen.  i.  i). 

Through    faith    Abel   offered   to    God   a  more     4 
^^^^'         acceptable  sacrifice  than  Cain  did,  and  through 
this  faith  he  obtained  testimony  that   he  was  righteous,  God 
giving  the  testimony  by  accepting  his  gifts  (Gen.  iv.  4)  ;  and 
through  it,  though  he  is  dead,  he  still  speaks. 

Through  faith  Enoch  was  taken  from  the  earth  5 
■  so  that  he  did  not  see  death,  and  be  could  not  be 
found,  because  God  had  taken  him  ;  for  before  he  was  taken 
we  have  evidence  that  he  truly  pleased  God  (Gen.  v.  22,  24). 
But  where  there  is  no  faith  it  is  impossible  truly  to  please  Him  ;  6 
for  the  man  who  draws  near  to  God  must  believe  that  there  is 
a  God  and  that  Pie  proves  Himself  a  rewarder  of  those  who 
earnestly  try  to  find  Him. 

Through   faith    Noah,   being    divinely    taught     7 

'^°^^"  about  things  as  yet  unseen,  reverently  gave  heed 

and   built  an  ark  for  the  safety  of  his  family  (Gen.  vi.  13,  22), 

and  by  this  act  he  condemned  the  world,  and  became  an  heir 

of  the  righteousness  which  depends  on  faith. 

Through  faith  Abraham,  upon  being  called  to     8 
Abraham.        ,  ,    °  ,  .    ^  iju-li 

leave  home  and  go  mto    a  land  which   he   was 

soon  to  receive  for  an  inheritance,  obeyed  ;  and  he  went  out, 

not  knowing  where  he  was  going  to  (Gen.  xii.  i,  4).     Through     9 

faith  he  came  and  made  his  home  for  a  time  in  a  land  which 

had  been  promised  to  him,  as  if  in  a  foreign  country,  living  in 

tents  together  with  Isaac  and  Jacob,  sharers  with  him  in  the 

same  promise  ;    for  he  continually  looked  forward  to  the  city     10 

things  not  seen  but  hoped  for,  and  instead  of  sinking  under  them  as  too  ponderous, 
whether  from  their  difficulty  or  from  their  uncertainty,  stands  firm  under  them  — 
supports  and  sustains  their  pressure — in  other  words,  is  assured  of,  confides  in  and 
relies  on  them  "  (Vaughan). 

3.  T/ie  worlds]  Lit.  '  the  ages  ; '  the  same  word  as  in  i.  2.  Came  into  being,  and 
still  exist]  The  whole  of  this  is  expressed  by  one  word  in  the  Greek  perfect  tense. 

i,.More  acceptable]  Lit.  'greater.'  Through  this  faith]  Or  'through  this 
sacrifice.'  Through]  Again  '  throus^h  faith.'  Though  he  is  dead,  he  still  speaks]  Or 
'  even  after  he  was  dead,  he  still  spoke  ; '  a  reference  to  '  the  voice  of  Abel's  blood  ' 
(Gen.  iv.  10).     Cp.  Luke  xviii.  7;   Rev.  vi.  9,  10.     v. L.  'is  spoken  of.' 

7.  An  heir]  '  Became  heir '  would  naturally  signify  'became  the  one  sole  heir.' 
But  here  the  reference  is  to  one  of  a  countless  multitude. 

8.  Upon  being  called]  The  Greek  present  participle  implies  that  the  obedience 
was  instantaneous  after,  or  simultaneous  with,  his  receiving  the  divine  command. 

10.  The  city]  See  Westcott's  Hebrews,  pp.  384-390.  The  formdations]  An  ap- 
parent reference  to  Rev.  xxi.  14,  which  favours  the  early  date  of  the  Apocalypse- 
showing  that  the  author  of  this  Letter  had  read  that  book  before  he  wrote.  Cp. 
xii.  22,  n. 


HEBREWS    XI.  563 

which  has  the  foundations,    whose    architect    and    builder    is 
God. 

Through  faith  even  Sarah  herself  received  1 1 
strength  to  become  a  mother — although  she  was 
past  the  time  of  life  for  this — because  she  judged  Him  faithful 
who  had  given  the  promise  (Gen.  xxi.  i,  2).  And  thus  there  12 
sprang  from  one  man,  and  him  practically  dead,  a  nation  like 
the  stars  of  the  sky  in  number,  and  like  the  sands  on  the  sea 
shore  which  cannot  be  counted. 

All  these  died  in  the  possession  of  faith.     They     13 
'^^hattlfey^"    had  not  received  the  promised  blessings,  but  had 
looked  for-     seen  them  from  a  distance  and  had  greeted  them, 
and  had  acknowledged  themselves  to  be  foreigners 
and  strangers  here  on  earth  ;  for  men  who  acknowledge  this     [4 
make  it  manifest  that  they  are  seeking  elsewhere  a  country 
of  their  own.     And  if  they  had  cherished  the  remembrance  of     15 
the  country  they  had  left,  they  would  have  found  an  opportunity 
to  return  ;  but,  as  it  is,  we  see  them  eager  for  a  better  land,     16 
that  is  to  say,  a  heavenly  one.     For  this    reason  God  is  not 
ashamed  to  be  called  their  God,  for  He  has  now  prepared  a  city 

for  them. 

Through  faith  Abraham,  as  soon  as  God   put     17 
The  supreme    ,  .  ^,  „        .  ^  ,^  ..  , 

Trial  of  Abra-  huTi  to    the  test,   Ottered  up    Isaac    (Gen.    xxn.). 

ham's  Faith,    yes,  he  who  had  joyfully  welcomed  the  promises 

was  on  the  point  of  sacrificing  his  only   son  with  regard  to     18 

whom  he  had  been  told,  "  It  is  through  Isaac  that  your 

POSTERITY  shall    BE    TRACED"   (Gen.    xxi.     12).      For    he     19 

reckoned  that  God  is  even  able  to  raise  the  dead  to  life,  and, 

figuratively  speaking,  it  was  from  death  that  he  received  Isaac 

back  again. 

Through  faith  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  and  Esau,     20 

^^Joseph*?°  '  even  in  connexion  with  things  soon  to  come  (Gen. 

xxvii.  27,  39).     Through  faith  Jacob,  when  dying, 

blessed  each  of  Joseph's  sons  (Gen.  xlviii.    20),  and,   leaning     21 

on  the  top  of  his  staff,  worshipped  God.     Through  faith  Joseph,     22 

II.   T'//^  ^/w^]  The  usual  time. 
14.  Elsezvhere]  Lit.  '  further.' 

16.  IVe  see  them]  See  Aorist  vii.  8.  Prepared]  Cp.  John  xiv.  2,  n.  The 
heavenly  home  is  spoken  of  there  as  not  yet  ready.  Now]  Not  expressed  in  the 
Greek. 

17.  Offered  up]  Lit.  'has  offered  up.'  See  Aorist  v\\.  8.  "The  perfect  tense 
expresses  the  permanence  of  the  Scripture  record  "  (Vaughan,  on  Rom.  iv.  18). 

21.  Worshipped]  His  "faith  was  shown  by  the  turning  of  the  aged  and  dying 
body   in  a  posture  of  thankful  adoration  "  (Alford). 

22.  Made  mention  of\  Or  simply  '  thought  of.'     His  own  body]  Lit.  '  his  bones.' 


564  HEBREWS    XL 

when  he  was  near  his  end,  made  mention  of  the  departure  of 
the  descendants  of  Israel,  and  gave  orders  about  his  own  body 
(Gen.  1.  24,  25). 

Through  faith    the  child    Moses   was    hid    for     23 
^oche"be^d"'*    three  months  by  his  parents,  because  they   saw 
his  rare  beauty  ;    and  the    king's    edict    had    no 
terror  for  them  (Exod.  ii.  2). 

Through  faith  Moses,  when  he  grew  to  man-     24 
Moses.         hood,  refused  to  be  known  as  Pharaoh's  daughter's 
son,  having  determined  to  endure  ill-treatment  along  with  the     25 
people  of  God  rather  than  enjoy  the  short-lived  pleasures  of 
sin  ;  because  he  deemed  the  reproaches  which  he  might  meet     26 
with  in  the  service  of  the  Christ  to  be  greater  riches  than  all 
the  treasures  of  Egypt  ;  for  he  fixed  his  gaze  on  the  coming 
reward.     Through  faith  he  left  Egypt,  not  being  frightened  by     27 
the  king's  anger  ;  for  he  held  on  his   course  as  seeing  the  un- 
seen One  (Exod.  x.  28).     Through  faith  he  instituted  the  Pass-     28 
over,  and  the  sprinkling  with  blood  so  that  the  destroyer  of  the 
firstborn  might  not  touch  the  Israelites  (Exod.  x.  21,  22). 

^,     ,        ,.^  Through  faith  they  passed  through  the  Red  Sea     29 

The  Israelites.  ,  ,      ,  ^  ^       .  ,         ,        ,     , 

as  though  they  were   passmg  over  dry  land,  but 

the  Egyptians,  when  they  tried  to  do  the  same,  were  swallowed 

up  (Exod.  xiv.  22,  28). 

Through  faith  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  to  the  ground  after     30 

being  surrounded  for  seven  days  (Josh.  vi.  20). 

Through  faith  the  notorious  sinner  Rahab  did     31 

not  perish  along  with  the  disobedient,  for  she  had 

welcomed  the  spies  and  had  sheltered  them  (Josh.  ii.  i  ;  vi.  23). 

And  why  need  I  say  more  ?     For  time  will  fail     32 

^^ofVatth!^^   me  if  I  tell  the  story  of  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson, 

jephthah,   and  of   David  and   Samuel    and  the 

23.  Through  faith]  That  of  his  parents.  His  rare  beauty]  Lit.  '  that  the  boy  was 
beautiful.' 

25.  Of  sin]  I.E.  of  worldly  prosperity  and  success,  which  often,  but  happily  not 
always,  have  sin  so  closely  associated  witli  them. 

26.  The  reproaches  ivhich  he  might  meet  ivith  in  the  service  of  the  Chrisi]  Lit. 
simply  '  the  reproach  of  the  Christ.'  The  same  phrase  occurs  in  the  Greek  of  xiii. 
13.  Cp.  Ps.  Ixix.  9  ;  Matt.  v.  ii  ;  2  Cor.  i.  5  ;  Col.  i.  24  ;  Phil.  iii.  10  ;  i  Peter  i. 
II  ;  iv.  14.     Fixed  his  gaze  on]  Lit.  '  looked  away  (fromall  other  considerations)  to.' 

27.  He  left  Egypt]  To  go  to  Goshen  (Exod.  ii.  11),  or  when  he  fled  into  Midian 
(Exod.  ii.  15). 

28.  Instituted]  The  Greek  perfect  tense  indicates  the  permanence  of  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Passover.  Cp.  verse  17,  n.  The  sprinkling,  or  rather  the  splashing,  of 
the  blood  on  the  lintel  and  the  door-posts,  was  not  however  a  permanent  institution. 
Thus  we  have  here  a  figure  of  speech  akin  to  that  called  '  a  zeugma.' 

32.  Gideon]  Judges  vi.  11.  Barak]  Judges  iv.  6.  Samson]  Judges  xiii.  24,  etc. 
fephthah]  Judges  xi.  i  ;  xii.  7.  David]  i  Sam.  xvi.  i,  etc.  Samuel]  i  Sam.  i. 
20  ;  xii.  20  :  etc. 


HEBREWS   XI.-XII.  565 

prophets  ;  men  who,  as  the  result  of  faith,  conquered  whole  king-     33 
doms,  brought  about  true  justice,  obtained  promises  from  God, 
stopped  lions'  mouths  (Dan.  vi.   22),  deprived  fire  of  its  power     34 
(Dan.  iii.  i),  escaped  being  killed  by  the  sword,  out  of  weakness 
were  made  strong,  became  mighty  in  war,  put  to  flight  foreign 
armies.  Women  received  back  their  dear  ones  alive  from  the     35 
dead  (i  Kings  xvii.  23  ;  2  Kings  iv.  37)  ;  and  others  were  put  to 
death  with  torture,  refusing  the  deliverance  offered  to  them — 
that  they  might  secure  a  better    resurrection.     Others  again     36 
were  tested  by  cruel  mockery  and  by  scourging ;  yes,  and  by 
chains  and  imprisonment.     They  were  stoned  (2  Chron.  xxiv.     37 
20),  they  were  sawn  asunder,  they  were  tried  by  temptation, 
they  were  killed  with  the  sword  (1  Kings  xix.  14  ;  Jer.  xxvi.  20- 
23).     They  went  from  place  to  place  in  sheepskins  or  goatskins, 
enduring  want,  oppression  and  cruelty.     (They  were  men  of    38 
whom  the  world  was    not  worthy.)      They    wandered    across 
deserts  and  mountains,  or  hid  themselves  in  caves  and  in  holes 
in  the  ground. 
Apart  from        ^"^  although  by  their  faith  all   these  people     39 
Christ  and     won  God's  approval,  none  of  them  received  the 
their  Blessed-   fulfilment  of  His    great    promise  ;   for  God  had     40 
provided  for  them  and  us  something  better,   so 
that  apart  from  us  they  were  not  to  attain  to  full 


ness  was  in- 
complete. 


blessedness. 


Renewed  Exhortations, 


Therefore,  surrounded  as  we  are  by  such  a  vast     i   1  O 

Him^eif^the    cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  fling  aside  every  encum- 

chief  Hero     brance  and  the  sin  that  so  cleverly  entangles  our 
of  Faith.        .  ,    ,  .  ,  .  ,  , 

feet,  and  let  us  run  with  patient  endurance  the 

33.  Promisesfrom  God]  And  their  fulfilment.  Lit.  simply  'promises.' 
35.  Put  to  deatli\  Probably  by  beating.  In  illustration  of  this  verse  see  2  Mace. 
vi,  18-31  ;  vii.  9,  11,  14,  29,  36.  A  better  resurrection]  "  The  ancient  Jews  believed 
that  man  exists  in  three  successive  places  or  conditions  :  (i)  Earth  ;  (2)  Hades,  the 
intermediate  state,  which  has  Paradise,  the  outer  court  of  Heaven,  as  one  of  its 
departments  ;  (3)  The  final  states  of  Heaven,  for  the  good,  and  Gehenna,  for  the 
bad.  The  Lord  Jesus  has  proved  to  us  the  truth  of  this  Jewish  belief  by  Himself 
adopting  and  teaching  it.  But  to  pass  from  one  of  these  places,  or  conditions,  may 
simply  mean  to  rise  to  life  in  another !  Hence  there  appear  to  be  several  kinds 
of  resurrection  referred  to  in  the  N.'l".  (i)  From  earth  to  Hades.  Matt.  xxii.  31, 
etc.  At  the  time  Jesus  spoke,  the  patriarchs  .were  alive  in  the  Intermediate  state. 
(2)  From  Hades  back  to  earth,  i  Kings  xvii.  22  ;  2  Kings  iv.  34  ;  xiii.  21  ;  Matt. 
ix.  25  ;  Luke  vii.  15  :  John  xi.  44  ;  Acts  ix.  40  ;  xx.  12.  (3)  From  Hades,  or 
Paradise,  to  Heaven.  Dan.  xii.  2;  John  v.  25,  29;  Phil.  iii.  11;  Rev.  xx.  5. 
'The  first  resurrection.'  (4)  From  Hades  to  Gehenna.  Dan.  xii.  2;  Matt.  xxv. 
41  ;  John  v.  29.  (5)  Frojn  earth,  either  to  Heaven  (Matt.  xvi.  18,  n.  ;  John  v. 
24;    Rev.  xiv.  13),  or  to  Gehenna— a.t  the  death  of  the  body  "(E.  Hampden-Cook). 

39.  Paradise     was    not    yet    emptied   by    its    inhabitants    being    transferred    to 
Heaven.     His  great  promise]  Lit.   '  the  promise.' 

40.  Attain  to  full  blessedness]  Lit.    '  be  perfected.' 

I.   IVitnesses]   Not  merely  spectators,  but  such  spectators  as  were  qualified  by 


566  HEBREWS   XII. 

race  that  lies  before  us,  simply  fixing  our  gaze  upon  Jesus,  our  2 
Prince  Leader  in  the  faith,  who  will  also  award  us  the  prize. 
He,  for  the  sake  of  the  joy  which  lay  before  Him,  patiently 
endured  the  cross,  looking  with  contempt  upon  its  shame,  and 
afterwards  seated  Himself — where  He  still  sits — at  the  right 
hand  of  the  throne  of  God. 

Our  Sorrows       Therefore,  if  you  would  escape  becoming  weary    3 
are  far  less     and   faint-hearted,   compare    your  own  sufferings 
than  His  were,  ^j^j^  those   of  Him  who  endured   such  hostility 
directed  against  Him  by  sinners.     In  your  struggle  against  sin     4 
you  have  not  yet  resisted  so  as  to  endanger  your  lives  ;  and     5 
you  have  quite  forgotten  the  encouraging  words  which  are  ad- 
dressed to  you  as  sons,  and  which  say, 
"My  son,  do  not  think  lightly  of  the  .Lord's  disci- 
pline. 
And  do  not  faint  when  He  corrects  you  ; 
For  those  whom  the  Lord  loves  He  disciplines  :      6 
And    He  scourges    every    son    whom  He  acknow- 
ledges" (Prov.  iii.  11,  12  ;  Job  v.  17). 
.    .  The   sufferings  that   you  are  enduring  are  for     7 

Evidence  of    your  discipline  :  God  is  dealing  with  you  as  sons  ; 
God  s  Love.     ^^^  what  son  is  there  whom  his  father  does  not 
discipline?    And  if  you   are  left  without  discipline,  of  which     8 
every  true  son  has  had  a  share,  that  shows  that  you  are  bastards, 
and  not  true  sons. 

Besides  this,  our  earthly  fathers  used  to  disci-     9 
bHngs^Nobmty  P^i^^  "^  and  we  treated   them  with  respect,  and 
of  Character   shall  we  not  be  still  more  submissive  to  the  Father 

of  our  spirits,  and  live  ?  It  is  true  that  they  10 
disciplined  us  for  a  few  years  according  as  they  thought 
fit ;  but  He  does  it  for  our  certain  good,  in  order  that  we  may 
become  sharers  in  His  own  holy  character.  Now,  at  the  time',  n 
discipline  seems  to  be  a  matter  not  for  joy,  but  for  grief ;  yet  it 
afterwards  yields  to  those  who  have  passed  through  its  training 
a  result  full  of  peace — namely,  righteousness. 

Therefore  strengthen  the  drooping  hands  and  paralysed  knees,    1 2 

their  own   experience   to  judge  of  our  faith.     Or  'witnesses  as  to  the  reality  of 
things  unseen  and  eternal.' 

2.  Simply]  Lit.  '  away  '  from  every  other  object.  Our  Prince  Leader  .  .  the 
prized  Lit.  simply  '  the  Prince  Leader  and  perfecter  of  the  faith.'  Where  He  still 
sits\    Implied  in  the  Greek  perfect  tense.     See  Aorist  vii. 

3.  Against  Him]  v.l.  'against  themselves.'  Cp.  Num.  xvi.  38  ('  sinners  against 
their  own  souls  ')• 

o.  Our  earthly  &^c.]   Lit.  '  we  had  the  fathers  of  our  flesh  (as)  chastisers.' 


HEBREWS   XII.  567 

and  make  straight  paths  for  your  feet,  so  that  what     13 

'Be  cheerful,     •     ,  .    u  .  5      i  .       r     •    •         , 

peaceable,  and  ^s  lame  may  not  be  put  entirely  out  of  joint  but 

always  on      ii^^y  rather  be   restored.      Persistently    strive   for     14 
your  Guard.  -in 

peace    with    all   men,    and    for    that    growth    in 
holiness  apart  from  which  no  one  will  see  the  Lord.     Be  care-     15 
fully  on  your  guard  lest  there  be  any  one  who  falls  back  from 
the  grace  of   God  ;    lest   any  root   bearing    bitter    fruit  spring 
up  and  cause  trouble  among   you,  and  through  it  the  whole 
brotherhood  be  defiled  ;  lest  there  be  a  fornicator,  or  an  un-     16 
godly  person  hke  Esau,  who,  in  return  for  a  single  meal,  parted 
with  the  birthright  which  belonged  to  him.     For  you  know  that     17 
even  afterwards,  when  he  wished   to   secure  the  blessing,  he 
was  rejected  ;  for  he  found  no  opportunity  for  undoing  what 
he  had  done,  though  he   sought  the   blessing  earnestly  with 
tears. 

The  Difference  between  the  Inauguration  of  the 
earthly  and  the  heavenly  Kingdoms  of  God, 

For  you  have  not  come  to  a  material  object  all     18 
between"s^nai  ablaze  with  fire,  and  to  gloom  and  darkness  and 
and  Mount     storm  and  trumpet-blast  and  the  sound  of  words     19 
— a  sound  of  such  a  kind  that  they  who  heard  it 
entreated  that  no  more  should  be  added.     For  they  could  not     20 
endure   the   order   which    had    been    given,    "Even   a   wild 

BEAST,    IF    IT    TOUCHES    THE    MOUNTAIN,    SHALL    BE    STONED 

TO  DEATH"  (Exod.  xix.  12,  13)  ;  and  so  terrible  was  the  scene     21 
that  Moses  said,  "  I  tremble  with  fear  "  (Deut.  ix.  19).     On     22 
the  contrary  you  have  come  to  Mount  Zion,  and  to  the  city  of 
the  ever-living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  to  countless  hosts 
of  angels,  to  the  great  festal  gathering  and  church  of  the  first-     23 

14.  Growth  in  holiness]  Or  '  sanctification  ; '  i.e.  consecration  of  heart  and  life. 
N^o  one]  i.e.,  possiblj',  no  one  within  the  Christian  church;  this  Letter  being  ad- 
dressed exclusively  to  believers.  Cp.  ix.  28  (' to  those  who  are  eagerly  expecting 
Him ')      See  the  Lord]  At  death  or  at  His  second  Coming. 

15.  The  lohole  b> otherhood]  Lit.  'the  many.' 

17.  The  blessing]    Lit.  'it.' 

18.  Material]  Lit.  '  which  could  be  touched.'  The  Greek  present  and  imperfect 
tenses,  either  in  the  indicative  mood  or  the  participle,  sometimes  convey  the  sense 
of  our  auxiliary  'can.'  In  Jas.  iii.  7  it  is  not  affirmed  that  every  species  of  wild 
beast  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  tamed  and  kept  tame  ;  but  that  this  can  be  done.  Od- 
iect\  I.E.  'mountain.'  This  is  plain  from  the  mention  of  Zion  in  verse  22.  v.l. 
'mountain,'  on  much  inferior  MS.  authority. 

22.  Ever-living]  Lit.  '  living.'  The  account  of  Mount  Zion  and  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem  here  given  agrees  so  minutely  with  Rev.  xiv.  1-5,  that  some  regard  it  as 
evidence  for  the  early  date  of  the  Apocalypse — that  book  must  have  been  familiar 
to  the  author  of  this  Letter  before  he  wrote  !  Cp.  xi.  10 ;  James  i.  12  ;  i  Peter  iv. 
6,  nn. 

23.  Made  perfect]  See  ix.  8,  n. 


568  HEBREWS   XII.-XIII. 

born,  whose  names  are  recorded  in  Heaven,  and  to  a  Judge  who 
is  God  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  righteous  men  made  perfect, 
and  to  Jesus  the  negotiator  of  a  ne^v  Covenant,  and  to  the     24 
sprinkled  blood  which  speaks  in  more  gracious  tones  than  that 
of  Abel. 
_.    .,         .^        Be  careful  not  to  refuse  to  listen  to  Him  who     25 

The  Necessity    .  ,.  _        ..     ,  ,,,,.,  ■^ 

for  scrupulous  IS  speakiBg  to  you.     ror  if  they  of  old  did  not 
o  e  lence.     gsc^pe  unpunished  when  they  refused  to  listen  to 
him  who  spoke  on  earth,  much  less  shall  we  escape  who  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  Him  who  now  speaks  from  Heaven.     His  voice  then     26 
shook  the  earth,  but  now  we  have  His  promise,  "  Yet  again  I 

WILL,  ONCE  FOR  ALL,  CAUSE  NOT  ONLY  THE  EARTH  TO 

TREMBLE,  BUT  HEAVEN  ALSO  "  (Hag.  ii.  6).     Here  the  words     27 
"  Yet  again,  once  for  all "  denote  the  removal  of  the  things 
which  can  be  shaken — created  things — in  order  that  the  things 
which  cannot  be  shaken  may  remain. 

Therefore,  receiving,  as  we  now  do,  a  kingdom     28 
for^Gratftude.   which  cannot  be  shaken,  let  us  cherish  thankful- 
ness so  that  we  may  ever  offer  to  God  an  accept- 
able service,  with  godly  reverence  and  awe.     For  our  God  is     29 
also  a  consuming  fire  (Deut.  iv.  24). 

Final  Exhortations. 

,     .   .  Let   brotherly   love   always    continue.     Do   not   i,  2' 

Brotherly  Love  ,  ,  ,  •     ,  ^        .        ,  .  ■ 

and  Purity  neglect  to  sliow  kindness  to  strangers  ;  for,  in  this 
urged.  yf2LY,  some,  without  knowing  it,  have  had  angels  as 
their  guests  (Gen.  xviii.,  xix.  ;  Judges  xiii.).  Remember  prisoners,  3 
as  if  you  were  in  prison  with  them  ;  and  remember  those  suffer- 
ing ill-treatment,  for  you  yourselves  also  are  still  in  the  body. 
Let  marriage  be  held  in  honour  among  all,  and  let  the  marriage  4 
bed  be  unpolluted  ;  for  fornicators  and  adulterers  God  will 
judge. 

Your  lives  should  be  untainted  by  love  for  money.     5 
'  Be  contented.  _,  -ii  ,  r/--jTT  ir 

GOD  will  never  Be  content  With  what  you  have  ;  for  God  Himself 
fail  you.'       Yi2iS  said, 

25.  Much  It-ss]   Lit.  '  much  more'  shall  we  'not'  enjoy  impunity. 

28.  As  we'  now  do]  Implied  in  the  present  participle  of  tlie  Greek  verb  for 're* 
ceiving.'  The  word  indicates  that  the  Kingdom  of  heaven — i.e.  the  unseen  sove- 
reignty of  Christ  and  His  saints  over  the  earth  (Dan.  vii.  i8)— was  iiiunediately  at 
hand  at  the  time  this  Letter  was  written.  £ver]  Implied  in  the  present  tense  of  the 
Greek  verb  for  '  offer  service.' 

29.  A /so]  Cp.  verses  20,  21. 
I.  Ahi'ays]  Cp.  xii.  28,  n. 

3.  KeMteinber]  "  In  your  prayers  and  in  acts  of  kindness"  (Bengel). 


HEBREWS    XIII.  569 

"  I    WILL   NEVER,   NEVER    LET   GO   YOUR   HAND  : 

I     WILL     NEVER,     NEVER     FORSAKE    YOU"     (Geil.  XXviii.  1 5  ; 

Deut.  XXXI.  6-8  ,  Josh.  i.  5). 

So  that  we  fearlessly  say,  6 

"  The  Lord  is  my  helper  ;  I  will  not  be  afraid  : 

What  can  man  do  to  me  "  (Ps.  cxviii.  6)  ? 

-.    .  .        .         Remember    your  former  leaders — it  was    they     7 
Christ  and         111^ 
Christian      who  brought  you   God's  Message.     Bear  in  mind 

^'"change."°*  how  they  ended  their  lives,  and  imitate  their  faith. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday  and  to-day —     8 

yes,  and  to  the  ages  to  come  :  do  not  be  drawn  aside  by  all  sorts     9 

of  strange  teaching  ;  for  it  is  well  to  have  the  heart  made  sted- 

fast  through  God's  grace,  and  not  by  special  kinds  of  food,  from 

which  those  who  scrupulously  attend  to  them  have  derived  no 

benefit. 

«       »..  We  Christians  have  an  altar  from   which   the     10 

Our  Altar,  .,_.,_         ,  .    , 

Sacrifice,  and  mmisters  of  the  Jewish  Tent  have  no  right  to  eat. 

true  Home.     Yqv  the  bodies  of  those  animals  of  which  the  blood     1 1 

is  carried  by  the  High  Priest  into  the  Holy  place,  are  burned 

outside  the  camp;  and  for  this  reason  Jesus  also,  in  order,  by     12 

His  own  blood,  to  set  the  people  free  from  sin,  suffered  outside 

the  gate.     Therefore  let  us  go  to  Him  outside  the  camp,  sharing     13 

the  insults  directed  against  Him.     For  we  have  no  permanent     14 

city  here,  but  we  are  longing  for  the  city  which  is  soon  to  be 

ours. 

^.     ^,      ,  Through   Him,   then,  let  us   continually  lay  on     15 

'Give  Thanks      ,,*'  '  .'.  ^,  •',■',  ^ 

in  Words  and  the  altar  a  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God,  namely,   the 

'^y  ^ness.^'^^'    utterance  of  lips  that  give  thanks  to   His  Name. 

And  do  not  forget  to  be  kind  and  liberal  ;  for  with     16 

sacrifices  of  that  sort  God  is  greatly  pleased. 

Obey  your  leaders  and  be  submissive  to  them:     17 

'  Be  loyal  to      ^        ,     "^  "^       ,  .  ,  ,  ,        '         ^ 

your  religious  for  they  are  keeping  watch  over  your  souls  as  those 

Leaders.'       ^^lo  will  have  to  give  account  ;    that  they  may  do 

8.  /esus  Christ  is  the  same]  In  contrast  to  the  teachers  spoken  of  in  verse  7  as 
having  passed  away. 

lo.  An  altar]  "The  only  earthly  'altar'  is  the  Cross  on  which  Christ  offered  Him- 
self :  Christ  is  the  offering :  He  is  Himself  the  feast  of  the  believer  "  (Westcott). 
The  Jewish  Tent]  Lit.  simply  '  the  Tent '  or  '  Tabernacle.'  The  Holy  place]  i.e.  the 
Holy  of  holies.     Cp.  ix.  8. 

13.  The  camp]  Of  Jerusalem  and  the  Law  of  Moses.  "  We  are  free  to  go  forth 
from  the  city  so  long  held  sacred,  for  our  hopes  are  bound  up  with  no  abiding  earthly 
sanctuary.  We  may  not  shrink  from  the  approach  of  Christ  because  it  will  sever  us 
from  kindred  and  friends."  "How  impressive  are  [verses  13  and  14]  when  read  in 
the  light  of  the  events  then  unlocked  for,  yet  so  near  at  hand,  issuing  in  the 
destruction  of  both  [Jerusalem  and  its  temple]  "  (W.  F.  Moulton). 

14.  City]  Cp.  xi.  10. 


570  HEBREWS    XIII. 

this  with  joy  and  not  with  lamentation  ;  for  that  would  be  of  no 
advantage  to  you. 

Keep  on  praying  for  us  ;  for  we  are  sure  that  we     i8 
^  '^Prayer.  ^^'^  ^^^^  clear  consciences,  and  we  desire  to  live  nobly 

in  every  respect.     I  specially  urge  this  upon  you     19 
in  order  that  I  may  be  the  more  speedily  restored  to  you. 

Now  may  God  who  gives  peace,  and  brought  20 
'eiessfng'."  Jesus,  our  Lord,  up  again  from  among  the  dead — 
even  Him  who,  by  virtue  of  the  blood  of  the  eternal 
Covenant,  is  the  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep — fully  equip  you  21 
with  every  grace  that  you  may  need  for  the  doing  of  His  will, 
producing  in  us  that  which  will  truly  please  Him  through  Jesus 
Christ.     To  Him  be  the  glory  to  the  ages  of  the  ages  !     Amen. 

Bear  with  me,  brethren,  when  I  thus  exhort  you  :     22 

Conclusion.      -  .        .  ...  ,  ,  ,  t  i 

for,   m  fact,  it  is  but  a  short  letter  that  I  have 
written  to  you. 

You  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  our  brother  Timothy  has  been     23 
set  at  liberty.     If  he  comes  soon,  I  will  see  you  with  him.    Greet     24 
all  your  leaders  and  all  God's  people.     The  brethren  from  Italy 
send  you  greetings. 

Grace  be  with  you  all !     Amen.  25 

18.   We  are  sure]  Or  'we  believe.'     Not  *  we  trust,'  words  which  commonly  ex- 
press a  low  degree  of  confidence. 
23.   You  will  rejoice  to  hear\  Lit.  'know'  (imperative)  ;  or,  possibly,  'you  know.' 


JAMES'S  LETTER 


Four  persons  bearing  the  name  of  *  James '  are  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament,  (i)  The  apostle,  the  son  of  Zabdai  ;  (2) 
The  apostle,  the  son  of  Alphaeus  ;  (3)  The  son  of  Mary  the 
wife  of  Clopas  ;  (4)  The  Lord's  brother,  mentioned  as  such 
along  with  Joses,  Simon  and  Judah,  and  prominent  in  the  Acts 
(xii.  17  ;  XV.  13  ;  xxi.  18).  The  last-named  was  also  known  as 
'James  the  Just '  and  is  represented  by  tradition  as  leading  an 
ascetic  life,  which  ended  in  martyrdom.  He  was  undoubtedly 
bishop,  or  president,  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem  and  in  all  prob- 
ability this  Letter  was  written  by  him  from  that  city.  There 
has  been  some  difference  ot  opinion  as  to  the  date.  The 
majority  of  scholars  insist  that  both  the  internal  and  external 
evidence  point  to  its  having  been  written  between  44  and  50 
A.D.,  before  the  earliest  of  Paul's  Letters,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  solemn  emphasis  which  the  author  lays  upon  the  im- 
mediateness  of  the  Lord's  Return  (v.  7,  8,  9)  may  be  regarded 
as  a  moral  proof  of  a  date  very  much  nearer  the  winding  up  of 
the  Mosaic  dispensation  in  70  A.D. 

The  Letter  is  manifestly  a  Jewish  one,  addressed  to  the 
Christian  converts  from  Judaism  who  were  scattered  abroad, 
within  or  beyond  the  hmits  of  the  Roman  empire.  Luther 
deemed  it  "an  epistle  of  straw,"  by  reason  of  its  insistance 
upon  the  vital  importance  of  '  works,'  but  its  practical  ideal 
assumes  the  same  basis  of  Christian  faith  as  is  found  in  the 
Letters  of  Paul.  The  opening  references  to  severe  trial  seem  to 
show  that  the  persecution  begun  by  Herod  Agrippahad  already 
been  repeated  elsewhere.  If  the  later  date  of  the  book  be  ad- 
mitted, the  persecution  must  then,  of  course,  have  been  that 
under  Nero. 


JAMES'S   LETTER 

James,  a  bondservant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord     i   ' 
'"^'      Jesus  Christ  :  to  the  twelve  tribes  who  are  scattered 
over  the  world.     All  good  wishes. 

The  Testin  Reckon  it  nothing  but  joy,  my  brethren,  whenever     2 

of  Faith  and    you  find  yourselves  hedged  in  by  various  trials.    Be     3 

assured  that  the  testing  of  your  faith  leads  to  power 
of  endurance.     Only  let  endurance  have  perfect  results  so  that     4 
you  may  become  perfect  and  complete,  deficient  in  nothing. 

Wisdom       "^"^  ^^  ^^y  ^^^  °^  y^'^  '^  deficient  in  wisdom,  let     5 
to  be  sought   him  ask  it  from  God,  who  gives  with  open  hand  to 
rom     o  .     ^u  men,  and  without  upbraiding,  and  it  will  be 
given  him.     But  let  him  ask  in  faith  and  have  no  doubts  ;  for     6 
he  who  has  doubts  is  like  the  surge  of  the  sea,  driven  by  the 
wind  and  tossed  into  spray.     A  person  of  that  sort  must  not  ex-     7 
pect  to  receive  anything  from  the  Lord — such  a  one  is  a  man  of    8 
two  minds,  undecided  in  every  step  he  takes. 

Outward  Cir-        ^^^  ^  brother  in  humble  life  rejoice  when  raised     9 
cumstances    to  a  higher  position  ;  but  a  rich  man  should rejoice     10 
in  being  brought  low,  for  like  flowers  among  the 
herbage  rich  men  will  pass    away.      The  sun    rises    with    his     11 
scorching  heat  and  dries  up  the  herbage,  so  that  its  flowers  drop 
off  and  the  beauty  of  its  appearance  perishes,  and  in  the  same 
way  rich  men  with  all  their  prosperity  will  fade  away. 
Sin:  its  real        Blessed  is  he  who  patiently  endures  trials  ;  for     12 
Origin  and     when  he  has  stood  the  test,  he  will  gain  the  victor's 

final  Harvest.  ^,  c  t  -c  1  •   1       1        t        i 

crown — even  the  crown  of  Life— which  the  Lord 
has  promised  to  those  who  love  Him.     Let  no  one  say  when     13 
passing  through  trial,  "  My  temptation  is  from  God  ;  "   for  God 
is  incapable  of  being  tempted  to  do  evil,  and  He  Himself  tempts 

1.  Twelve  tribes]  All  the  Israelites,  not  the  Jews  alone. 

2,  12.    Trials]  Or  '  temptations.' 

7.    To  receive  anything]  In  answer  to  prayer. 

12.  Crotvn  o/Li/e  .  .  promised]  Rev.  ii.  lo  is  the  only  passage  in  the  N.T.  where 
such  a  promise  is  recorded.  Some  see  in  this  feet  evidence  for  the  early  date  of  the 
Apocalypse— James,  they  say,  must  have  read  that  book  before  writing  this  Letter. 
Cp.  James  ii.  5. 

13.  Trial]  Or  '  temptation  : '  and  so  seven  times  in  verses  2-14. 

573 


574  JAMES   I. 

no  one  ;  but  when  a  man  is  tempted,  it  is  his  own  passions  that     14 

carry  him  away  and  serve  as  a  bait.     Then  the  passion  con-     15 

ceives,   and   becomes  the  parent  of  sin  ;    and  sin,  when  fully 

matured,  gives  birth  to  death. 

Only  what  ^°  "°^  ^^  deceived,  my  dearly-loved  brethren  :     16, 

good  comes  every  gift  which  is  good,  and  every  perfect  boon,  is 

from  above,  and  comes  down  from  the  Father,  who 

is  the  source  of  all  Light,     In  Him  there  is  no  variation  nor  the 

slightest  suggestion  of  change.    In  accordance  with  His  will  He     18 

made  us  His  children  through  the  Message  of  the  truth,  so  that 

we  might,  in  a  sense,  be  the  Firstfruits  of  the  things  which  He 

has  created. 

You  know  this,  my  dearly-loved  brethren.     But     19 
Self-Control,     .  u  •    1     .      u  i         .  1  j 

in  Speech  and  let  every  One  be  quick  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  and 

Temper,       gjQ^^  ^q  ]-jg  angry.    For  a  man's  anger  does  not  lead     20 
to  action  which  God  regards  as  righteous.    Ridding     21 
yourselves,  therefore,  of  all  that  is  vile  and  of  the  evil  influences 
which  prevail  around  you,  welcome  in  a  humble  spirit  the  Mes- 
sage implanted  within  you,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls. 

But  prove  yourselves  obedient  to  the  Message,     22 
and  'messed^  ^"^  do  not  be  mere  hearers  of  it,  imposing  a  delu- 
ness  of        sion  upon  yourselves.     For  if  any  one  listens  but     23 
does  not  obey,  he  is  like  a  man  who  carefully  looks 
at  his  own  face  in  a  mirror.     Although  he  has  looked  carefully     24 
at  himself,  he  goes  away,  and  has  immediately  forgotten  the 
sort  of  man  he  is.     But  he  who  looks  closely  into  the  perfect     25 
Law — the  Law  of  freedom — and  continues  looking,  he,  being  not 
a  hearer  who  forgets,  but  an  obedient  doer,  will  as  the  result  of 
his  obedience  be  blessed. 

If  a  man  thinks  that  he  is  scrupulously  religious,     26 
Love^^and      although  he  is  not  curbing  his  tongue  but  is  deceiv- 
Purity  of  Life,  ing  himself,  his  religious  service  is  worthless.    The     27 
religious  service  which  is  pure  and  stainless  in  the 

14.  Serve  as  a  daii]  The  word  is  also  found  in  2  Pet.  ii.  14,  i8. 

15.  The  passioH'\  Whatever  passion  it  may  be.  When  fully  matured^  Appar- 
ently there  is  the  sanie  thought,  though  differently  expressed,  in  John  xvi.  21  :  "  when 
her  hour  is  come." 

21.  Ridding]  Lit.  'stripping.' 

23.  His  ozvn/ace]  Lit. 'his  natural  face.' 

24.  Has]  See  Aorisi,  the  whole  argument.  Or  each  of  these  two  verbs  may  be 
taken  as  being  in  the  'gnomic  aorist'  and  be  rendered  by  the  English  present.  Cp. 
the  four  present  tenses  (English)  in^verse  11.  He  is]  Lit.  'it  was'  that  he  was 
looking  at. 

25.  Looks  .  .  continues]  Lit.  'shall  have  looked  .  .  shall  have  continued.'  Looks 
closely]  Cp.  i  Pet.  i.  12,  n. 

26.  Thinks  that  he  is]  Or  '  is  regarded  as.'    Himself]  Lit.  '  his  own  heart.' 


JAMES   I.-II.  575 

sight  of  our  God  and  Father  is  to  visit  fatherless  children  and 

widowed  women  in  their  time  of  trouble,  and  to  keep  one's  own 

self  unspotted  from  the  world. 

My  brethren,  you  must  not  make  distinctions  be-     i   < 

the  rich^^and    tween  one  man  and  another  while  you  are  striving 

light  the      to  maintain  faith  in  the  Lord  Tesus  Christ,  who  is 
poor.  ,  _  .  - 

our  glory.     For  suppose  a  man  comes  mto  one  of    2 

your  meetings  wearing  gold  rings  and  fine  clothes,  and  there  also 
comes  in  a  poor  man  wearing  shabby  clothes,  and  you  pay  3 
court  to  the  one  who  wears  the  fine  clothes,  and  say,  "  Sit  here  ; 
this  is  a  good  place,"  while  to  the  poor  man  you  say,  "  Stand 
there,  or  sit  on  the  floor  at  my  feet ; "  is  it  not  plain  that  in  your  4 
hearts  you  have  little  faith,  seeing  that  you  have  become  judges 
full  of  wrong  thoughts  ? 

Listen,  my  dearly-loved  brethren.    Has  not  God     5 
Men"I^r°Hch.  chosen  those  whom  the  world  regards  as  poor  to  be 
Some  rich  Men  rich  in  faith  and  heirs  of  the  Kingdom  which  He 

has  promised  to  those  that  love  Him  ?     But  yon     6 
have  put  dishonour  upon  the  poor  man.     Yet  is  it  not  the  rich 
who  grind  you  down  ?     Are  not  they  the  very  people  who  drag 
you  into  the  Law  courts  ? — and  the  very  people  who  speak  evil     7 
of  the  noble  Name  by  which  you  are  called  ?     If,  however,  you     8 
are  keeping  the  Law  as  supreme,  in  obedience  to  the  Command- 
ment which  says  "  You  ARE  TO  LOVE  your  fellow  man  just 
AS  YOU  LOVE  yourself"  (Lev.  xix.  18),  you  are  acting  rightly. 
But  if  you  are  making  distinctions  between  one  man  and  another,     9 
you  are  guilty  of  sin,  and  are  convicted  by  the  Law  as  offenders. 

The  Law  de-         ^   "^'''^   ^^^^   ^^^   ^^P^   '^^^    ''^^^^  ^^   ^  whole,  but      lO 

mands  perfect  has  failed  to  keep  some  one  command,  has  become 

guilty  of  violating  all.     For  He  who  said,  "Do     11 
NOT   COMMIT    ADULTERY,"   also  Said,  "  DO   NOT   COMxMIT   MUR- 
DER"  (Exod.  XX.  13,  14  ;  Deut.  v.  17,  18),  and  if  you  are  a  mur- 
derer, although  not  an  adulterer,  you  have  become  an  offender 
against  the  Law.    Speak  and  act  as  those  should  who  are  expect-     12 
ing  to  be  judged  by  the  Law  of  freedom.     For  he  who  shows  no     13 
mercy  will  have  judgement  given  against  him  without  mercy  ; 
but  mercy  triumphs  over  judgement. 

I.  Make  distinctions]  See  Luke  xx.  21,  n.  Who  is  otir  glory\  See  Mayor's 
valuable  note  and  Basset's  Appendix. 

4.  Have  little  fait  Ii\  Lit.  '  have  doubted.'  The  true  opposite  of  faith  is  doubt. 
Stronger  faith,  or  in  other  words  greater  spirituality  of  mind,  would  show  us  the 
small  value  of  earthly  and  social  distinctions. 

5.  The  Kino;dom  ivhich  He  has  promised  \  As  in  Rev.  iii.  21.     Cp.  James  i.  12,  n. 
8.  As  supreim'\  Or  '  in  its  royal  character.'     Lit.  *  the  royal  Law.' 

10.  Failed  to  keep]  Lit.  '  stumbled  and  fallen  in.' 


576  JAMES    IL-Iir. 

What  good  is  it,  my  brethren,  if  a  man  professes     14 

^  'is^usefess.'**^  ^°  ^^^^  faith,  and  yet  his  actions  do  not  correspond  ? 

Can  such  faith  save  him  ?     Suppose  a  Christian     15 

brother  or  sister  is  poorly  clad  or  lacks  daily  food,  and  one  of     16 

you  says  to  them,  "  I  wish  you  well  ;  keep  yourselves  warm  and 

well  fed,"  and  yet  you  do  not  give  them  what  they  need  ;  what 

is  the  use  of  that?     So  also  faith,  if  it  is  unaccompanied  by     17 

actions,  has  no  life  in  it — so  long  as  it  stands  alone. 

_  .,  Nay,  some  one  will  say,  "You  have  faith,  I  have     18 

Even  evil  •"  '         .  ,  ^       ' 

Spirits        actions  :  prove  to  me  your  faith  apart  from  corre- 

®  '®^®'       sponding  actions  and  I  will  prove  mine  to  you  by 

my  actions.     You  believe  that  God  is  one,  and  you  are  quite     19 

right  :  evil  spirits  also  believe  this,  and  shudder." 

...       ,  But,  idle  boaster,  are  you  willing  to  be  taught     20 

Abraham's  '  .       '  "l  ®     .  ^ 

Faith,  and      how  it  is  that  faith  apart  from  actions  is  worthless.^ 
Rahab's.       rj,^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  Abraham  our  forefather.    Was  it,     2 1 
or  was  it  not,  because  of  his  actions  that  he  was  declared  to  be 
righteous  as  the  result  of  his  having  offered  up  his  son  Isaac 
upon  the  altar  ?    You  notice  that   his  faith  was  co-operating     22 
with  his  actions,  and  that  by  his  actions  his  faith  was  perfected ;     23 
and  the  Scripture  was  fulfilled  which  says,  "  And  Abraham 
BELIEVED  God,  and  his  faith  was  placed  to  his  credit 
AS  righteousness  "  (Gen.  xv.  6),  and  he  received  the  name  of 
'  God's  friend  '  (2  Chron.  xx.  7  ;  Isa.  xli.  8).     You  all  see  that  it     24 
is  because  of  actions  that  a  man  is  pronounced  righteous,  and 
not  simply  because  of  faith.     In  the  same  way  also  was  not  the     25 
notorious  sinner  Rahab  declared  to  be  righteous  because  of  her 
actions  when  she  welcomed  the  spies  and  hurriedly  helped  them 
to  escape  another  way?  For  just  as  a  human  body  without  ^spirit     26 
is  lifeless,  so  also  faith  is  lifeless  if  it  is  unaccompanied  by  actions. 

Do  not  be  eager,  my  brethren,  for  many  among     i   * 

The  urgent  ,  ,  r,  ,  ' 

Need  for  Self,  you  to  become  teachers;  for  you  know  that  we 
^Speech!"      teachers  shall  undergo  severer  judgement.      For     2 
we  often  stumble  and  fall,  all  of  us.     If  there  is 

15,  16.  To  them  .  .  yourselves  .  .  you\  The  grammar  halts  a  little  here,  the  sub- 
ject in  tiie  first  clause  of  verse  15  being  singular.  /  wish  you  zvell]  These  quasi- 
benefactors  bow  out,  or  "bustle  out,  the  wretched-looking  brother  or  sister" 
(Mayor),  but  give  him  or  her  no  real  relief.  Keep  &'c.]  The  Greek  tense  implies 
more  than  one  good  warming  and  one  good  meal. 

19.  God  is  one]  v.L.    '  there  is  one  God.' 

22.   You]  Singular,  as  addressed  to  some  individual.     Not  so  in  verse  24. 

25.  Spies]  Lit.  '  messengers  ; '  a  word  which  in  English  would  imply  that  the  men 
were  sent  to  some  definite  person  or  persons.     This,  of  course,  was  not  so. 

26.  Just  as  &^c.]  "  An  inactive  faith  is  the  mere  corpse  of  religion  "  (Mayor). 

2.  Stumble  and  fall  .  .  stumbles]  A  stumble  which  results  in  an  actual  fall  seems 


JAMES  III.  577 

any  one  who  never  stumbles  in  speech,  that  man   has  reached 
maturity  of  character  and    is  able  to  curb  his    whole    nature. 
Remember  that  we  put  the  horses'  bits  into  their  mouths  to  make     3 
them  obey  us,  and  so  we  turn  their  whole  bodies  round.     So  too     4 
with  ships,  great  as  they  are,  and  often  driven  along  by  strong 
gales,  yet  they  can  be  steered  with  a  very  small  rudder  in  which- 
ever direction  the  caprice  of  the  man  at  the  helm  chooses.     In     5 
the  same  way  the  tongue  is  an  insignificant  part  of  the  body, 
but  it  is  immensely  boastful.    Remember  how  a  mere  spark  may 
set  a  vast  forest  in  flames  ! 

And  the  tongue  is  a  fire.    That  world  of  iniquity,     6 

The  awful  ,  •         1  1       •  ,  •  n       /' 

Mischief  the    the  tongue,  IS  placed  withm  us  spottmg  and  soil- 
"""""do^  ^^"     ^"g  o"^  whole  nature,  and  setting  the  whole  round 
of  our   lives    on  fire,   being  itself  set  on   fire  by 
Gehenna.     For  brute  nature   under  all    its  forms — beasts  and     7 
birds,  reptiles  and  fishes— can  be  subjected  and  kept  in  subjec- 
tion by  human  nature  ;  but  the  tongue  no  man  or  woman  is  able     8 
to  tame.     It  is  an   ever-busy  mischief,   and  is   full  of  deadly 
poison.     With  it  we  bless  the  Lord  and  Father,  and  with  it  we     9 
curse  men,  who  are  made  in  God's  likeness.     Out  of  the  same 
mouth  there  proceed  blessing  and  cursing.     My  brethren,  this     10 
ought  not  to  be.     In  a  fountain,  are  fresh  water  and  bitter  sent     11 
forth  from  the  same  opening  ?    Can  a  fig-tree,  my  brethren,  yield     12 
olives,  or  a  vine  yield  figs  }     No  ;  and  neither  can  salt  water 
yield  sweet. 

Tru°  Wisdom       Which  of  you  is  a  wise  and  well-instructed  man  ?     13 
shows  itseifin  Let  him  prove  it  by  a  right  life  with  conduct  guided 
no    e    iving.    ^^  ^  wisely  teachable  spirit.     But  if  in  your  hearts     14 
you  have  bitter  feelings  of  envy  and  rivalry,  do  not  speak  boast- 
fully and  falsely,  in  defiance  of  the  truth.     That  is  not  the  wis-     15 
dom  which  comes  down  from  above  :  it  belongs  to  earth,  to  the 
unspiritual  nature,  and  to  evil  spirits.     For  where   envy  and     16 

to  be  the  exact  sense  of  this  word,  which  is  found  also  in  ii.  lo  ;  Rom.  xi.  ii  ;  2  Pet. 
i.  10. 

3.  Remetiiber  that  .   .  and]  v.l.   '  Now  if  .  .  also.' 

5.  Forest]  Or  'mass  of  fuel.' 

6.  Spotting  and  soiling]  Lit.  (as)  '  she  that  .spots  and  soils.'  The  possibility  of  the 
use  of  a  participle  with  the  article  as  a  predicate  is  shown  by  John  viii.  18  ;  Rev.  ii. 
23.  Perhaps  the  logical  order  as  felt,  if  not  intended,  by  the  writer  was,  'she  that 
spots  and  soils  .  .  is  the  tongue.' 

7    Kept  in  subjection]  See  A  oris t  vii.  5. 

9.  Are  made]  The  Greek  tense  is  the  perfect,  implying  that  at  their  first  creation 
this  likeness  was  given  to  them  and  that  they  still  have  it.  Cp.  2  Cor.  i.  19  :  vii.  13  ; 
and  see  Aorist  vii.  3.  4. 

12.   Cp.  Matt,  vii    16. 

15.    That]  Cp.  Luke    aii.  2,  n.      Unspiritual]  Greek  'psychical.'     Cp.  Jud  •  19,  n, 

PP 


578  JAMES    III.-IV. 

rivalry  are,  there  also  are  unrest  and  every  vile  deed.     The  wis-     17 
doni  from  above  is  first  of  all  pure,  then  peaceful,  courteous,  not 
self-willed,    full    of    compassion    and    kind   actions,   free   from 
favouritism  and  from  all  insincerity.     And  peace,  for  those  who     18 
strive  for  peace,  is  the  seed  of  which  the  harvest  is  righteousness. 

What  causes  wars  and  contentions  among  you  ?     i   , 

The  real  Cause  ^      .  ,  .  ...  ^  ., 

of  Strife  and    Is  it  not  the  cravmgs  which  are  ever  at  war  with- 

ofWar.  ji^  yQ^j  £q^.  various  pleasures?  You  covet  things  2 
and  yet  cannot  get  them  ;  you  commit  murder  ;  you  have  pas- 
sionate desires  and  yet  cannot  gain  your  end  ;  you  begin  to 
fight  and  make  war.  You  have  not,  because  you  do  not  pray  ;  or 
you  pray  and  yet  do  not  receive,  because  you  pray  wrongly,  your  3 
object  being  to  waste  what  you  get  on  some  pleasure  or  another. 
We  must  ^°"  unfaithful  women,  do  you  not  know  that     4 

definitely  friendship  with  the  world  means  enmity  to  God? 
tvv^een°God  and  Therefore  whoever  is  bent  on  being  friendly  with 

the  World.      the  world  makes  himself  an  enemy  to  God.     Or     5 
do  you  suppose  that  it  is  to  no  purpose  that  the  Scripture  says, 
"  The  Spirit  which  He  has  caused  to  dwell  in  our  hearts  yearns 
jealously  over  us  "  ?     But  He  gives  more  abundant  grace,  as  is     6 
implied  in    His  saying,    "  GOD  SETS    HIMSELF    AGAINST  THE 

HAUGHTY,  BUT   TO   THE   LOWLY    He   GIVES   GRACE"    (PrOV.    iii. 

34).     Submit  therefore  to  God  :  resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee     7 
from  you.     Draw  near  to  God,  and  He  will  draw  near  to  you.     8 
Cleanse  your  hands,  you  sinners,  and  make  your  hearts  pure, 
you  who  are  half-hearted  towards  God.     Afiflict  yourselves  and     9 
mourn  and  weep  aloud  ;  let  your  laughter  be  turned  into  grief, 
and  your  gladness   into    shame.     Humble   yourselves    in    the     10 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  He  will  exalt  you. 

,,,     .,  _      ,        Do  not  speak  evil  of  one  another,  brethren.   The     11 
All  evil  Speak-  1  ,  -i      r       u     .u  •    j 

ingisfor-      man  who  speaks  evil  of  a  brother-man  or  judges 
bidden.        j^j^  brother-man  speaks  evil  of  the  Law  and  judges 

17.  Free  from  favouritisiti]  Lit.   'without  doubt.'     Cp.  ii.  4,  n. 

18.  Lit.  'And  the  fruit  of  righteousness  is  sown  in  peace  to  those  who  make  (or, 
work  for)  peace.'  'The  fruit  of  righteousness'  is  an  expression  parallel  to  'the 
earnest  of  the  Spirit,'  2  Cor.  i.  22  (where  the  Spirit  is  the  earnest)  ;  '  the  Sanctuary 
cif  His  bodj-,'  John  ii.  21  (where  His  body  is  the  Sanctuary);  'the  recompense  of 
the  inheritance,'  Col.  iii.  24  ;   '  the  shield  of  faith,'  i  Thess.  v.  8. 

1.  Among  you\  Hebrews  generally,  but  seemingly  referring  here  specially  to  the 
Jews.  See  i.  i,  n.  "The  state  of  the  Jewish  people  in  the  period  between  the 
crucifixion  of  our  Lord  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  as  detailed  by  Josephus, 
is  the  best  comment"  (Bassett). 

2.  Yoii  covet  S^c.^  On  this  verse  see  Mayor's  notes. 

4.  Y ou  unfaithful  ^vomen^  i.e.  '  You  who  are  like  women  unfaithful  to  their  hus- 
bands.'    Cp.  Ps.  Ixxiii.  27.     V.  L.  puts  these  three  words  at  the  end  of  verse  3. 

5.  He  has  caused  to  dwell]  V.L.  '  h  is  dwelt.'  Over  us]  Implied,  but  not  expressed, 
jn  the  Greek, 


JAMES   IV.-V.  579 

the  Law  ;  but  if  you  judge  the  Law,  you  are  no  longer  one  who 
obeys  the  law,  but  one  who  judges  it.     The  only  real  Lawgiver     12 
and  Judge  is  He  who  is  able  to  save  or  to  destroy  :  who  are  you 
to  sit  in  judgement  on  your  fellow  man  ? 

The  awful  Come,  you  who  say,  "To-day  or  to-morrow  we     13 

Uncertainty  of  will  go  to  this  or  that  city,  and  spend  a  year  there 

and  carry  on  a  successful  business,"  when,  all  the     14 
while,  you  do  not  even  know  what  will  happen  to-morrow.     For 
what  is  the  nature  of  your  life  ?     Why,  it  is  but  a  mist,  which 
appears  for  a  short  time  and  then  is  seen  no  more.     Instead  of    15 
that  you  ought  to  say,  "  If  it  is  the  Lord's  will,  we  shall  live 
and  do  this  or  that."     But,  as  the  case  stands,  it  is  in  mere  self-     16 
confidence  that  you  boast  :  all  such  boasting  is  evil.     If,  how-     17 
ever,  a  man  knows  what  it  is  right  to  do  and  yet  does  not  do 
it,  he  commits  a  sin. 

Come,    you    rich    men,    weep    aloud    and    howl     i    i 
'brfn°g*aCu?se.^  ^°^  ^^"^   sorrows  which   will  soon  be  upon   you. 

Your  treasures    have    rotted,   and  your    piles    of     2 
clothing  are  moth-eaten  ;   your  gold  and  your  silver  have  be-     3 
come  covered  with  rust,  and  the  rust  on  them  will  give  evidence 
against  you,  and  will  eat  your  flesh  like  fire.    You  have  hoarded 
up  wealth  in  these  last  days.     I   tell  you  that  the  pay  of  the     4 
labourers  who  have  gathered  in  your  crops — pay  which  you  are 
keeping  back — is  calling  out  against  you  ;  and  the  outcries  of 
those  who  have  been  your  reapers  have  entered  into  the  ears  of 
the  Lord  of  the  armies  of  Heaven.     Here  on  earth  you  have     5 
lived  self-indulgent  and  profligate   lives.     You  have  stupefied 
yourselves  with  gross  feeding  ;  but  a  day  of  slaughter  has  come. 
You  have  condemned— you  have  murdered — the  righteous  man  :     6 
he  offers  no  resistance. 

The  Nearness        ^^  patient  therefore,  brethren,  until  the  Coming     7 
of  Christ's  Re-  of  the  Lord.     Notice  how  eagerly  a  farmer  waits 

turn  should  «»       ^ 

inspire  Forti-   for  a  valuable  crop  !     He  is  patient  over  it  till  it 

*"'^®*  has  received  the  early  and  the  later  rain.     So  you     8 

also  must  be  patient  :  keeping  up  your  courage,  for  the  Coming 

17.  Hoavever]  See  A  oris  f,  Appendix  B,  2,  8. 

2.  Have  rotted  .  .  are  niotk-eaten\  Both  of  these  are  perfect  tenses  in  Greek. 
"God's  purposes,  though  future  in  their  execution,  are  so  certain  that  they  are 
spoken  of  in  the  past  tense"  (Bassett). 

3.  These  last  days\  The  closing  years  of  the  Jewish  dispensation.  Cp.  verses  7-9, 
n.  ;  Acts  ii.  17,  n.      '  These '  is  not  expressed  here  in  the  Greek. 

5.  S tnpeyied  &'€.]  Lit.    '  fattened  your  hearts.'     Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  15,  n. 

6.  The  righteous  man\  Or  '  the  Righteous  man.'     Cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  19. 

7-9.  With  nnich  emphasis  and  solemnity  James  here  teaches  that  a  Coming  of  the 
Lord  was  near  at  hand  at  the  time  this  Letter  was  written.     Cp.  verse  3,  n. 


58o  JAMES   V. 

of  the  Lord  is  now  close  at  hand.     Do  not  cry  out  in  condem-     9 
nation  of  one  another,   brethren,  lest  you  come  under  judge- 
ment.    I  tell  you  that  the  Judge  is  standing  at  the  door.     In     10 
illustration,  brethren,  of  persecution  patiently  endured  take  the 
prophets  who  have  spoken  as  messengers  from  the  Lord.     Re-     li 
member  that  we  call  those  blessed  who  endured  what  they  did. 
You  have  also  heard  of  Job's  patient  endurance,  and  have  seen 
the  issue  of  the  Lord's  dealings  with  him — how  full  of  tenderness 
and  pity  the  Lord  is. 

«.      ,    T-    ,.        But  above  all  things,  my  brethren,  do  not  swear,     12 
fulness  of      either   by    Heaven  or   by  the  earth,  or  with    any 
Speech.        other  oath.     Let  your  'yes' be  simply  'yes,'  and 
your  'no'  be    simply    'no;'    that    you    may   not   come   under 
condemnation. 

..„    ,,    ,  Is  one  of  you  suffering  ?     Let  him  pray.     Is  any     13 

What  to  do  /..-_,.          .                      , 

when  sad,  one  m  good  spirits  ?     Let  him  sing  a  psalm.     Is     14 

happy,  I  .  ^j^y  Qj^g  jjj  p     j^gj.  j^-j^  send  for  the  elders   of  the 

church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  after  anointing  him  with 
oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;    and  the  prayer   of   faith    will     1 5 
restore    the    sick    man,    and    the    Lord    will    raise    him    up 
to  health  ;    and   if  he  has    committed    sins,   his  guilt  shall  be 
forgiven  him. 

Therefore  confess  your  sins  to  one  anothei'j  and     16 
andlrfte^rces-   P*"^)'  ^o**  ^"^  another,  SO  that  you  may  be  cured, 
sion  to  be      xhe   heartfelt   supplication   of    a    righteous   man 

mutual.  .    ,        .J:  t-,-.    , 

exerts  a  mighty  influence.     Elijah  was  a  man  with     17 
a  nature  similar  to  ours,  and  he  earnestly  prayed  that  there 
might  be  no  rain  ;  and  no  rain  fell  on  the  land  for  three  years 
and  six  months.     Again  he  prayed,  and  the  sky  gave  rain  and     18 
the  land  yielded  its  crops  (i  Kings  xvii.-xxi.). 

12.  Do  not  swear]  The  tense  (present  imperative)  seems  to  imply  that  this  bad 
habit  prevailed  among  the  Jewish  believers  to  whom  this  Letter  was  addressed.  See 
Matt.  vi.  31,  n.  ;  Luke  vii.  13,  n.  It  is  remark  -Lie  that  the  Mosaic  law  permitted  an 
appeal  to  God's  Name  in  support  of  a  true  statement.  (Exod.  Xx.  7,  R.V.  margin  ; 
Lev.  xix.  12  ;  Deut.  vi.  13  ;  x.  20).     See  also  Matt.  xxvi.  63,  n. 

14.  After  anointing]  "The  Greek  Church  retains  the  custom  of  anointing,  but 
(unlike  tlie  Church  of  Rome)  does  not  regard  it  as  a  sacrament,  but  as  medicinal 
treatment  for  the  body,"  as  recommended  by  Philo,  Pliny,  and  Galen.  Has  com- 
mitted] The  Greek  perfect,  implying  '  and  the  stain  .still  remains."  See  Aorist 
vii.  3.  The  absence,  in  this  verse,  of  any  reference  to  '  bishops  '  makes  it  probable 
that  the  office  of  bishop  in  the  early  church  was  identical  with  that  of  'elder'  or 
'presbyter.'  See  Acts  xx.  28,  n.  ;  Phil.  i.  i,  n.  ;  i  Tim.  iii.  2,  n.  ;  i  Peter 
V.  I,  2,  n.  Nowhere  in  the  N.T.  are  presbyters  and  bishops  mentioned  to- 
gether. 

16.  Confess  your  sins  to  one  another]  As  Farrar  has  said,  it  would  be  as  absurd 
to  make  this  command  simply  denote  confession  to  a  priest  as  to  say  that  the  next 
sentence  means  '  Get  a  priest  to  pray  for  you.'  The  confession  and  the  praying  are 
to  be  mutual  !     Heartjelt]  Or  '  inwardly  prompted,'  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 


JAMES    V.  581 

-ru    D.       ^  My  brethren,  if  one  of  you  Strays  from  the  truth     iq 

The  Blessed-  ■,  ,     .  ,.,,.,.  -^ 

ness  of  saving  and  some  one  brmgs  him   back,  let  hmi  know  that     20 

Sinand  DeSh!  ^^  ^^'°  '^^^"o^  ^  dinner  back  from  his  evil  ways 
will  save   the   man's  soul  from   death  and   throw 
a  veil  over  a  multitude  of  sins. 

19.  Lei  him  know\  v.L.   '  be  assured.' 


PETER'S    FIRST    LETTER 


The  state  of  things  described  in  this  Letter  answers  to  what 
we  find  in  the  first  Letter  to  Timothy,  and  points  to  the  same 
period.  The  "  fiery  trial  "  referred  to  is  probably  the  persecu- 
tion which,  begun  by  Nero,  in  64  A.D.,  in  order  to  divert  at- 
tention from  himself,  was  continued  throughout  the  empire. 
The  Letter  seems  to  be  prim.irily  addressed  to  those  who  re- 
garded Peter  as  the  apostle  to  the  Jews,  although  it  is  manifest 
that  he  did  not  think  of  these  alone.  The  fact  that  it  is  "  full 
of  Pauline  thought  and  Pauline  language,"  is  accounted  for  by 
the  well-grounded  supposition  that  Peter  arrived  in  Rome 
shortly  before  Paul  was  released.  So  that  this  Letter,  probably 
written  about  65-66  a.d.,  was  definitely  intended  to  set  before 
the  churches  of  Roman  Asia  "the  inspiring  vision  of  the  two 
apostles  working  and  planning  together  in  the  capital."  This 
would  be  at  once  the  clearest  lesson  the  churches  could  have 
concerning  their  unity,  and  the  strongest  support  to  those  then 
undergoing  tribulation  and  persecution  "  on  behalf  of  the 
Name." 


584 


PETER'S    FIRST    LETTER 

Peter,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  : 
To  God's  own  people  scattered  over  the  earth, 
who  are  living  as  foreigners  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia, 
Roman  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  chosen  in  accordance  with  the  fore- 
knowledge of  God  tlie  Father,  through  the  sanctifying  work  of  the 
Spirit,  with  a  view  to  their  obedience  and  to  their  being  sprinkled 
with  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  May  more  and  more  grace  and 
peace  be  granted  to  you. 

Blessed  be  the  God  and   Father    of  our    Lord 
Tor^thl^Hopf  Jesus  Christ,  who  in  His  great  mercy  has  begotten 
and  Promise   us  anew  to  an  ever-living  hope  through  the  resur- 
of  Heaven.  .  ^  ,^,     •       r  i       i        i  •    i       • 

rection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  to  an  inherit- 
ance  imperishable,   undefiled   and   unfading,    which  has    been 
reserved  in  Heaven  for  you,  whom  God  in  His  power  is  guarding 
through  faith  for  a  salvation  that  even  now  stands  ready  for  un- 
veiling at  the  End  of  the  age.     Rejoice  triumph- 
CrosITests    ^^'^^ly  in   the   prospect  of  this,  even  if  now,  for  a 
and  perfects    short   time,  you    are    compelled    to    sorrow   amid 
Faith.  .  .  ',  -'      -o,  •  11  1 

various  trials.      The  sorrow  comes  in  order  that  the 

testing  of  your  faith — being  more  precious  than  that  of  gold, 
which  perishes  and  yet  is  proved  by  fire — may  be  found  to  result 
in  praise  and  glory  and  honour  at  the  re-appearing  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Him  you  love,  though  your  eyes  have  never  looked  on 
Him.  In  Him,  though  at  present  you  cannot  see  Him,  you 
nevertheless  trust,  and  triumph  with  a  joy  which  is  unspeakable 

I.  v.L.  omits  '  Roman  Asia.'     Another  v.l.  omits  'and  Biihynia.' 
3.  Evey-living]  Lit.    'living.'       "This   hope   never   dies,    as  earthly  hopes   do" 
(Wordsworth). 
S-  At  the  End  of  the  age\    Lit.   '  at  a  last  season.'     Cp.  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 

6.  Rejoice]  Or  'you  rejoice.'  /n  the  prospect  0/  this]  Lit.  'in  which  ;  '  and  this 
may  mean,  so  far  as  the  grammar  is  concerned,  '  at  that  time.'  For  a  short  time] 
Or  '  to  some  extent.' 

7.  Precious]  "It  is  not  'the  proof  which  is  precious,  though  the  literal  con- 
struction at  first  sight  seems  to  he  this,  but  the  faith  itself"  (Alford)  ;  for  '  than  that 
of  gold' is  lit.  'than  gold.'     Is  proTed\  i.e.  '  needs  to  be  proved.' 

8.  Your  eyes  luive  never  looked  on  Him]  v.l.  '  not  knywinj^  Him.' 

585 


586  I.    PETER    I. 

and  is  crowned  with  glory,  while  you  are  securing  as  the  out-     9 

come  of  your  faith  the  salvation  of  your  souls. 

There   were   prophets   who    earnestly    inquired     10 
Angel's^  keen  it  ^^°^^  ^^^^  salvation,  and  closely  searched  into  it- 
interested  in   even  those  who   spoke   beforehand  of  the  grace 

our  Salvation.      ...  ^  '  ^,  °      ^ 

which  was  to  come  to  you.  They  were  eager  to  1 1 
know  the  time  which  the  Spirit  of  Christ  within  them  kept  indi- 
cating, or  the  characteristics  of  that  time,  when  they  solemnly 
made  known  beforehand  the  sufferings  that  were  to  come  upon 
Christ  and  the  glories  which  would  follow.  To  them  it  was  re-  12 
vealed  that  they  were  serving  not  themselves  but  you,  when  they 
foretold  the  very  things  which  have  now  been  openly  declared 
to  you  by  those  who,  having  been  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
which  had  been  sent  from  Heaven,  brought  you  the  Good  News. 
Angels  long  to  stoop  and  look  into  these  things. 

Therefore  gird  up  your  minds  and  fix  your  hopes     13 
Self-control     Calmly  and  unfalteringly  upon  the  boon  that  is  soon 
Obedience,     to  be  yours,  at  the  re-appearing  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Consecration.    ^      ,      .  j    i-    ,      •        ,      ,•  j  , 

And,  smce  you  dehght  m  obedience,  do  not  shape     14 
your  lives  by  the  cravings  which  used  to  dominate  you  in  the 
time  of  your  ignorance,  but — in  imitation  of  the  holy  One  who     15 
has  called  you— you  also  must  be  holy  in  all  your  habits  of  life  ; 
because  it  stands  written,  "  You  are  TO  BE  HOLY,  BECAUSE  I       16 
AM  holy"  (Lev.  xi.  44  ;  xix.  2). 

And  if  you  address  as  your   Father  Him  who     17 

'infin1te"cosf*  J'-'*^§^^  ^"^P^^^'^^^y  ^^  ^^^^''^^^^^  ^^^^  each  man's 
love  and  fear   actions,  then  spend  in  fear  the  time  of  your  stay 

here  on  earth,  knowing,  as  you  do,  that  it  was  not     18 
with  a  ransom  of  perishable  wealth,  such  as  silver  or  gold,  that 
you  were  set  free  from  your  frivolous  habits  of  life  which  had 
been  handed  down  to  you  from  your  forefathers,  but  with  the     19 
precious  blood  of  Christ — as  of  an  unblemished  and  spotless 
lamb.     He  was  pre-destined  indeed  to  this  work,  even  before  the     20 
creation  of  the  world,  but  Jias  been  plainly  manifested  in  these 

9.  Salvation]   Or   'healing.' 

12.  By  those]  Or  perhaps  '  through  those  ; '  the  preachers  being  regarded  as  God's 
instruments.  Stoop  &=€.]  Cp.  John  xx.  5,  n.  ;  Luke  xxiv.  12  ;  where  it  is  the  tomb 
of  Jesus  into  wliich  the  beholders  look.  The  exact  thought  here  and  in  James  i.  25 
may  be  that  of  '  bending  over  in  order  to  examine  minutely,'  '  peering  into '  (Mayor). 

17.  Impartially]  Or  '  without  making  distinctions  between  one  man  and  another.' 
See  Luke  xx.  21,  n. 

19.  Unbletnished  S^c]  "  Christ,  the  true  Passover  (i  Cor.  v.  7)  had  no  blemish  of 
sin  in  Himself,  nor  did  He  contract  any  stain  or  spot  of  sin  from  the  world  "  (Words- 
worth). 

20.  In  these  last  days]  Lit.  '  at  liie  cud  of  the  liincs.'     See  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 


i.    PETER   I.-II.  587 

last  days  for  the  sake  of  you  ^ho,  through  Him,  are  faithful  to     21 
God,  who  raised  Him  from  the  dead  and  gave  Him  glory,  so 
that  your  faith  and  hope  are  in  God. 

Now  that,  through  your  obedience  to  the  truth,     22 

The  Good  News  i  -n    j  ,     r         1       ■  ,  • 

gives  Birth  to  Y^^  ^^^e  purihed  your  souls  for  chenshmg  smcere 
bro^th'irr  Love  t>rotherly  love,  you  must  love  one  another  heartily 

and  fervently  ;  for  you  have  been  begotten  again     23 
by  God's  Hving  and  enduring  word  from  a  germ  not  of  perish- 
able, but  of  imperishable  life. 

"All  mankind  resemble  the  herbage,  24 

And  all  their  beauty  is  like  its  flowers  ; 
The  herbage  dries  up, 
And  its  flowers  drop  off  ; 

But  the  word  of  the  Lord  remains  for  ever"    25 

(Isa.  xl.  6-8). 
And  that  means  the  Message  which  has  been  proclaimed  among 
you  in  the  Good  News. 

^    ^^    ,        Rid  yourselves  therefore  of  all  ill-will  and  all     i   O 

How  brotherly  '  ....  ,  ,  ^ 

Love  must     deceitfulness,  of  msmcerity  and  envy,  and  of  all  evil 
manifest  itself;  speaking.     Thirst,  like  newly-born  infants,  for  pure     2 
milk  for  the  soul,  that  by  it  you  may  grow  up  to  salvation  ;  if  you     3 
have  had  any  experience  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord. 

Come  to  Him,  the  ever-living  Stone,  rejected  in-     4 
Co^ners*t<?ne,  ^ced  by  men  as  worthless,  but  in  God's    esteem 
or  a  Rock  to    chosen  and  held  in  honour;  and  be  yourselves  also     5 

stumble    over.  ,.,,..  ,  ,     .  ,     .,  . 

like  living  stones  that  are  being  built  up  into  a 
spiritual  house,  to  become  a  holy  priesthood  to  offer  spiritual 
sacrifices  acceptable  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ.     For  it  is     6 
contained  in  Scripture, 

"  See,  I  AM  laying  in  Zion  a  Cornerstone,  chosen, 

HELD   in    honour, 

And  he  whose  faith  rests  on  Him  shall  never 

HAVE   reason   to   FEEL   ASHAMED  "   (Isa.  Xxviii.    16). 

To  you  believers,  therefore,  that  honour  belongs  ;  but  for  un-     7 
believers— "A  Stone  which  the   builders  rejected  has 

21.  Are]  Or  'might  be.'     Yo7ir  faith  and  hope  ^'c^    Or  'your  faith  is  also  hope 
toward  God.' 

22.  Have  pur i fie d\  'And  now  your  souls  are  pure'  is  implied  here  by  the  Greek 
perfect. 

24.  Resemble  the  herbage^  v.l.  '  are  herbage.' 

1.  Ill-tvill]  Or  '  wickedness.' 

2.  Like    newly-born     in/ants]    "  It  is   their    only  occupation,    so  strong  is    their 
desire  for  it  "  (Bens^el).     Grow  up  to  salvation]  Lit.  simply  'grow.' 

4,  6.  H J  Id  in  Iionour\  Or  'highly  valued.' 


588  I.    PETER    11. 

BEEN    MADE    THE    CORNERSTONE"     (Ps.     CXviii.    22),    and    "a      8 

Stone  for  the  foot  to  strike  against,  and  a  Rock,  to 
STUMBLE  over"  (Isa.  viii.  14).  Their  foot  strikes  against  it 
because  they  are  disobedient  to  God's  Message,  and  to  this  they 

-  e  t  d  ^^^^  appointed.  But  you  are  a  chosen  race,  a  9 
Christians  are  priesthood  of  kingly  lineage,  a  holy  nation,  a  people 
the  true  Israel,  belonging  specially  to  God,  that  you  may  make 
known  the  perfections  of  Him  who  called  you  out  of  darkness 
into  His  marvellous  light.  Once  you  were  not  a  people,  but  10 
now  you  are  the  people  of  God.  Once  you  had  not  found 
mercy,  but  now  you  have. 

Dear   friends,    I  entreat    you   as   pilgrims   and      11 
^'^us'^sto'be'"  foi'eigners  not  to  indulge  the  cravings  of  your  lower 

strenuously    natures  :  for  all  such  cravings  wage  war  upon  the 

resisted.  .  o  t>  r 

soul.    Live  honourable  lives  among  the  Gentiles,  in     12 
order  that,  although  they  now  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers, 
they  may  yet  witness  your  good  conduct,  and  may  glorify  God 
on  the  day  of  reward  and  retribution. 
^,     ^  ^     ^        Submit,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  to  every  authority     13 

The  Duty  of  '  ,,.,',        J^  J  J 

Obedience  to    set  up  by  man,  whether  it  be  to  the  Emperor  as 
earthly  Rulers,  supreme  ruler,  or  to  provincial  governors  as  sent     14 
by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers  and  the  encouragement 
of  those  who  do  what  is  right.     For  it  is  God's  will  that  by     15 
doing  what  is  right  you  should  thus  silence  the  ignorant  talk  of 
foolish  persons.     Be  free  men,  and  yet  do  not  make  your  free-     16 
dom  an  excuse  for  base  conduct,  but  be  God's  bondservants. 
Honour  every  one.     Love  the  brotherhood,  fear  God,  honour     17 
the  Emperor. 

Household    servants,    be    submissive    to    your     i8 
^o''be"fa1thfur  ^T^^sters,  and  show  them  the  utmost  respect — not 
even  if  ill-      only  if  they  are  kind  and  thoughtful,  but  also   if 

they  are  unreasonable.     For  it  is   an  acceptable     19 

9.  Make  knozun  the  perfections]  Cp.  John  xvii.  6,  26  ;  Rom.  i.  7,  n.  ;  i  John 
iii.  8,  n.  We  have  not  only  to  testify  for  Christ  in  words,  but  in  us  He  is  to  live  over 
asain,  His  sweet  spirit  and  divinely  beautiful  character  being  reproduced  in  us.  Our 
daily  lives,  humble  and  unromantic  as  they  may  be,  are  what  chiefly  tells  either  for, 
or  against,'  the  religious  faith  which  we  profess. 

11.  Soul]  Or  'life.'     Cp.  Luke  ix.  24. 

12.  Day  of  7-eward  and  retribution]  Lit.  '  day  of  visitation,'  '  inspection  day.' 

13.  17.  Emperor.  Proznncial  governors]  Both  these  terms  plainly  refer  to  the 
then  existing  constitution  of  the  Roman  Empire.  There  had  been  no  kings  of  Rome 
for  several  centuries. 

14.  Hint]  I.E.  the  Emperor.     Or  '  Him,'  i.e.  God. 

15.  6'//£?«c^]  Lit. 'muzzle' or 'gag.'    See  verse  9,  n.   Ignorant  talk]\J\\..'\%nox?a-\zQ' 

16.  An  excuse]  Lit.  'a  cloak.'     Gal.  v.  13  is  a  curious  parallel  to  this  verse. 

18.  Be  submissive]  Lit.  '  being  submissive,'  the  participle  being  dependent  on  the 
verb  of  the  first  clause  of  verse  17.     The  connexion  of  the  whole  pa^sage  down  to 


I.    PETER    II.-III.  589 

thing  with  God,  if,  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  Him,  a  man  patiently 
submits  to  wrong,  when  treated  unjustly.     If  you  do  wrong  and     20 
receive  a  blow  for  it,  what  credit  is  there  in  your  bearing  it 
patiently  ?     But  if  when  you  do  right  and  suffer  for  it  you  bear 
it  patiently,  this  is  an  acceptable  thing  with  God. 
^.^  P  ,         And  it  is  to  this  you  were  called  ;  because  Christ     21 

inGcXcimpis 

of  Jesus,  who  also  suffered  on  your  behalf,  leaving  you  an  ex- 
bore  our  Sins,  ^mple  SO  that  you  should  follow  in  His  steps.     He     22 
never  sinned,  and  no  deceitful  language  was  ever  heard  from  His 
mouth.    When  He  was  reviled,  He  did  not  answer  with  reviling  ;     23 
when  He  suffered  He  uttered  no  threats,  but  left  His  wrongs  in 
the  hands  of  the  righteous  Judge.     The  burden  of  our  sins  He     24 
Himself  brought  in  His  own  body  to  the  Cross  and  offered  it 
there,  so  that  we,  having  died  so  far  as  our  sins  are  concerned, 
may  live  a  righteous  life.  By  His  wounds  yours  have  been  healed. 
For  you  were  straying  like  lost  sheep,  but  now  you  have  come     25 
back  to  the  Shepherd  and  Protector  of  your  souls. 

Married  women,  in  the  same  way,  be  submis-     i   ' 

Wiv6S  were  to  ^ 

live  nobly  and  sive  to  your  husbands,  so  that  even  if  some  of 
dress  simply.    ^]^q^^   disbelieve   the    Message,    they   may,    apart 
from   the   Message,  be  won  over  by  the  daily  life  of  their  wives, 
after   watching  your   daily    life — so  full  of  reverence,  and  so     2 
blameless  !      Your  adornment  ought  not  to  be  a  merely  out-     3 
ward  thing — one  of  plaiting  the  hair,  putting  on  jewellery,  or 
wearing  beautiful  dresses.     Instead  of  that,  it  should  be  a  new     4 
nature   within — the   imperishable   ornament    of    a   gentle    and 
peaceful  spirit,  which  is  indeed  precious  in  the  sight  of  God. 
For  in  ancient  times  also  this  was  the  way  the  holy  women  who     5 
set  their  hopes  upon  God  used  to  adorn  themselves,  being  submis- 
sive to  their  husbands.     Thus,  for  instance,  Sarah  obeyed  Abra-     6 

iii.  7  seems  to  be  as  follows  :  '  Be  mindful  of  your  various  duties  in  life — to  your 
fellow  Christians,  to  God,  to  the  Emperor  (verse  17)  ;  to  your  masters  (verse  18)  ;  to 
husbands  (iii.  i)  ;  to  wives  (verse  7)  ;  to  everybody  (verse  8).' 

20,  21.  These  verses  in  the  original  begin  with  '  For  ;'  but  see  A  or/si,  Appendix 
A,  p.  44.      IVhat]  Or  '  what  kind  of.'     Cp.  John  x.  32. 

20.  A  bloTv]    The  Greek  implies  '  with  the  fist.' 

23.  His  7vrongs]  Or  '  His  enemies.' 

24.  Wounds]  Lit.  'stripe'  or  'bruise,'  in  the  singular,  suggesting  the  idea  of  a 
slave  who  has  been  so  cruelly  flogged  that  his  body  seems  to  be  one  mass  of  bruises. 

25.  Protector]  Lit.  'bishop,'  'cerseer.'     • 

I.  Be  submissive]  Lit.  'being  submissive.'  Cp.  ii.  18,  n.  Disbelieve]  Or  '^.re 
disobedient  to.'  But  cp.  iv.  17.  Apart  from  the  Message]  Or  'without  a  word 
being  spoken.'     Cp.  ii.  9j  n. 

3.  Putting  on]  Lit.   '  putting  round  '  (the  head,  neck,  wrists,  etc.). 

4.  A  neiv  7tature  tuithin]  Lit.  'the  hidden  man  of  the  heart.'  When  Massillon 
had  preached  before  Louis  XIV.  on  the  subject  of  "the  outward  man  "  and  "the 
iiuier  man,"  the  king  exclaimed  as  he  left  the  church,  "  I  know  those  two  men  !  " 
(F.   W.   Farrar,    Texts  Explained.') 

6.  Achwwiedging  his  authority  over  her]  Lit.   '  calling  him  master.' 


590  I.    PETER   III. 

ham,  acknowledging  his  authority  over  her.     And   you   have 

become  Sarah's  children  if  you  do  what  is  right  and  permit 

nothing  whatever  to  terrify  you. 

Husbands  were      Married  men,  in  the  same  way,  live  with  your     7 
to  manifest     wives  with  a  clear  recognition  of  the   fact   that 
Thoughtful-    they  are  weaker  than  you.  Yet,  since  you  are  heirs 
ness.  yj-^^Yi  them  of  God's  free  gift  of  Life,  treat  them 

with  honour  ;  so  that  your  prayers  may  not  be  hindered. 

,,  ..  .  ^,       In  conclusion,  all  of  you  should  be  of  one  mind,     8 

Unity,   mutual  '  ■' 

Affection,   Hu.  quick  to  Sympathize,  kind  to  the  brethren,  tender- 

mility,  and  a    ,  ■,    ,        ^  •     ■,     ^  •  •  •^       •^^  -i 

forgiving      hearted,  lowly-mmded,  not  requitmg  evil  with  evil     9 
Spirit,  urged.    ^^  abuse  with  abuse,  but,  on  the  contrary,  giving  a 
blessing  in  return,  because  a  blessing  is  what  you  have  been 
called  by  God  to  inherit.     For  10 

"He  who  wishes  to  be  well-satisfied  with  life 
And  see  happy  days- 
Let  him  restrain  his  tongue  from  evil, 
And  his  lips  from  deceitful  words  ; 
Let  him  turn  from  evil,  and   do  good  ;  11 

Let  him  inquire  for  peace  and  go  in  pursuit  of  it.     12 
For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  the  righteous, 
And  His  ears  are  open  to  their  supplication  ; 
But  the   face  of  the  Lord   is   set   against  evil- 
doers" (Ps.  xxxiv.  12-16). 

And  who  will  be  able  to  harm  you,  if  you  show     13 
TJesu'itTof     yourselves  zealous  for  that  which  is  good?     But     14 
Enthusiasm  for  gyen  if  vou  Suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  you  are 
Righteousness.  •    j       c       j       ^    u         i  j  V      4.u    • 

to  be  envied.  So  do  not  be  alarmed  by  their 
threats,  nor  troubled;  but  in  your  hearts  consecrate  Christ  as  15 
Lord,  being  always  ready  to  make  your  defence  to  any  one  who 
asks  from  you  a  reason  for  the  hope  which  you  cherish.  Yet  16 
argue  modestly  and  cautiously,  keeping  your  consciences  free 
from  guilt,  so  that,  when  you  are  spoken  against,  those  who 
slander  your  good  Christian  lives  may  be  put  to  shame. 

For  it  is  better  that  you  should  suffer  for  doing  right,  if  such     17 

7.  ll'Wtk  a  clear  recognition  .  .  that  they  are  weaker  than  yoit\  Lit.  'accord- 
irii;  to  knowledge,  (giving  honour)  as  unto  the  weaker  vessel  (or  sex^.' 

8.  To  sympathize^  Whether  in  sorrow  or  in  joy.     Cp.  Rom.  xii.  15. 

10,  II.  Let  him  restrain  .  .  tiirn  from  .  .  do  .  .  inquire  for  .  .  go']  All 
Aorists  imperative,  enjoining  what  is  to  be  done  promptly,  and  once  for  all. 

14.  Their  threats]   Lit.    '  their  fear.' 

15.  "  Care  only  for  this,  that  your  hearts  may  be  a  temple  of  Christ,  in  which 
becoming  honour  may  be  given  to  Him  as  Lord  ;  then  will  nothing  further  dis- 
turb you"  (Wiesinger). 


I.    PETER   IIl.-IV.  591 

Blessings      ^^  ^^^'s  will,  than  for  doing  evil  ;  because  Christ     i8 

rh^e'^'suffi^i'^jt  ^^^°  ^"^^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^'  ^^^  innocent  One 
of  the  sinless   for   the   guilty    many,    in   order    to   bring   us    to 
Jesus.  Qq(J      Y[e  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  made 

alive  in  the  spirit,  in  which  He  also  went  and  proclaimed  His     19 
Message  to  the  spirits  that  were  in  prison,  who  in  ancient  times     20 
had  been   disobedient,  while  God's  longsuffering  was  patiently 
waiting  in  the  days  of  Noah  during  the  building  of  the  Ark,  in 
which  a  few  persons — eight  in  number—were   brought    safely 
through  the  water.    And,  corresponding  to  that  figure,  the  water     21 
of  baptism  now  saves  you — not  the  washing  off  of  material  de- 
filement, but  the  craving  of  a  good   conscience    after    God- 
through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  at  God's  right     22 
hand,  having  gone   into  Heaven,  angels   and  authorities   and 
powers  having  been  made  subject  to  Him. 
Christ's  Ex.       Since,  then,  Christ  has  suffered  in  the  flesh,  you     i   d 
ample  should  ^Iso  must  arm  yourselves  with  a  determination  to 

inspire  Forti-     ,       ,  /  ,  , 

tude,  and      do  the  Same — because  he  who  has  suffered  in  the 
Purity  of  Life.  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  ^-^^^  sin— that  in  future  you  may     2 

spend  the  rest  of  your  earthly  lives,  governed  not  by  human 
passions,  but  by  the  will  of  God,     For  you  have  given  time     3 
enough  in  the  past  to  the  doing  of  the  things  which  the  Gentiles 
delight  in — pursuing,  as  you  did,  a  course  of  habitual  licence, 
debauchery,  hard  drinking,  noisy  revelry,  drunkenness  and  un- 
holy image-worship.     At  this  they  are  astonished — that  you  do     4 
not  run  into  the  same  excess  of  profligacy  as  they  do  ;  and  they 
speak  abusively  of  you.      But  they  will  have  to  give  account  to     5 
Him  who   stands  ready  to  pronounce  judgement  on  the  living 
and  the  dead.     For  it  is  with  this  end  in  view  that  the  Good     6 

18.  Died]  v.L.   'suffered.' 

19.  He  also]  Or  '  He  even.' 

20.  IVhile  .  .  was  ivaiting]  Or  'when  .  .  waited.'  In  which]  Lit.  (entering) 
'into  which.'     Cp.  John  ix.  7. 

I.  Has  done  with]  Or  '  is  at  rest  from.' 

3.  Pursuing  a  course  of\  Lit,  '  having  walked  in,'  the  perfect  participle  indicating 
the  entry  on  this  way  of  life  and  the  continuing  in  it.  See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 
Habitual]  In  the  Greek  the  nouns  which  follow,  to  the  end  of  the  verse,  are  all 
plurals,  the  force  of  which  is  perhaps  best  conveyed  by  this  adjective. 

5.  The  living]  i.e.  those  who  were  alive  at  the  time  this  Letter  was  written  ;  an 
indication  that  Peter  expected  the  second  Advent  to  take  place  in  the  lifetime  of  his 
contemporaries. 

6.  The  Good  News]  Cp.  iii.  19.  Or  'good  news.'  There  is  no  definite  article 
here  in  the  Greek.  The  reference  may  really  be  to  Rev.  vi.  9-11.  The  general 
sense  will  then  be  '  Good  news  was  proclaimed  even  to  some  who  were  dead,  that, 
although  they  had  been  judged  by  their  fellow  men  while  in  the  body,  they  were 
now  to  live  a  divine  Life  in  the  spirit.'  If  so,  this  is  a  strong  argument  for  the  early 
date  of  the  Apocalypse,  proving  that  when  Peter  wrote  this  Letter  he  had  already 
read  that  book.  The  verse  is  discussed  at  length  by  the  present  translator  in  the 
.article  "  Hades"  in   The  Thinker,  July  1895. 


592  I-    PETER    IV. 

News  was  proclaimed  even  to  some  who  were  dead,  that  they 

may  be  judged,  as  all  mankind  will  be  judged,  in  the  body,  but 

may  be  living  a  godly  life  in  the  spirit. 

^,     ^  ^  .  But  the  end  of  all  things  is  now  close  at  hand  :     7 

'The  End  is  at    ,         ^  ,  ,  .     ,     ,         ,  , 

Hand.  Live     therefore  be  sober-mmded  and  temperate,  so  that 
accordingly.'   ^^^  ^^^^  ^j^^  yourselves  to   prayer.     Above  all    8 
continue  to  love  one  another  fervently,  for  love  throws  a  veil 
over    a   multitude   of  faults.      Extend   ungrudging   hospitality     9 
towards  one  another.     Whatever  be  the  gifts  which  each  has     10 
received,  you  must  use  them  for  one  another's  benefit,  as  good 
stewards  of  God's  many-sided  kindness.     If  any  one  preaches,     11 
let  it  be  as  uttering  God's  truth  ;  if  any  one  renders  a  service  to 
others,  let  it  be  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies  ;  so  that  in 
everything  glory   may  be  given  to  God  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  whom  belong  the  glory  and  the  might  to  the  ages  of 
the  ages.     Amen. 

Dear  friends,  do  not  be  surprised  at  finding  that     12 
Ch^Hst^is  a^  that    scorching    flame    of    persecution    is   raging 
glorious       among  you    to    put  you  to  the  test  —  as  though 
some    surprising     thing    weije    accidentally    hap- 
pening  to  you.      On    the    contrary,   in    the    degree   that   you     13 
share  in  the  sufferings  of  the  Christ,  rejoice,  so  that  at  the  un- 
veiling of  His  glory  you  may  also  rejoice  with  triumphant  glad- 
ness.    You  are  to  be  envied,  if  you   are  being  reproached  for     14 
bearing  the  name  of  Christ  ;  for  in  that  case  the  Spirit  of  glory 
— even  the  Spirit  of  God — is  resting  upon  you.     But  let  not  one     15 
of  you  suffer  as  a  murderer  or  a  thief  or  an  evil-doer,  or  as  a  spy 
upon  other  people's  business.     If,  however,  any  one  suffers  be-     16 
cause  he  is  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed,  but  let  him 
glorify  God  for  being  permitted  to  bear  that  name. 
The  Awfuiness      For  the  time  has  come  for  judgement  to  begin,     17 
of  the         and  to  begin  at  the  house  of  God  ;  and  if  it  begins 

Judgement  .  ,  ,  -n  1         1  ^       c     \  ^ 

which  was  now  With  US,  what  Will  be  the  end  of  those  who  reject 
beginning,      q^^^^  q^^^  ^^^^  p      ^^^  jf  -^  jg  difficult  even  for     18 

a  righteous  man  to  be  saved,  what  will  become  of  irreligious 
men  and  sinners  ? 

Therefore  also,  let  those  who  are    suffering    in    accordance     19 

14.  Even  the  Spirit  of  God]  v.l.  '  even  the  Spirit  of  power  and  of  God.' 
Another  v.l.  adds  at  the  end  of  the  veise,  'So  far  as  they  are  concerned  He  is 
spoken  against,  but  so  tar  as  you  are  concerned  He  is  glorified.' 

15.  Btit]  Lit.  'for.'     ^ce.  Aorisi,  Appendix  A,  ii,  12. 

16.  For  being  permitted  to  bear  that  name]  v.l.   'in  that  respect.'^ 

19.  Entrust]  The  same  word  as  in  Luke  xxiii.  46.  So/e/s]  Or  '  lives.'  Cp.  Luke 
xii.  19. 


I.    PETER    IV. -V.  593 

with  the  will    of   God  entrust  their  souls    in  well-doing    to    a 

faithful  Creator. 

„    ,  ^      So   I  exhort  the  elders  among-  you — I  who  am     i    | 

Pastors   urged    ,.^,,  ,,  ,,  ,  '^  ^  .  .  < 

to  live  exem-   their  fellow  elder  and  have  been  an  eye-witness  of 
plary  Lives.     ^^^  sufferings  of  the  Christ,  and  am  also  a  sharer 
in  the  glory  which  is  soon  to  be  revealed.     Be  shepherds  of    2 
God's  flock  which  is  among  you.     Exercise  the  oversight  not 
reluctantly  but  eagerly,  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  God  ;  not 
for  base  gain  but  with  cheerful  minds  ;  not  lording  it  over  your     3 
churches  but  proving  yourselves  patterns  for  the  flock  to  imitate. 
And  then,  when  the  chief  Shepherd  appears,  you  will  receive  the     4 
never-withering  wreath  of  glory. 

In  the  same  way  you  younger  men  must  submit     "; 

Young  Men  j       n       r  •    j 

exhorted  to    to  your  elders  ;  and  all  of  you  must  gird  your- 

^caTm'Faith^    selves  with  humility  towards  one  another,  for  God 

sets  Himself  against  the  proud,  but  gives  grace  to 

the  humble.     Humble  yourselves  therefore  beneath  the  mighty     6 

hand  of  God,  so  that  at  the  right  time  He  may  set  you  on  high. 

Throw    the   whole   of  your    anxiety  upon  Him,   because    He     7 

Himself  cares  for  you. 

Curb  every  passion,  and  be  on  the  alert.      Your     8 

aiert^  °strenu.  accuser,  the  devil,  is  going  about  like  a  roaring 
ousiy  resist     lion  to  see  whom  he  can  devour.     Withstand  him,     9 

the  Tempter.'  ^  .  .  .  .        .  .  .  ,,  .         ^ 

firm  in  your  faith  ;  knowing  that  your  brethren  in 
other  parts  of  the  world  are  passing  through  just  the  same  ex- 
periences. And  God,  the  giver  of  all  grace,  who  has  called  you  to  10 
share  His  eternal  glory,  through  Christ,  after  you  have  suffered 
for  a  short  time,  will  Himself  make  you  perfect,  firm,  and  strong. 
To  Him  be  all  power  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages  !     Amen.  1 1 

I  send  this  short  letter  by  Silas,   our  faithful  brother — for     12 


2,  Exercise  the  oversight]  v.l.  omits  these  words  (it  is  only  one  word  in  the 
Greek).  Lit.  '  being  bishops,'  an  indication  that  in  the  early  church  the  office  of 
bishop  was  identical  with  that  of  elder  or  presbyter.  Cp.  Acts  xx.  28,  n.  ;  Phil.  i. 
I,  n.  ;  I  Tim.  iii.  2,  n.  ;  Jas.  v.  14,  n. 

3.  Your  churches]  Lit.  '  of  the  portions'  (of  the  Lord's  flock),  over  each  of  which 
one  overseer  presided.  There  must  have  been  many  such  in  every  large  city,  as  in 
the  present  day. 

5.  Gird  yourselves]  The  Greek  word  denotes  '  as  with  the  apron  of  one  who  waits 
upon  others.'  Willingness  (and  eagerness)  to  serve — to  use  all  one's  opportunities 
and  talents  to  confer  blessing  upon  our  fellow  men,  instead  of  merely  to  get  gain 
and  pleasure  for  oneself— is  a  sure  mark  of  true  humility.  See  especially  John  xiii. 
3-5  ;  Phil.  ii.  6,  7. 

8.  Be  on  the  alert]  Lit.  'keep  awake.'  Possibly  Peter,  when  he  used  this  word, 
recalled  with  sliame  and  sorrow  the  ever-memorable  occasion  when  he  and  James  and 
John  failed  to  keep  awake  (Mark  xiv.  37-41).     Cp.  Luke  ix.  32. 

12.  Silas]  Lit.  'Silvanus.'     IVhat  I  have  told  you]  Lit.    '  this.' 

Q  Q 


594  I-    PETER    V. 

such  I  regard  him — in  order  to  encourage  you,  and 
Gree^in^^s      ^°  ^^^^  witness  that  what  I  have  told  you  is  the 

true  grace  of  God.    In  it  stand  fast.    The  church     13 
in   Babylon,  chosen  like  yourselves   by    God.  sends  greetings, 
and  so  does  Mark  my  son.     Greet  one  another  with   a  kiss  of     14 
love.     Peace  be  with  all  of  you  who  are  in  Christ. 

13.  The  church]  Lit.  'She.'  Babylon]  Either  (i)  the  literal  Babylon,  on  the 
Euphrates  ;  (2)  Rome  ;  or— if  the  Babylon  of  Rev.  xiv.  8  ;  xvi.  19  ;  xviii.  was 
Jerusalem  — (3)  Jerusalem.  The  likelihood  of  its  beiii;  Rome  or  Jerusalem  isgreatly 
increased  if  i  Pet.  iv.  6  be  a  reference  to  Rev,  vi.  g-ii  ;  for  in  that  case  Peter, 
when  he  wrote  this  Letter,  had  already  read  the  book  of  Revelation  and  would  be 
familiar  with  its  use  of  the  name. 


PETER'S    SECOND    LETTER 


595 


It  is  impossible  to  speak  with  any  certainty  as  to  either  the 
date  or  the  authorship  of  this  Letter.  From  the  beginning 
there  have  been  doubts  as  to  its  genuineness  and  canonicity, 
and  these  are  represented  to-day  in  the  differing  judgements  of 
modern  critics  equally  able  and  sincere.  It  has,  however,  un- 
questionably had  a  place  in  the  canon  of  the  New  Testament 
since  the  council  of  Laodicaea  in  372  A.D.,  and  there  is  certainly 
no  such  decisive  evidence  against  it  as  to  warrant  our  omitting 
it  from  the  New  Testament.  It  would  appear  that  the  writer, 
whoever  he  was,  had  seen  the  Letter  from  Jude,  and  bore  it  in 
mind  in  this  his  plea  for  such  character  and  conduct  on  the 
part  of  believers  as  were  worthy  of  their  faith  and  would  prepare 
them  for  the  Coming  of  the  Lord.  The  whole  Letter  consti- 
tutes an  earnest  appeal  for  practical  holiness. 


596 


PETER'S    SECOND   LETTER 

Greeting  Simon     Peter,   a  bondservant   and    apostle    of 

Jesus  Christ  : 

To  those  to  whom  there  has  been  allotted  the  same  precious 
faith  as  that  which  is  ours  through  the  righteousness  of  our  God 
and  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  May  more  and  more  grace  and 
peace  be  granted  to  you  in  a  full  knowledge  of  God  and  of  Jesus 
our  Lord,  seeing  that  His  divine  power  has  given  us  all  things 
that  are  needful  for  life  and  godliness,  through  our  knowledge  of 
Him  who  has  appealed  to  us  by  His  own  glorious  perfections. 
'  Rely  upon         It  is  by  means  of  these  that  He  has  granted  us 

Gods   Prom-     ,t-  •  j  i  •  •  i         i 

ises  and  His  precious  and  wondrous  promises,  in  order  that 
^'ndrr!ro°re^  through  them  you  may,  oneand  all,  become  sharers 
Christlike.'  ill  the  very  nature  of  God,  having  completely 
escaped  the  corruption  which  exists  in  the  world  through  earthly 
cravings.  But  for  this  very  reason — adding,  on  your  part,  all 
earnestness — along  with  your  faith,  manifest  also  a  noble  charac- 
ter ;  along  with  a  noble  character,  knowledge  ;  along  with  know- 

1.  Simon]  \\t.  'Symeon.'  Cp.  Acts  xv.  14,  n.  Of  our  God  and  0/  our  Saviour] 
Or  perhaps  'of  our  God  and  Saviour.' 

2.  /«]  Or  'through  ;'  as  in  verse  i. 

3.  By  His  owfi  glorious  perfections]  Lit.  'by  His  own  glory  and  virtue;'  the 
former  being  "the  glory  of  the  Godhead  in  its  own  esi^ence  and  nature,"  the  latter 
"the  excellence  of  its  moral  attributes  energizing  in  acts  of  power,  wisdom, 
jvistice,  and  love.  Cp.  i  Pet.  ii.  9"  (Wordsworth),  v. L.  'through  glory  and 
virtue.' 

4.  ?F<7«^r<7?«]  Lit.  'very  great' or  '  greatest.'  One  and  all]  These  words  are  not 
expressed  in  the  Greek,  but  are  implied  in  the  word  for  '  sharers,'  which  signifies 
'joint-sharers.' 

5.  Also]  Besides  getting  clear  away  from  the  City  of  Destruction.  Along  witk] 
Lit.  '  in.'  Manifest]  Lit.  '  supply '  (as  your  contribution  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
honour  of  His  church).  A  noble  character]  Lit.  '  virtue  ;'  a  general  word,  inclusive 
of  every  moral  excellence ;  so  in  the  Greek  philosophers,  mostly  or  always.  The  primary 
meaning  ('manhood,'  '  courage,'  '  prowess  ')does  not  suit  any  of  the  five  passages  in 
which  the  word  occurs  in  the  N.T.  See  v^rse  3  ;  Phil.  iv.  8  ;  i  Pet.  ii.  9.  Like  all 
other  N.T.  writers,  the  author  of  this  Letter  appears  to  regard  Christlike  character 
and  conduct,  rather  than  evangelistic  fervour  (important  as  that  also  is),  as  the  chief 
and  foremost  need  of  those  who  believe 
2  Cor.  xiii.  10,  11  ;  Gal.  v.  16,  22  ;  Eph. 
Col.  iii.  ;  iv.  1-6  ;  i  Thess.  iv.  1-12  ;  2  Thess. 
11-19  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  22-26;  Titus  i.  5-9  ;  i 
II  ;  V.  12  ;  I  Pet.  i.  15,  16,  17,  22  ii.  i  ;  ii.  9, 
V.  i-io  :   I  John  (throughout). 

6.  Self-control]  See  Acts  x.\iv.  25,  n. 

597 


the 

Saviour. 

Cp, 

iii. 

,  1 1  ;  I  Cor. 

xiii. 

^"3... 

17-32  ;  v 

.  ;  VI. 

i-i 

2;  Phil,   iv, 

•  4-9 

s.  iii 

.  6-13;  I 

Tim. 

iii. 

1-13;  iv.  t; 

i;    vi 

.  1-8  ;  Jas.  i. 

19-27 

;  ii 

.  10,  14  ;  iii. 

;  iv 

?,  n. 

;  n.   15,  ] 

[8-25  ; 

iii 

.  1-12  ;  iv. 

I-IO 

59S  II.    PETER   I. 

ledge,  self-control ;  along  with  self-control,  power  of  endurance  ; 
along  with  power  of  endurance,  godliness  ;  along  with  godliness,     7 
brotherly  affection  ;  and  along  with  brotherly  affection,  love.     If    8 
these  things  exist  in  you,  and  continually  increase,  they  prevent 
your  being  either  idle  or  unfruitful  in  advancing  towards  a  full 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     For  the  man  in  whom     9 
they  are  lacking  is  blind  and  cannot  see  distant  objects,  in  that 
he  has  forgotten  that  he  has  been  cleansed  from  his  old  sins. 

The  Need  for       ^^^  ^^^^   reason,  brethren,  be  all  the  more  in     10 
persistent      earnest  to  make  sure  that  God  has  called  you  and 

Faithfulness.       ,  ^        .      .  .    •       ,i     .  1 

chosen  you  ;  for  it  is  certain  that  so  long  as  you 

practise  these  things,  you  will  never  stumble.     And  so  a  trium-     11 

phant  admission  into  the  eternal   kingdom  of  our   Lord    and 

Saviour  Jesus  Christ  will  be  freely  granted  to  you. 

Peter's  Ear-       ^^^  ^^'^  reason  I  shall  always  persist  in  remind-     12 

nestness   in    ing  you  of  these  things,  although  you  know  them 

view  of  his  ,  ,,  ,     ,•  •         ,  1        1  •    1 

approaching   and  are  stedfast  believers  in  the  truth  which  you 

Death.        already  possess.     But  I  think  it  right,  so  long  as  I     13 
remain  in  the  body,  my  present  dwelling-place,  to  arouse  you  by 
such  reminders.     For  I  know  that  the  time  for  me  to  lay  aside     14 
my  body  is  now  rapidly  drawing  near,  even  as  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  has  revealed  to  me.     So  on  every  possible  occasion  I       15 
will  also  do  my  best  to  enable  you  to  recall  these  things  after  my 
departure. 

Christ'sTrans-  ^^^  when  we  made  known  to  you  the  power  and  16 
figuration  a  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  were  not 
Foretf ste"of,  eagerly  following  cleverly  devised  legends,  but  we 
His  Parousia.  -j^^^  been  eye-witnesses  of  His  majesty.  He  17 
received  honour  and  glory  from  God  the  Father,  and  out  of  the 
wondrous  glory  words  such  as  these  were  spoken  to  Him, 
"This  is  My  dearly-loved  Son,  in  whom  I  take  delight."     And     18 

9.  In  that  pT'c]  Lit.  'having  received  forgetfulness  ; '  his  imperfect  spiritual 
vision  having  impaired  his  memory. 

10.  I\Itike  si(7-e]  v.L.  '  make  sure  by  means  of  your  noble  actions.' 

11.  A  triujnphant&r'c.'\  Lit.  '  tlie  entrance  richly  be  liberally-supplied,'  the  verb 
being  the  same  as  in  verse  5. 

12.  The  body,  my  present  dwelling-place^  Lit.  simply  '  this  tent.' 

14.  JSIybodyy  Lit.   '  my  tent.' 

15.  Also]  Aiming  at  future  as  well  as  present  benefit.  O/i  cz'oy  possible  occasion] 
Every  time  during  the  rest  of  my  life  that  I  give,  and  you  receive,  such  a  reminder. 
Tiie  adverb  here  used  in  the  Greek  occurs  only  in  this  place  in  the  N.T.,  and  is  not 
the  same  as  the  'always'  of  verse  11,  or  the  still  commoner  adverb  found  in  John 
viii.  29.  _ 

17.  Spoken]  Lit.  'borne,'  as  in  next  verse.     I  take  delight]  See  A  oris  t,  p.  21. 

18.  Co)i!e]  Lit.  'borne.'  (In  English  this  'come  '  is,  of  course,  the  infinitive  mood, 
and  is  the  excellent  rendering  of  the  R.V.,  in  contrast  with  the  slip  in  Luke  x.  iS, 
where  see  note.) 


II.    PETER    I.-II.  599 

we  ourselves  heard  these  words  come  from  heaven,  when  we 
were  with  Him  on  the  holy  mountain. 
The  ancient        ^^^   '^  ^^^  written  word  of  prophecy  we  have     19 
Scriptures     something  more  permanent  ;  to  which  you  do  well 

also   testify  to  .        ^  ,  .    .        .  ... 

His  glorious  to  pay  attention — as  to  a  lamp  shmmg  m  a  drnily- 
Advent.  lighted  place— Until  day  dawns  and  the  morning 
star  arises  in  your  hearts.  But,  above  all,  remember  that  no  20 
prophecy  in  Scripture  will  be  found  to  have  come  from  the 
prophet's  own  prompting  ;  for  never  did  any  prophecy  come  by  21 
human  will,  but  men  sent  by  God  spoke  as  they  were  impelled 
by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  there  were  also  false  prophets  among  the     i   < 
wer^e*  coming?  people,   as   there   will   be   teachers    of    falsehood 
foredoonnedto  among  you  also,  who  will  cunningly  introduce  fatal 

Destruction.      ,.    .    .^-^        ,.         '    .  ,  ^^     .  t        ,       i 

divisions,  disowning  even  the  sovereign  Lord  who 
has  redeemed  them,  and  bringing  on  themselves  swift  destruction. 
And  in  their  immoral  ways  they  will  have  many  eager  disciples,  2 
through  whom  religion  will  be  brought  into  disrepute.  Thirst-  3 
ing  for  riches  they  will  trade  on  you  with  their  canting  talk. 
From  of  old  their  judgement  has  been  working  itself  out,  and 
their  destruction  has  not  been  slumbering. 

Ancient    Ex-        ^^^  ^^'^  ^'^  ^^^  spare  angels  when  they  had     4 
ampies  of      sinned,  but  hurling  them  down  to  Tartarus  con- 
Retribution       .  1      ,  r   J      1  1  •         ^u 

and  Deliver-   Signed  them  to  caves  of  darkness,  keeping  them 

ance.  -^^  readiness  for  judgement ;  and  He  did  not  spare     5 

the  ancient  world,  although  he  preserved  Noah,  a  herald  of 
righteousness,  with  seven  others,  when  He  brought  a  deluge  on 
the  world  of  the  ungodly.  He  reduced  to  ashes  the  cities  of  6 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and  condemned  them  to  overthrow,  mak- 
ing them  an  example  to  people  who  might  in  future  be 
living  godless  lives,  but  when  righteous  Lot  was  sore  distressed  7 
by  the  gross  misconduct    of  immoral   men  He    rescued    him. 

19.  Sovtcthing  more  perinaneni]  Than  that  glorious  but  transient  event.  Or 
perhaps  the  true  sense  is  that  given  by  Vaughan  (on  Rom.  xvi.  26)  :  "  we  liave  Iiere 
a  conhrmation  of  the  prophetic  word."  Vot(  do  well  &r'c.]  Not  '  yon  would  do  well, 
&c.'  The  tense  implies  that  the  first  readers  of  this  Letter  really  were  diligent 
students  of  O.T.  prophecy. 

21.  Men  sent  by  God]  Lit.  '  men  from  God.'  V.L.  'holy  men  of  God.'  Impelled] 
As  a  ship  by  a  strong  wind.      Cp.  the  use  of  the  same  Greek  word  in  Acts  xxvii.  15, 

I.  i^/wj/^J^j]  Or 'false doctrines.'  And byino;ing\  Or 'thereby  bringing.'  There 
is  no  connecting  particle  in  the  Greek. 

3.  Has  been  .  .  has  7Lot  bee»\  See  Aorist  iii.  2,  3;  Goodwin's  I\Tonis  and  Tenses, 
§  26.     Has  )tot  been  shnnbering]  Lit.  '  not  lying  idle.' 

4.  Caves]  V.L.   'bonds'  or  '  chains.' 

6.  In  future]  Lit.  '  in  the  ne.ir  future.'  Naturally  the  example  would  tell  most 
upon  those  who  lived  immediately  afterwards. 


6oo  II.    PETER   II. 

(For  their  lawless  deeds  were  torture,  day  after    day,   to   the     8 
pure  soul  of   that  righteous  man — all  that  he  saw  and  heard 
whilst  living  in  their  midst.)     Since   all  this    is    so,   the    Lord     9 
knows  how  to  rescue  godly  men  from  temptation,  and  on  the 
other  hand  how  to  keep  the  unrighteous  under  punishment  in 
readiness  for  the  day  of  judgement,  and  especially  those  who     10 
are  abandoned  to  sensuality— craving,  as  they  do,  for  polluted 
things  and  scorning  control. 

A   Description      Fool-hardy  and  self-willed,  they  do  not  tremble 
of  the  false     when   speaking  evil    of  glorious    beings  ;     while     11 
Th?ir  sure     angels,  though  greater  than  they  in   might  and 
Ru'"-         power,    do    not  bring   any    insulting    accusation 
against  such  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.     But  these  men,  like     12 
brute  beasts,  created  (with  their  natural   instincts)  only  to  be 
captured  or  destroyed,  are  abusive  in  matters  of  which  they  are 
ignorant,  and  in  their  corruption  will  perish,  being  doomed  to     13 
receive  a  requital  for  their  guilt.     They  reckon  it  pleasure  to 
feast  daintily  in   broad  daylight.      They  are  spots  and  blem- 
ishes, while  feeding  luxuriously  at  their  love-feasts,  and  ban- 
queting with  you.     Their  very  eyes  are  full  of  adultery — being     14 
eyes  which  never  cease   from   sin.      These  men   set  traps   to 
catch  unstedfast  souls,  their  own  hearts  being  well  trained  in 
greed.     They  are  fore-doomed  to  God's  curse  !     Forsaking  the     15 
straight  road,  they  have  gone  astray,  having  eagerly  followed  in 
the  steps  of  Balaam,  the  son  of  Beor,  who  was  bent  on  securing 
the  wages  of  unrighteousness.       But  he   was   rebuked  for  his     16 
transgression  ;    a  dumb    ass    spoke    with   a  human   voice   and 
checked  the  madness  of  the  prophet. 

These  people  are  wells  without  water,  mists  driven     17 
"and'ensiate*  along  by  ^  Storm,   men  for  whom  the  dense  dark- 
their   fellow   ^ess  has  been  reserved.     For,  while  they  pour  out     18 

Men 

their  frivolous  and  arrogant  talk,  they  use  earthly 

cravings — every  kind  of  immorality— as  a  bait  to  entrap  men 

11.  Cp.  Jude  9.     In  the  presence  of  the  Lord\  v.l.  omits. 

12.  Or\  Lit.  'and.'  Cp.  Acts  xix.  12,  n.  Some  animals,  if  captured,  can  be 
tamed  ;   others,  always  dangerous,  can  only  be  destroyed. 

13.  Doomed  dr'c.  ]v.l.  '  receiving  unrighteous  treatment  as  the  wages  of  unright- 
eousness.' Daylight\  Cp.  i  Thess.  v.  7.  Love-feasts]  v.l.  '  delusions  '  or  'deceits  ; ' 
their  love-feasts  being  delusionsand  nothing  more. 

14.  Their  very  eyes  are  full  of  adultery]  Lit.  '  having  eyes  full  of  an  adul- 
teress.' Greed]  Or  possibly  '  seduction.'  Cp.  Eph.  v.  3.  They  are  fore-doomed 
b^c]     Lit.   'children  of  malediction  !' 

15.  Forsaking]  v.l.  '  having  forsaken.'  Eagerly  folloived]  This  word  occurs  in 
only  two  other  places  in  the  N.T.  (verse  2  and  i.  16). 

16.  Ass]  Lit.   '  beast  of  burden.' 
18.  Bait]  Cp.  verse  14  ;  Jas.  i.  14. 


II.    PETER    II.-III.  6oi 

who  are  just  escaping  from  the  influence  of  those  who  Hve  in 

error  ;  and  they  promise  them  freedom,  although  they  are  them-     19 

selves  the  slaves  of  what  is  corrupt.     For  a  man  is  the  slave  of 

any  one  by  whom  he  has  been  worsted  in  fight. 

„    ,   ,._,  For  if,  after  escaping  from  the  pollutions  of  the     20 

Backsliders—  u    ^1  1  j-  11    1  ,1         ^- 

their  Misery    world  through  a  full  knowledge  of  our  Lord   and 

^"^  tion.'^^''^"  Saviour    Jesus     Christ,    people    are    once    more 

entangled  in   these  pollutions  and  are  overcome, 

their  last  state  has  become  worse  than  their  first.  For  it  would     21 

have  been  better  for  them  not  to  have  fully  known  the  way  of 

righteousness,  than,  after  knowing  it,  to  turn  back  from  the  holy 

commandments  in  which  they  were  instructed.     Their  case  is     22 

that   described   in   the   true   proverb,    "A  dog   returns   to 

WHAT  HE  HAS  VOMITED"    (Prov.    xxvi.   ii),  and  also  in    the 

other  proverb,  "The  sow  has  washed  itself  and  now  goes  back 

to  roll  in  its  filth." 

This  letter  which  I  am  now  writing  to  you,  dear     i   1 

^xh\?Litte°^  friends,  is  my  second  letter.     In  both  my  letters  I         '^ 

seek  to  revive  in  your  honest  minds  the  memory  of 

certain  things,  so  that  you  may  recall  the  words  spoken  long  ago     2 

by  the  holy  prophets,  and  the  commandments  of  our  Lord  and 

Saviour  given  you  through  your  apostles. 

Men  would         ^^t,  above  all,  remember  that,  in  the  last  days,     3 

come  ridi-     men  will  come  who  make  a  mock  at  everything- — 

culingWarn-  1  1       i  1     •  jo 

ings  as  to      men  governed  only  by  their  own   passions,   and     4 
Judgement,    asking,  "What    has    become    of    His    promised 
Return  ?     For  from  the   time   our  forefathers   fell   asleep    all 
things  continue  as  they  have  been  ever  since  the  creation  of  the 
world."     For  they  are  wilfully  blind  to  the  fact  that  there  were     5 
heavens  which  existed  of  old,  and  an  earth,  the  latter  arising 
out  of  water  and  extending  continuously  through  water,  by  the 
command  of  God  ;  and  that,  by  means  of  these,  the  then  existing     6 
race  of  men  was  overwhelmed  with  water  and  perished.     But     7 

19.  They  protKise  thetnfreedom\  The  Gnostics  asserted  that  they  were  free  to  live 
as  they  pleased.     Any  one  by  whom]   Or  '  anything  by  which.'     Cp.  Rom.  vi.  i6. 

22.  Inits filth]  "Gnostic  teachers  said  that  they  'might  wallow  in  the  mire  as 
much  as  they  pleased,'  and  that — such  was  their  spiritual  virtue  —they  could  not  be 
perverted  by  it  any  more  than  gold  by  mud  "  (.Wordsworth). 

3.  The  last  days]  See  Acts  ii.  17,  n. 

4.  Return]  Lit.  '  Coming.' 

5.  Rising  out  of&'c]  This  seems  to  describe  both  the  vertical  and  the  horizontal 
reach  of  the  earth — ^just  what  the  word  '  continent'  properly  signifies. 

6.  By  Mieans  0/  these]  i.e.  by  means  of  the  heaven  and  earth,  the  ocean  rising 
Cpossibly  through  the  sinking  of  the  whole  crust  of  the  globe)  and  rain  falling  like 
another  ocean  descending  from  above.     See  Gen.  vii.  11. 

7.  By  the  command  0/ the  same  God]  v.L.  'by  the  same  command'  or  'word.' 
A  day  of  judgement]  Or  'the  day  of  judgement.' 


6o2  II.   PETER    III. 

the  present  heavens  and  the  present  earth  are,  by  the  command 
of  the  same  God,  kept  stored  up,  reserved  for  fire  in  preparation 
for  a  day  of  judgement  and  of  destruction  for  the  ungodly. 
The  Day  of        ^^^  there  is  one  thing,  dear  friends,  which  you     8 
Christ.    Its    niust  not  forget  :  with  the  Lord  one  day  resembles 

Certainty  and         ,  -,'■,■,  -,  i  i 

sudden  Com.  a  thousand  years  and  a  thousand  years  resemble 

'"^'  one  day.     The  Lord   is  not  slow  in  fulfiUing  His    9 

promise,  in  the  sense  in  which  some  men  speak  of  slowness  ; 
but  He  bears  patiently  with  you,  His  desire  being  that  no  one 
should  perish  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance.  The  day  10 
of  the  Lord  will  come  hke  a  thief — it  will  be  a  day  on  which  the 
heavens  will  pass  away  with  a  rushing  noise,  the  elements  be 
destroyed  in  the  fierce  heat,  and  the  earth  and  all  the  works  of 
man  be  utterly  burnt  up. 
,,.         .,  ,.„      Since  all  these  things  are  thus  pre-destined  to     11 

'  Live  nobly  in  or 

preparation^  dissolution,  what  sort  of  men  ought  you  to  be 
ort  a  ay.  ^^^^^  ^q  j^g  in  all  holy  living  and  godly  conduct, 
eagerly  looking  forward  to  the  coming  of  the  day  of  God,  by  12 
reason  of  which  the  heavens,  all  ablaze,  will  be  destroyed,  and 
the  elements  will  melt  in  the  fierce  heat  .^  But  in  accordance  13 
with  His  promise  we  are  expecting  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth,  in  which  righteousness  will  dwell. 

Absolute  Per-      Therefore,  dear  friends,   since   you   have  these     14 
fection  to  be  expectations,  earnestly  seek  to   be   found  in  His 
presence,  free  from  blemish  or  reproach,  in  peace. 


8.  One  day  ^^c]  The  writer  of  this  Letter  is  here  arguing  or  the  simple  fidelity 
with  which  the  Almighty  always  fulfils  His  promises.  It  matters  not  whether  the 
time  previously  specified  for  their  accomplishment  is  /oug- (a.  thousand  years),  or 
i/i^ri"  (a  single  day)— in  either  case  His  promptitude  and  punctuality  is  the  same. 
The  popular  idea  that  the  verse  means  that  if  God  has  said  that  an  event  will  hap- 
pen in  a  thousand  years'  time  it  may  take  us  by  surprise  and  happen  to-morrow,  or 
that  if  He  has  said  that  it  will  take  place  to-morrow  it  may  not  take  place  for  a  thou- 
sand years  yet  to  come,  refutes  itself  when  expressed  in  plain  language. 

10.  Destr(^yed]  In  the  modified  sense  in  which  the  same  'destroy'  is  used  in  the  A.V. 
in  John  ii.  ig  ;  i  John  iii.  8.  Utterly  burnt  up]  Or,  more  exactly,  '  burnt  down  ' 
(to  ashes).  But  there  is  a  curious  v.l.  here,  heurethesetai,  '  will  be  found,'  a  '  not' 
having  apparently  dropped  out.  Cp.  Rev.xx.  ii.  Or  can  there  be  some  confusion 
with  the  Latin  Kr(7  ?  It  should  be  observed  that,  unlike  any  other  N.T.  writer,  the 
author  of  this  Letter  associates  the  passing  away  of  the  present  system  of  things,  and 
the  promise  of  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  with  Christ's  Advent  to  inaugurate  His 
millennial  kingdom, instead  of  connecting  the  consummation  of  all  things  earthly  with 
the  second  (universal)  resurrection  and  judgement  destined  to  take  place  at  the  ter- 
mination of  the  millennial  kingdom  "a  thousand  years"  later  (Rev.  xx.  ii  ;  xxi.  i). 

11.  Since]  v.l.   '  Since  then,'  omitting  '  thus.'     See  last  note  on  i.  5. 

12.  Eagerly  looking  forward  to\  Lit.  'expecting  and  hastening."  Will  be  de- 
stroyed] See  verse  10,  n.  "The  flood  did  not  annihilate  the  earth,  but  changed 
it;  and  as  the  new  earth  was  the  consequence  of  the  flood,  so  the  final  new 
heavens  and  earth  shall  be  of  the  fire  "  (Alf  rd). 

13.  Ne%v  heavens  &r'c.]  To  this  "reconsiiiution  of  all  things"  Peter  alludes  in 
Acts  iii.  21.     Dzvell]  Permanently. 


II.    PETER   III.  603 

And  always  regard  the  patient  forbearance  of  our  Lord  as  sal-  15 
vation,  as  our  dear  brother  Paul  also  has  written  to  you  in  virtue 
of  the  wisdom  granted  to  him.  That  is  what  he  says  in  all  his  16 
letters,  when  speaking  in  them  of  these  things.  In  those  letters 
there  are  some  statements  hard  to  understand,  which  ill-taught 
and  unprincipled  people  pervert,  just  as  they  do  the  rest  of  the 
Scriptures,  to  their  own  ruin. 

A  final  Warn-       You,  therefore,  dear  friends,  having  been  warned     17 
ingand        beforehand,  must  continually  be  on  your  guard  so 

Exhortation.  1        1     i  ,  ,        /-  ,  ,  . 

as  not  to  be  led  astray  by  the  false  teachmg  of 
immoral   men  nor    fall  from  your  own   stedfastness.      But  be     18 
always  growing  in  the  grace  and  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

To  Him  be  all  glory  both  now  and  to  the  day  of  eternity  ! 

IS,  17,  18.     Ahoays.     Continvnlly.     Always]  Implied  in  the  tense  of  the  Greek 
verbs. 

18.  0/ eternity]  Lit.  *of  (the)  age.' 


JOHN'S   FIRST   LETTER 


That  this  Letter  was  the  actual  work  of  the  apostle  John,  the 
son  of  Zabdai,  has  been  abundantly  testified  from  the  very 
earliest  times.  Certain  modern  critics  have  questioned  this,  on 
the  ground  of  internal  evidence,  but  a  calm  survey  of  the 
whole  case  does  not  bear  out  their  objections.  Dr.  Salmond 
well  says  that  no  explanation  of  the  origin  of  the  epistle  fits 
the  facts  so  well  as  the  one  which  has  always  prevailed.  It 
seems  to  have  been  addressed  to  the  church  at  large,  with 
perhaps  special  reference  to  the  churches  in  Roman  Asia.  The 
connexion  between  this  Letter  and  the  fourth  Gospel  is  "  inti- 
mate and  organic.  The  Gospel  is  objective  and  the  Epistle 
subjective.  The  Gospel  suggests  principles  of  conduct  which 
the  Epistle  lays  down  explicitly.  The  Epistle  implies  facts  which 
the  Gospel  states  as  historically  true."  This  Letter  appears  to 
have  been  written  from  Ephesus,  and  critics  have  usually 
assigned  95  A.D.,  and  some  other  year  equally  late  in  the 
apostolic  age,  as  the  probable  date  of  its  composition.  On  the 
other  hand  the  internal  evidence  points  to  a  date  immediately 
preceding  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70  a.d.  See  ii.  8  (last 
clause);  ii.  18  ;  iv.  3  ;  and  note  the  expectation  of  a  speedy 
Coming  of  Christ  (ii.  28  ;  iii.  2). 


606 


JOHN'S  FIRST  LETTER 

Introduction. 

p.        ....         That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which  we 

Eternal   Life  °  *" 

has  been       have  hstened  to,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  own 

"!n"j?su*s.  eyes,  and  our  own  hands  have  handled  concerning 
the  Word  of  Life — the  Life  was  manifested,  and 
we  have  seen  and  bear  witness,  and  we  declare  unto  you  the 
Life  of  the  ages  which  was  with  the  Father  and  was  manifested 
to  us — that  which  we  have  seen  and  listened  to  we  now  an- 
nounce to  you  also,  in  order  that  you  also  may  have  fellowship 
in  it  with  us,  and  this  fellowship  with  us  is  fellowship  with  the 
Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  And  we  write  these 
things  in  order  that  our  joy  may  be  made  complete. 

Some  vivid  Contrasts, 

This  is  the  Message  which  we  have  heard  from 

Light'and^    the   Lord  Jesus  and  now  deliver  to  you — God   is 

*^°"sin^  ^°"''   ^^Sht,  and  in  Him  there  is  no  darkness.     If,  while 

we   are  living  in  darkness,  w^e    profess   to   have 

fellowship  with  Him,  we  speak  falsely  and  are  not  adhering  to 

the  truth.     But  if  we  live  in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the  light,  we 

have  fellowship  with  one  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus,  His 

Son,  cleanses  us  from  all  sin.     If  we  claim  to  be  already  free 

from  sin,  we  lead  ourselves  astray  and  the  truth  has  no   place 

in  our  hearts.     If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  so  faithful  and  just 

I.  We  have  listened  to\  The  Greek  perfect.  This  tense,  far  more  emphatically 
than  the  English  perfect,  indicates  a  permanent  result.  We  have  seen]  Cp. 
verses  2,  3.  This  also  is  the  Greek  perfect.  It  implies,  'and  we  are  standing 
witnesses  of  what  we  have  thus  listened  to  aad  seen.' 

5.  Message]  The  word  is  found  elsewhere  in  the  N.T.  only  in  iii.  11.  Noiv 
deliver]  Lit.  '  deliver  in  turn.'  The  exact  meaning  of  this  compound  seems  to  be 
to  '  bring  back  word,'  and  hence  to  yield  up  information  or  a  message  with  whicli 
the  bearer  has  been  entrusted.  (Cp.  the  Latin  reddere  epistolam).  It  occurs  in 
I  Pet.  i.  12,  and  elsewhere. 

9.  Faithful  and  just .  .  forgives]  Because  the  penalty  of  our  sins  has  already  been 
borne.  To  punish  the  penitent  would  be  to  punish  a  second  time.  It  would  be  a 
breach  of  faith  with  the  vicarious  Sufferer,  and  an  injustice  to  the  sinner  himself, 
who  in  the  person  of  his  substitute  has  died.     Cp.  Rom.  vi.  7. 

607 


6o8  I.    JOHN    I.-II. 

that  He  forgives  us  our  sins  and  cleanses  us  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness.    If  we  deny  that  we  have  sinned,  we  make  Him  a  Har,     lo 
and  His  Message  has  no  place  in  our  hearts. 

The  Saviour        Dear  children,  I  write  thus  to  you  in  order  that     i   J 
of  the  World,  you  may  not  sin.     If  any  one  sins,  we  have  an 
obed'ient  really  Advocate    with    the     Father— Jesus    Christ     the 

know  Him.     j-jghteous  ;  and  He  is  an  atoning  sacrifice  for  our    2 
sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world.     And  by  this  we  may  know  that  we  know  Him — if  we     3 
obey  His  commands.     He  who  professes  to  know  Him,  and  yet     4 
does  not  obey  His  commands,  is  a  har,  and  the  truth  has  no 
place  in  his  heart.     But  whoever  obeys  His  Message,  in  him     5 
love   for  God  has  in   very  deed   reached  perfection.     By  this 
we  can  know  that  we  are  in  Him.     The  man  who  professes     6 
to  be  continuing  in  Him  is  himself  also  bound  to  hve  as   He 
lived. 

My  dearly-loved  friends,  it  is  no  new  command     7 

Those  who        .        \  .    .  ,     ^  ,  ,  , 

disobey  the    that  I  am  now  givmg  you,  but  an  old  command 

b    ufe^i  °Love  which  you  have  had  from  the  very  beginning.     By 

are  in         the  old  command  I  mean  the  teaching  which  you 

have  already  received.     And  yet  I  am  giving  you     8 
a  new  command,  for  such  it  really  is,  so  far  as  both  He  and  you 
are  concerned  :  because  the  darkness  is  now  passing  away  and 
the  light,  the  true  light,  is  already  beginning  to  shine.     Any     9 
one  who  professes  to  be  in  the  light  and  yet  hates  his  fellow 
man  is  still  in  darkness.     He  who  loves  his  fellow  man  con-     10 
tinues  in  the  hght,  and  his  life  puts  no  stumbling-block  in  the 
way  of  others.     But  he  who  hates  his  fellow  man  is  in  darkness     11 
and  is  walking  in  darkness  ;  and  he  does  not  know  where  he  is 
going — because  the  darkness  has  bhnded  his  eyes. 

^         I  am  writing  to  you,  dear  children,  because  for     12 

Reasons  why    ,,.         ,  *'.'''.  ' 

this  Letter     His  Sake  your  sms  are  forgiven  you.     I  am  writmg     13 
was  written.    ^^  ^^^^  fathers,  because  you  know  Him  who  has 

1.  Dear]  Such  seems  to  be  the  force  of  the  diminutive  as  used  by  our  Lord  in 
Johnxiii.  33. 

2.  T/ie  si'ns  of]  The  English  idiom  requires  the  insertion  of  these  words.  Jerome 
in  making  the  Vulgate  translation  of  this  verse,  evidently  felt  that  some  such  addi- 
tion was  needed,  though  impossible  in  Latin. 

8.  The  darkness  is  nozv passing  away]  See  Introduction,  p.  606. 

9.  10,  II.  Fellow  man]  Or  'fellow  Christian.'  Lit.  'brother.'  So  in  iii.  10,  14, 
15,  16,  17  ;  iv.  20.  21  ;  V.  16. 

10.  His  life  ^^c]  Or  '  there  is  no  stumbling-block  in  his  path.'  Cp.  "  he  does  not 
stumble,"  John  xi.  9.  There  is  no  '  in  the  way  of  others'  in  the  Greek.  "  He  who 
hates  his  brother  is  a  stumbling-block  to  himself,  and  stumbles  against  himself  and 
everything  el>;e,  outwardly  and  inwardly  :  he  who  loves  his  brother  walks  at  ease 
and  has  a  clear  course  before  him  "  (Bengel). 


I.    JOHN    II.  609 

existed  from  the  very  beginning.     I  am  writing  to   you,  young 
men,  because  you  have  overcome  the  Evil  one. 

I  have  written  to  you,  children,  because  you  know  the  Father.      14 
I  have  written  to  you,  fathers,  because  you  know  Him  who  has 
existed  from  the  very  beginning.     I  have  written  to  you,  young 
men,  because  you  are  strong  and  God's   Message  still  has  a 
place  in  your  hearts,  and  you  have  overcome  the  Evil  one. 
Love  for  this        ^^  ^'^^  ^^^^  ^^e  world,  nor   the  things  in  the      15 
passing  World  world.     If  any  one  loves  the  world,  there  is   no 
exist  with  Love  love  in  his  heart  for  the  Father.     For  the  things      16 

for  God.       jj^  ^j^g  world — the  cravings  of  the  earthly  nature, 
the  cravings  of  the  eyes,  the  show  and  pride  of  life — they  all 
come,  not  from  the  Father,  but  from  the  world.    And  the  world,      17 
with  its  cravings,  is  passing  away,  but  he  who  does  God's  will 
continues  for  ever. 

Warnings  against  Backsliders  and  false  Teachers, 

Aoostasv  a         Dear  children,  the  last  hour  has  come  ;  and  as     18 
Sign  that  the  you  once  heard   that   there   was   to   be  an   anti- 
Age  was  at     Christ,  so  even  now  many  anti-Clirists  have  ap- 
Hand.         peared.     By  this  we  may  know  that  the  last  hour 
has   come.     They    have  gone  forth  from  our  midst,  but    they     19 
did  not  really  belong  to  us  ;  for  had  they  belonged  to  us,  they 
would  have  remained  with  us.     But  they  left  us  that  it  might 
he  manifest  that   professed  believers  do  not  all  belong  to  us. 
As  for  you,  you  have  an  anointing  from  the  holy  One  and  have     20 
perfect  knowledge.     I  have  written  to  you,  not  because  you  are     21 
ignorant  of  the  truth,  but  because  you  know  it,  and  you  know 
•hat  nothing  false  comes  from  the  truth. 
The  Denial         Who  is  a  liar  compared  with  him  who  denies     22 
or  Acknow-    that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  ?     He  who  disowns   the 
Jesus"a^s"the    Fatb.er  and  the  Son  is  the  anti- Christ.     No  one     23 
Christ.        ^y]^Q  disowns  the  Son  has  the  Father.     He  wlio 

15.  Do  not  love]  Greek  present  imperative,  meaning  either  (i)  with  an  aijiding 
love,  or  (2)  as  you  now,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  love  the  world.  Cp.  Mutt. 
xxviii.  5,  n. 

17.  Forever]  Lit.  'for  the  age.' 

18.  The  last  hour\  Perhaps  of  the  Jewish' dispensation.  See  .Acts  ii.  17,  n.  An 
anti-Christ]  A  false  Ciii  ist  openly  and  fiercely  hostile  to  the  true  Anointed.  The 
expression  occurs  also  in  verse  22  :  iv.  3  ;  2  John  7.  The  verse  may  indicate  that 
before  the  destruction  of  Jerui;alem,  the  great  falling  away  from  the  faith,  which,  it 
had  been  predicted,  was  to  precede  Christ's  second  Advent,  had  taken  place  (Matt, 
xxiv.  12  ;  J  Thess.  ii.  3).     S-e  Introduction,  p.  606,  and  cp.  iv.  3,  n. 

19.  Professed  believeys]  Not  in  the  Greek;  a  necessary  additii.ui  ;  cp.  verses  4,  6. 

20.  And  have  f>er/ect  knoivhdge]  Lit.  '  and  know  everything.'  Cp.  John  xvi.  13. 
v.L.  '  and  you  all  know'  (the  truth). 

22.  Hitmvho  dcniei  &^c'.J  A  reference  to  the  .io_^mas  of  Cerinthus  and  Ebion.  He 

RR 


6io  I.    JOHN   II.-III. 

acknowledges  the  Son  has  also  the  Father.     As  for  you,  let  the     24 
teaching  which  yoa  have  received  from  the  very  beginning  con- 
tinue in  your  hearts.     If  that  teaching  does  continue  in  your 
hearts,  you  also  will  continue  to  be  in  union  with  the  Son  and 
with  the  Father.     And  this  is  the  promise  which  He  Himself    25 
has  given  us — the  Life  of  the  ages. 

I  have  thus  written   to   you   concerning  those     26 

("Taught  by  the      ,  ,        t  a     j         r  .i 

Spirit,  main-  who  are  leadmg  you  astray.  And  as  tor  you,  the  27 
wfth  Christ'  anointing  which  you  received  from  Him  remains 
within  you,  and  there  is  no  need  for  any  one  to 
teach  you  ;  but  since  His  anointing  gives  you  instruction  in  all 
things — and  is  true  and  is  no  falsehood — you  are  continuing  in 
union  with  Him  even  as  it  has  taught  you  to  do. 

And  now,  dear  children,  continue  in  union  with  Him  ;  so  that,     28 
if  He  re-appears,  we  may  have  perfect  confidence,  and  may  not 
shrink   away   in   shame  from   His   presence   at   His    Coming. 
Since  you  know  that  He  is  righteous,  be  assured  also  that  the     29 
man  who  habitually  acts  righteously  is  a  child  of  His. 


God's  Children  and  the  Devil's  Children. 

^    .,  See  what  marvellous  love  the  Father  has  be- 

God  s  won- 
drous Love     stowed  upon  us — that  we  should  be  called  God's 

''Hope  and  ^    children  :    and  that  is  what  we   are.      For    this 

makes  us  pure,  reason  the  world  does  not  recognize  us — because 

it  has  not    known  Him.       Dear  friends,  we  are    now    God's 

children,  but  what  we  are  to  be  in  the  future  has  not  yet  been 

fully  revealed.     We  know  that  if  Christ  re-appears  we  shall  be 

like  Him,  because  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is.     And  every  man 

who  has  this  hope  fixed  on  Him,  purifies  himself  so  as  to  be  as 

pure  as  He  is. 

Every  one   who   is   guilty  of  sin  is    also  guilty  of  violating 

7S  the  anti-Christ]  i.e.  'with  whom  you  and  the  church  in  your  age  have  to  do.' 
The  expression  "is  obviously  here  used  not  as  predicating  the  one  person  in  whom 
the  character  shall  be  finally  and  centrally  realized,  but  as  setting  forth  identity 
of  character  with  him,  and  participation  in  the  development  of  the  anti-christian 
principle  "  (Alford).     ^  //ar]  Lit.  '  the  liar.'     _ 

28.  1/ He]  Or,  perhaps,  'when  He.'     Cp.  iii.  2,  and  see  Introduction,  p.  606. 

29!  A  child  of  His]  Lit.  '  begotten  by  Him  :'  i.e.  by  the  Christ.  This  expression 
is  used  elsewhere  exclusively  of  the  Father,  as  in  John  i.  13.  "  When  St.  John  thinks 
of  God  in  relation  to  men  he  never  thinks  of  Him  apart  from  Christ.  And  he  nevel 
thinks  of  Christ  in  His  human  nature  without  adding  the  thought  of  His  divine 
nature"  (Westcott). 

1.  What  mari<eUous]Q,'^.  ISLirk  xui.  i,  n. 

2.  If  Christ]  Or  '  when  Christ.'    Cp.  ii.  28,  and  see  Introduction,  p.  606, 


1.    JOHN    111.  6ii 

Law ;   for    sin    is    the    violation  of  Law.     And    5 
"exS1^ith°"  you   know    that   He   appeared   in    order  to  take 
Union  with     away  sins  ;  and  in  Him  there  is  no  sin.      No  one    6 

Christ.  ' 

who  continues  in  union  with  Him  lives  in  sin: 
no  one  who  lives  in  sin  has   seen  Him  or  knows  Him. 

Dear  children,  let  no  one  lead  you  astray.     The     7 
'impossi^r^  ^^^'^  who  acts  righteously  is  righteous,  just  as  He 
apart  from  a   is  righteous.     He  who  is  habitually  guilty  of  sin     8 
righteous  Life.  .  i  -i  i      /-    i        i      -i    i  j   o        j 

IS  a  child  of  the  devil,  because  the  devil  has  been 
a  sinner  from  the  very  beginning.  The  Son  of  God  appeared 
for  the  purpose  of  undoing  the  work  of  the  devil. 

Sin  cannot  CO-       ^^  °"^  ^^°  ^^  ^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^o^  'S   habitually    9 
exist  with      guilty  of  sin.     A  God-given  germ  of  life  remains 

divineSonship.  .      ,  /  ,  ,  ,,,,., 

in  him,  and  he  cannot  habitually  sm — because  he 

is  a  child  of  God.     By  this  we  can  distinguish  God's  children     10 

and  the  devil's  children  :  no  one  who  fails  to  act   righteously 

is  a  child  of  God  nor  he  who  does  not  love  his  fellow  man. 

For  this  is  the  Message  you  have  heard  from  the  very  begin-     11 

ning — that  we  are  to  love  one  another.     We  are  not  to  resemble     12 

Cain,  who  was  a  child  of  the    Evil  one  and  killed  his  own 

brother.     And  why  did  he  kill  him  ?     Because  his  own  actions 

were  wicked  and  his  brother's  actions  righteous. 

Love  for  Man,       ^^   not    be   Surprised,  brethren,  if  the   world     13 

as  Man,  a  Sign  hates  you.     As    for  US,  we  know  that   we  have     14 

have  eternal    already  passed  out  of  death   into  Life — because 

Life.  ^Q  jQyg  Qj^jj.  fellow  men.     He  who  is  destitute  of 

love  continues  dead.     Every  one  who  hates  his  fellow  man  is     15 

a  murderer ;  and  you  know  that  no  murderer  has  the  Life  of 

ming  in  him. 

We  know  what  love  is — through  Christ's  having     16 

defined!^and    l^i^  down  His  life  on    our   behalf;    and  in   the 

measured,  by  same  way  we  ought  to    lay  down    our  lives  for 
Christ's  Cross.  ^  ,,  ?.        •<- 

our  fellow  men.     But  if  any  one  has  this  worlds     17 
wealth  and  sees  that  his  fellow  man  is  in  need,  and  yet  hardens 
his  heart  against  him— how  can  such  a  one  continue  to  love  God  ? 

5.  Tff  take  aivay\  The  same  verb  as  in  John  i,  29. 

6.  Lives  in  sin]  Or  '  sins  habitually,'  as  in'verses  8,  9. 

8.  Is  a  child  of]  Lit.  '  is  out  of,'  '  has  his  origin  from.'  Appeared]  Or  '  was  mani- 
fested.' With  the  same  object  in  view  Christ  still  seeks  to  be  manifested  in  the  lives 
of  His  people.  His  incarnation  into  human  nature,  in  one  sense  was  not  complete 
at  His  birth  and  first  entry  into  the  world.     It  is  still  going  on. 

8,  9.   Habitually]  Implied  in  the  tense. 

9.  Cannot]  A  moral  impossibility. 

14.  Continues  dead]  "It  is  not  said  that  he  dies.  Death  is  his  natural  state " 
(Westcott). 


6i2  I.    JOHN    III.-IV. 

Dear  children,  let  us  not  love  in  words  only  nor  with  the  lips,     i8 
but  in  deed  and  in  truth. 

Obedience  ^^^  ^^   ^^^^^  ^"^^V  ""^'^  shall   come  to  know  that     19 

brings  us      we  are  loval  to  the   truth,  and  shall   satisfy  our 

Peace  and  .  '      .       ^, .  .         , 

renders  Prayer  consciences  in  His  presence  in  whatever  matters     20 

effective.       q^j^.  hg^rts  condemn  us — because  God  is  greater 
than  our  hearts  and  knows  everything.     Dear  friends,   if  our     21 
hearts  do  not  condemn  us,  we  have  perfect  confidence  towards 
God  ;  and  whatever  we  ask  for  we  obtain  from  Him,  because     22 
we  obey  His  commands  and  do  the  things  which  are  pleasing 
in  His  sight.     And  this  is. His  command — that  we  are  to  be-     23 
lieve  in  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  and  love  one  another,  just  as  He 
has  commanded  us  to  do.     The  man  who  obeys  His  commands     24 
continues  in  union  with  God,  and  God  continues  in  union  with 
him  ;  and  through  His  Spirit  which  He  has  given  us  we  can 
know  that  He  continues  in  union  with  us. 


The  Conflict   between  Truth  and  Falsehood, 

.    .    ^         Dear  friends,  do  not  believe  every  spirit,  but 

•Discriminate  ,  ...  ,      ,  , 

between  true   put  the  spirits  to  the  test  to  see  whether  they  are 

T^eachfng/  ^^°™  ^^^  5  ^^^  many  false  teachers  have  gone 
out  into  the  world.  The  test  by  which  you  may 
recognize  the  Spirit  of  God  is  that  every  spirit  which  acknow- 
ledges that  Jesus  Christ  has  come  as  man  is  from  God,  and 
that  no  spirit  is  from  God  which  does  not  acknowledge  this 
about  Jesus.  Such  is  the  spirit  of  the  anti-Christ  ;  of  whose 
coming  you  have  heard,  and  it  is  already  in  the  world. 

As    for    you,    dear    children,    you    are    God's 

deiiv^ers^us      children,    and   have   successfully   resisted    them ; 

from^faise      for  greater  is  He  who  is  in  you  than  he  who  is 

in  the  world.     They  are  the  world's  children,  and 

so  their  language  is  that  of  the  world,  and  the  world  listens  to 

them.     We  are  God's  children.     The  man  who  is  beginning  to 

know  God  listens  to  us,  but  he  who  is  not  a  child  of  God  does 

19.  Consciences]  Lit.  '  heart,'  each  individual  dealing  with  his  own  heart. 
Satis/}']  Lit.  '  persuade  ;'  reasoning  wiih  our  self-convicted  hearts,  we  satisfy  them 
that,  although  we  have  forgotten  many  of  our  sins,  that  will  not  cancel  nor  even 
limit  the  wonderful  assurance  that  "the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanses  us  from  all  sin" 
(i.  7).  The  omniscient  One,  all  merciful  and  ever  faithful,  will  remember — aiid 
remember  to  forget— every  one  of  them  (Isa.  xliii.  25  ;  Jer.  xxxi.  34). 

23.  Beliive  &^c.]  "  Equivalent  to  '  believe  as  true  the  message  which  the  name 
conveys'"  (Westcottl. 

3.  Have  heard]  2  Thess.  ii.  3.     Cp.  Introduction,  p.  606,  and  i  John  ii-  18,  n. 

4.  Them]  The  false  teachers. 


I.    JOHN   IV.  613 

not  listen  to  us.     By  this  test  we  can  distinguish  the  Spirit  of 
truth  from  the  spirit  of  error. 

The  Duty  of  brotherly  Love. 

There  Is  no         ^^^^  friends,  let  us  love  one  another  ;  for  love     7 
divine  Sonship  has  its  origin  in  God,  and  every  one  who   loves 
bro'th^HyL^e.  ^^^  become  a  child  of  God  and  is  beginning  to 

know  God.    He  who  is  destitute  of  love  has  never     8 
had  any  knowledge  of  God  ;  because  God  is  love.     God's  love     9 
for  us  has  been  manifested  in  that  He  has  sent  His  only  Son 
into  the  world  so  that  we  may  have  Life  through  Him.     This  is     10 
love  indeed — we  did  not  love  God,  but  He  loved  us  and  sent 
His  Son  to  be  an  atoning  sacrifice  for  our  sins. 

Dear  friends,  if  God  has  so  loved  us,  we  also  11 
ir'i^JJJ^ssibie^  ought  to  love  one  another.  No  one  has  ever  yet  12 
.  ^Pf**  \^?"^     seen  God.     If  we  love  one  another,  God  continues 

brotnerlyLove.  ...  ,  ' 

m  union  with  us,  and  His  love  in  all  its  perfection 

is  in  our  hearts.      We    can   know  that  we  are  continuing  in     13 
union  with   Him  and  that   He  is  continuing  in   union   with  us, 
by  the  fact  that  He  has  given  us  a  portion  of  His  Spirit.     And     14 
we  have  seen  and  bear  witness  that  the  Father  has  sent  the 
Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world.     Whoever  acknowledges     15 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God — God  continues  in  union  with  him, 
and  he  continues  in  union  with  God.      And,  as  for  us,  we  know     16 
the  love  which  God  has  for  us,  and  we  confide  in  it. 

God's  great  ^°^  ^^  ^°^^'  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  continues  to  love 
Love  inspires  continues  in  union  with  God,  and  God  continues 
"fidenceand"    in  union  with  him.     Our  love   will  be  manifested     17 

Love.  jn  all  its  perfection  by  our  having  complete  con- 

fidence on  the  day  of  the  Judgement  ;  because  just  what  He 
is,  we  also  are  in  the  world.     Love  has  in  it  no  element  of     18 
fear ;  but  perfect  love  drives  away  fear,  because  fear  involves 
pain,  and  if  a    man  gives    way  to  fear,   there    is    something 
imperfect  in  his  love.     We    love    because  God  first  loved  us.     19 
If  any  one  says  that  he  loves  God,  while  he  hates  his  fellow     20 

9.  Has  been  jnani/ested  .  .  has  seni]  Of  these  two  English  perfects,  the  latter  is 
a  perfect  in  the  Greek  also,  indicating  a  permanent  result.  See  Aorisi  vii.  7.  Only] 
Cp.  John  i.  14,  n. 

17.  IVhat  He  is]  In  Heaven,  dwelling  in  an  atmosphere  of  peaceful,  perfect  love  ; 
so  on  earih  are  we  in  our  de-ree. 

18.  Perfect  love  dj'c.]  ''  It  is  equally  true  that  '  Blessed  is  he  that  feareth  alway,' 
and  that  'Perfect  love  casteth  out  fear.'  Different  kinds  of  fear  are  meant" 
(Scott). 

20.     Cannot]  v.l.  '  how  can  he.' 


6 14  I.   JOHN    IV. -V. 

man,  he  is  a  liar  ;  for  he  who  does  not  love  his  fellow  man 
whom  he  has  seen,  cannot  love  God   whom  he  has  not  seen. 
And  the  command  which  we  have  from  Him  is  that  he  who     21 
loves  God  must  love  his  fellow   man  also. 
„       „      ^         Every  one  who  believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ     i   f 

Sure  Proofs      .  /,j     r  ^    j  j  i,      1  .1,  '' 

of  divine  Son-  IS  a  child  of  God  ;  and  everyone  who  loves  the 
ship^fbiiow     p^^j^g^  jQ^^g  ^jg^  j^.^^  ^y^Q  -3  ^^^  Father's  child. 

The  fact  that  we  love  God  Himself,  and  obey  His     2 
commands,  is  a  proof  that  we  love  God's  children.     Love  for     3 
God  means  obedience  to  His  conunands  ;  and  His  commands 
are  not  irksome.     For  every  child  of  God  overcomes  the  world  ;     4 
and  the  victorious  principle  which  has  overcome  the  world  is 
our  faith.     Who  but  the  man  that  believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Son     5 
of  God  overcomes  the  world  ? 
^  _,,    ,,  Jesus  Christ  is  He  who  came  with  water  and    6 

God  s  three- 
fold  Testimony  blood  ;    not  with  the    water    only,  but   with  the 

ofVter^ai  Life   water  and  with  the  blood.     And  it  is  the  Spirit 

in  Christ.       which  gives  testimony — because  the  Spirit  is  the 

Truth.      For  there  are  three  that  give  testimony — the  Spirit,  7,  8 

the  water,  and  the  blood  ;  and  there  is  complete  agreement 

between  these  three.     If  we  accept  the  testimony  of  men,  God's     9 

testimony  is  greater  :  for  God's  testimony  consists  of  the  things 

which  He  has  testified  about  His  Son.     He  who  believes  in  the     10 

Son  of  God  has  the  testimony  in  his  own  heart :  he  who  does 

not  believe  God  has  made  Him  a  liar,  in  that  he  has  refused 

to  accept  the  testimony  which  God  has  given  about  His   Son. 

And  that  testimony  is  to  the  effect  that  God  has  given  us   the     1 1 


I.  Jesus  is  the  CluisfS  The  Cerinthians  denied  the  identity  of  Jesus  with  the 
Messiah.  The  former,  they  said,  was  a  man  on  whom  the  latter  as  a  Power  of  God 
descended.     Is  a  child  of  God\  Lit.  '  has  been  begotten  by  God.' 

4.  Every  child]  Lit.   '  Everything  that  has  been  born  (or  begotten).' 

6.  With  water]  This  '  with  '  is  here  apparently  a  circumstantial  use  of  the  pre- 
position {dia\,  although  most  commonly,  when  followed  by  a  genitive,  it  is  our 
'through.'  When  it  means  'with'  it  seems  to  indicate  some  circumstance  or  ex- 
perience through  which  the  subject  of  the  sentence  is  passing.  Cp.  '  with 
patience,'  Heb.  xii.  i  ;  'with  offence,'  Rom.  xiv.  20;  'with  many  witnesses,' 
2  Tim.  ii.  2  ;  '  with  letter  and  circumcision,'  Rom.  ii.  27  ;  and  in  the  classical 
writers,  '  with  caution,' Thuc.  i.  17;  '  with  pangs,' Eur.  Fhoen.  355. 

With  the  water  .  .  with  the  water  only  .  .  7iiith  the  blood]  This  '  with '  is 
literally  'in,'  but  in  a  large  number  of  cases  this  Greek  preposition  {en)  conveys  the 
same  circumstantial  sense  as  the  other  one  (^z'/a)  just  noticed,  and  again  'ivith'  is 
the  most  suitable  English.  With  the  7vater  and  with  the  blood]  Alford  thinks  the 
article  here  is  inserted  to  give  solemnitj'.  Surely  it  is  used  rather  as  referring  to 
the  definite  incident  concerning  water  and  blood  which  must  have  been  familiarly 
known  to  the  readers  of  John's  Gospel,  and  to  all  who  received  oral  instruction  from 
this  apostle.  Cp.  John  xix.  34,  n.  Because  dr^c]  "Just  as  Christ  is  the  'JYuth 
(John  xiv.  6),  so  the  Spirit  sent  in  Christ's  name  is  the  Truth"   (Westcott). 

7,  8.  Three  that  give  testimony  .  .  these  three]  These  words  are  masculine  in  the 
Greek,  although  the  nouns  themselves— spirit,  water,  blood — are  all  neuter. 


I.    JOHN    V.  615 

Life  of  the  aj^^es,  and  tliat   this    Life   is  in   His  Son.     He  wlio     12 
has  the  Son   has  the    Life  :  he  who  has  not  the  Son  has  not 
the  Life. 

Conclusion, 

The  Certainty        I  write  all  this  to  you  in  order  that  you  who     13 
°Vraver^for^^'  Relieve  in  the  Son  of  God  may  know  for  certain 
ourselves  and    that  you  already  have  the  Life  of  the  ages.     And     14 

we   have  an   assured    confidence    that  whenever 
we    ask  anything  in    accordance  with  His  will,  He  listens  to 
us  ;  and  since  we  know  that  He  listens  to  us,  then  whatever     15 
we  ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the  things  which  we  have  asked 
from  Him.     If  any  one  sees  a  fellow   man  committing  a  sin     16 
which  is  not  unto  death,  he  shall  ask  and  God  shall  give  him 
life — for  those  who  do  not  sin   unto  death.     There  is  such  a 
thing  as  sin  unto  death  :    for  that   I   do    not   bid   him   make 
request.      Any  kind  of   wrongdoing    is  sin;    but   there  is  sin     17 
which  is  not  unto  death. 

_.  We  know  that  no  one  who  is  a  child  of  God     i8 

Facts  of  the  lives  in  sin,  but  He  who  is  God's  Child  keeps  him, 
ChristianFaith.  ^,^^  ^^^   ^^-^^  ^^^  cannot  touch  him.     We  know     19 

that  we  are  children  of  God,  and  that  the  whole  world  lies  in 
the  power  of  the  Evil  one.  And  we  know  that  the  Son  of  20 
God  has  come,  and  has  given  us  understanding  so  that  we 
know  the  true  One,  and  are  in  union  with  the  true  One — that 
is,  we  are  in  union  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  the  true 
God  and  the  Life  of  the  ages. 

Dear  children,  guard  yourselves  from  idols.  21 

18.  Bu^  He  <5r=c.]  v.l    '  but  he  who  has  been  begotten  by  God  keeps  himself.' 

19.  In  the  power  oJ\  Lit.  '  in.'  'i'he  devil  had  liitherto  been  'the  ruler  of  this 
world '  (Luke -iv.  6;  John  xii.  31  ;  xiv.  30;  xvi.  11),  a  strange  power  over  men's 
bodies  and  souls  being  permitted  him  (Job  i.  12  ;  Luke  xiii.  16  ;  Acts  x.  38  ;  r  Cor. 
xii.  7  ;  Heb.  ii.  14).  But  the  time  was  now  close  at  hand  when  he  would  he  de- 
throned, and  Christ's  imseen,  heavenly  kingship  established  over  the  eanli  (Rom. 
xvi.  20  ;  Rev.  xx.  2,  3).  Or  instead  of  '  in  the  power  of  we  may  translate  by  '  in.' 
The  thought  of  truly  consecrated  believers  being  'in'  Christ  runs  through  the 
N.T.  Letters.  The  Saviour  Himself  had  spoken  of  all  such  as  being  branches  '  in' 
Him  the  Living  Vine.  Paul  writes  of  there  being  "  now  no  condemnation  to  those 
who  are  in  Christ  Jesus  ;"  of  his  knowledge  and  strong  conviction  'in  the  Lord 
Jesus  "  (Rom.  xiv.  14)  ;  of  the  apostles  and  others  as  "labouring  in  the  Lord,"  in 
His  wisdom,  power,  peace,  joy  ;  of  their  converts  as  being  their  "work  in  the 
Lord."  The  whole  race  of  man  is  '  in  Adam  '  as  their  federal  head,  and  all  believers 
are  '  in  Christ.'  He  is  the  atmosphere  they  breathe,  and  the  sunshine  that  illumines 
their  path.  On  the  other  hand  as  to  'the  world,'  the  unbelievers,  those  who  reject 
Christ— their  vine,  their  federal  head,  the  air  they  breathe,  the  light  iliat  illumines 
their  path,  is  Satan.  '  In  the  Evil  one  '  they  are  and  repose,  being  well  content, 
humbly  and  torpidly  submissive  to  his  rule  ! 


JOHN'S    SECOND    LETTER 


Although  we  are  unable  to  fix  the  exact  date  of  this  Letter 
or  the  place  at  which  it  was  written,  there  is  sufficient  evidence, 
both  external  and  internal,  to  warrant  our  acceptance  of  it  as  a 
genuine  work  of  the  apostle  John,  in  the  closing  years  of  his 
life.  Some  have  thought  that  the  "  lady  "  addressed  stands  for 
an  unknown  church,  but  upon  careful  consideration  it  appears 
more  reasonable  and  natural  to  regard  the  Letter  as  having 
been  a  private  one.  It  is  impossible  to  discover  the  name  of 
the  individual  to  whom  it  was  sent,  but  both  this  and  the 
following  Letter  may  be  taken  as  "precious  specimens  of  the 
private  correspondence  of  the  beloved  apostle  shortly  before 
the  end  of  his  long  life." 


6i8 


JOHN'S  SECOND  LETTER 

The  Elder  to  the  elect  lady  and  her  children,     i 

Truly  I   love  you  all,  and  not  I  alone,  but  also  all 

who  know  the  truth,  for  the  sake  of  the  truth  which  is  continu-     2 

ally  in  our  hearts   and  will  be  with  us  for  ever.      Grace,  mercy     3 

and  peace  will  be  with  us  from  God  the  Father,  and  from  Jesus 

Christ  the  Son  of  the  Father,  in  truth  and  love. 

«  .  It  is  an  intense  joy  to  me  to  have  found  some  of    4 

Commend-  ,  .,  ,  ...  „,     .     .         ,.  .         ,      t 

ation  and      your  children  livmg  true  Christian  lives,  in  obedi- 
arnmg.       ence  to  the  command  which  we  have  received  from 
theFather.    Andnow,dearlady,I  pray  you — writing  to  you,  as  I  do,     5 
not  a  new  command,  but  the  one  which  we  have  had  from  the  very 
beginning — let  us   love  one  another.     The  love  of  which  I  am     6 
speaking  consists  in  our  living  in  obedience  to  God's  commands. 
God's  command  is  that  you  should  live  in  obedience  to  what  you 
all  heard  from  the  very  beginning.      For   many  deceivers  have     7 
gone  out  into  the  world — men  who  do  not  acknowledge  Jesus  as 
Christ  who  has  come   in  human  nature.     Such  a  one  is  '  the 
deceiver'  and  '  the  anti-Christ.' 

_.      ..     .     ^       Keep  guard  over  yourselves,  so  that  you  may  not     8 
The  Need   of  ,  ,  ,         r  ,  ^       ^      ■,     / 

simple  Fidelity  lose  the  results  of  your  good  deeds,  but  may  receive 

to  Christ.      ^^^^  ^  f^Y\  reward.     No  one  has  God,  who  instead     9 
of  remaining  true  to  the  teaching  of  Christ,  presses  on  in  ad- 
vance :    but  he  who  remains  true  to  that  teaching  has  both  the 

1.  To  tJie  elect  lady\  Whether  this  was  an  individual  or  a  church  has  been  much 
debated.     Some  render  'to  the  lady  Electa; '  others  again  'to  the  elect  Kyria.' 

2.  Forever]  Lit.  '  to  the  age.' 

4.  It  is]  Or  perhaps  '  It  was.'  See  Alford.  Westcott  gives  both  "  I  rejoice  '  and 
"  I  reJMJced."  Some]  If  it  was  really  a  chyrch  that  the  apostle  was  addressing,  it  is 
remarkable  that  he  should  have  been  so  exceedingly  glad  to  find  'some  '  of  its  mem- 
bers living  up  to  the  truth  they  had  been  taught. 

5.  We  have  had]  Cp.  i  John  ii.  7. 

7.  Such  a  one  is&r'c.]  See  i  John  ii.  22,  n. 

9.  No  one  ^t'c]  However  he  may  pique  himself  on  his  proficiency  in  the  '  advanced 
thought '  of  the  day,  God  is  not  his.  "  There  is  an  advance  which  is  not  progress, 
but  apostasy"  (Plummer). 

9,  10.  Tetiching]  A  better  word  than  'doctrine/  which  would  refer  to  one  special 
tenet.  Probably  the  inspired  writer  was  speaking  of  Christian  truth  as  a  whole,  as 
taught  by  Jesus  and  His  apobiles. 

619 


620  II.   JOHN 

Father  and  the  Son.     If  any  one  who  comes  to  you  does  not     lo 
bring  this  teaching,  do  not  receive  him  under  your  roof  nor  bid 
him  farewell.       He  who  bids  him  farewell  is  a  sharer  in  his  evil     ii 
deeds. 

I  have  a  great  deal  to  say  to  you  all,  but  will     12 

Conclusion.  ^         •.      •.       -.u  j   •     1  \r    ^  r  i, 

not  write  it  with  pen  and  ink.  Yet  I  hope  to  come 
to  see  you  and  speak  face  to  face,  so  that  your  happiness  may  be 
complete. 

The  children  of  your  elect  sister  send  greetings  to  you.  13 

10.  Bid  him  /areivcll\  Or  perhaps  '  give  him  welcome.'     So  in  verse  ii. 


JOHN'S    THIRD   LETTER 


There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  Letter  was  addressed  to  an 
individual  person.  We  cannot  affix  to  it  a  definite  date,  or 
place,  but  the  most  natural  supposition — which  there  is  nothing 
to  contradict — is  that  it  came  from  the  apostle  at  Ephesus, 
about  the  same  time  as  the  preceding  Letter.  The  special 
mention  of  Diotrephes  and  his  behaviour,  points  indeed  to  a 
somewhat  advanced  development  in  the  church  to  which  Gaius 
belonged,  but  such  characters  are  all  too  possible  at  any 
juncture  to  afford  in  this  instance  any  guarantee  of  a  later  date. 
In  this,  as  in  the  preceding  Letters,  the  writer's  great  concern 
is  that  transcendental  truth  should  be  embodied  in  practical 
holiness. 


6?? 


JOHN'S  THIRD  LETTER 

^      ..  .       The   Elder   to   his    dear   friend    Gaius.     Truly     i 

Greeting  and  ^ 

Commend-       I  love  you. 

**'°"'  My  dear    friend,    I    pray  that  you  may  in    all     2 

respects  prosper  and  enjoy  good  health,  just  as  your  soul  already 

prospers.     For  it  is  an  intense  joy  to  me  when  brethren  come     3 

and  bear  witness  to  your  fideUty  to  the  truth — that  you  live  in 

obedience  to  the  truth.     I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  hear  that    4 

my  children  are  living  in  obedience  to  the  truth. 

My  dear  friend,  you  are  acting  faithfully  in  all  your  behaviour     5 

towards  the  brethren,  even  when  they  are  strangers  to  you. 

They  have  testified,  in  the  presence  of  the  church,  to  your  love  ;     6 

and  you  will  do  well  to  help  them  on  their  journey  in  a  manner 

worthy  of  your  fellowship  with  God.      For  it  is  for  Christ  that     7 

they  have  gone  forth,  accepting  nothing  from  the  Gentiles.     It     8 

is  therefore  our  duty  to  show  hospitality  to  such  men,  so  that  we 

may  be  fellow  workers  in  promoting  the  truth. 

I  wrote  to  the  church,  but  Diotrephes,  who  loves     9 
Diotrephes.  ,  ,        .  .       '  ,  r  . 

to   have   the  first  place  among  them,    refuses  to 

listen  to  us.      For  this  reason,  if  I  come,  I  shall  not  forget  his     ic 

conduct,  nor  his  idle  and  mischievous  talk  against  us.      And  he 

does  not  stop  there  :  he  not  only  will  not  receive  the  brethren, 

but  those  who  desire  to  do  this  he  hinders,  and  excludes  them 

from  the  church. 

My  dear  friend,  do  not  follow  wrong  examples,  but  right  ones,     i  ] 
He  who  does  what  is  right  is  a  child  of  God  :  he  who  does  what 
is  wrong  has  not  seen  God. 

The  character  of  Demetrius  has  the  approval  of     12 

erne  nus.     ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^  \x\x\S\  itself.      We  also  express 

3.  It  is  .  .  covie  .  .  bear\  Or  'it was  .  .  came  .  .  bore.'     Cp.  2  John  4,  n. 

4.  Joy]  v.L.  'grace,'  i.e.  favour  from  God.  Living  &'c.\  Lit.  'walking  in  the 
truth.' 

6.  In  a  manner  worthy  of  your  fellowship  with  God]  Lit.  '  worthi'y  of  God  '  ;  i.e. 
in  the  way  demanded  by,  and  answering  to  His  wisdom,  His  rich  bounty,  His 
tenderness.  How  infinitely  impossible  (if  we  may  venture  such  an  expression)  of 
obedience  is  such  an  injunction  !  Yet  that  was  to  be  the  ambition  of  Gaius,  whether 
Diotrephes  and  his  partisans  approved  or  not. 

9.  /  wrote]  Or  '  I  wrote  a  few  lines.'     Lit.  '  I  wrote  something.' 

623 


624  III.    JOHN 

our  approval  of  it,  and  you  know  that  we  only  give  our  approval 

to  that  which  is  true. 

I  have  a  srreat  deal  to  say  to  you,  but  I  do  not     13 
Conclusion.        .,  ^  ..        .        ./  ,•,         t,t 

Wish  to  go  on  writing  it  with  pen  and  ink.     But  1     14 

hope  to  see  you  very  soon,  and  then  we   will   speak  face  to 

face. 

Peace  be  with  you.    Our  friends  send  greetings  to  you.  Greet      15 

our  friends  individually. 


JUDE'S  LETTER 


ss 


Of  the  time  and  place  of  the  composition  of  this  Letter  we 
know  nothing  beyond  what  may  be  inferred  from  its  contents. 
These  seem  to  show  that  it  was  written  in  Palestine,  and  the 
absence  of  any  reference  to  so  striking  an  event  as  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  points  to  a  date  earlier  than  70  A.D.  It  has, 
however,  been  thought  that  such  a  rebuke  of  error  and 
licentiousness  as  that  which  this  Letter  contains  can  only  apply 
to  the  forms  of  Gnosticism  known  to  have  existed  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  second  century.  But  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  the  author  was  the  man  he  asserts  he  was,  the 
brother  of  James,  the  head  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem.  He 
was,  therefore,  not  an  apostle  but  one  of  the  Lord's  brethren. 
The  abiding  value  of  the  Letter  consists  in  its  severe  condem- 
nation of  merely  professional  Christianity,  and  its  remarkably 
beautiful  doxology. 


C26 


JUDE'S  LETTER. 

Greeting.  J^ide,   a    bondservant   of    Jesus   Christ    and   a 

brother  of  James  : 
To  those  who  are  in  God  the  Father,  infolded  in  His  love,  and 
kept  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  called.     May  mercy,  peace  and  love 
be  abundantly  granted  to  you. 

An  Encourage-      Dear  friends,  since  I  am  eager  to  begin  a  letter 
'defend*       ^°  ^^^  °^  ^^^  subject  of  our  common  salvation,  I 
Christian       find  myself  constrained  to  write  and  cheer  you  on 
to  the  vigorous  defence  of  the  faith  delivered  once 
for  all  to  God's  people.     For  certain  persons  have  crept  in  un- 
noticed— men  spoken  of  in  ancient  writings  as  pre-destined  to 
this  condemnation — ungodly  men,  who  pervert  the  grace  of  our 
God  into  an  excuse  for  immorahty,  and  disown  Jesus  Christ, 
our  only  Sovereign  and  Lord. 

Ancient  ^    desire   to  remind   you  —although    the    whole 

Examples  of  matter  is  already  familiar  to  you — that  the  Lord 
"^for  '  saved  a  people  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  but  after- 
Disobedience,  wards  destroyed  those  who  had  no  faith.  And 
angels — those  who  did  not  keep  the  position  originally  assigned 
to  them,  but  deserted  their  own  proper  abode — He  reserves  in 
everlasting  bonds,  in  darkness,  in  preparation  for  the  judgement 
of  the   great   day.     So   also  Sodom  and  Gomorrah — and   the 

I.  Jude\  Some  translators  prefer  the  Greek  form  '  Judas,'  here,  and  yet  in  all 
similar  cases  they  adopt  the  English  names,  John,  Peter,    Matthew.     A  brother  of 
Jaines\  Cp.  Matt.  xiii.  55.     In  God  the  Father']  Cp.  i.  John  v.  20.     Infolded  in  His  ' 
love,  and  kept]  Alford  s  note   "  perfect  participles,  giving  the  signification  '  from  of 
old  and  still '  "  very  nearly  hits  the  mark.     See  Aorist  vii. 

3.  To  begin  a  letter]  Lit.  '  to  write,'  present  infinitive.  See  Aorist  iii.  8.  To 
write]  Aorist  infinitive,  indicating  the  act  as  a  whole,  but  harJly  so  full  of  significance 
as  Wordsworth's  words  imply,  when  he  speaks  of  "a special  act  for  a  particular  pur- 
pose, on  an  urgent  occasion."  Our  cofnmon  salvation]  "That  way  to  Salvation  in 
which  all  must  go  that  will  be  saved,  God's  Highway  to  Heaven,  Christ  and  His 
Gospel "  (Baxter). 

4.  Certain  persons]  Perhaps  Nicolaitans  and  the  disciples  of  Simon  Magus. 

5.  Afterguards]  Lit.  '  the  second  time.'  Had  no  faith]  Or  'had  had  no  faith.'  But 
see  Goodwin's  Moods  and  Tenses.  §  148.     Cp.  1  Cor.  x.  5. 

6.  £>id  not  keep  .  .  deserted]  Or  '  had  not  kept  .  .  had  deserted  ; '  but  see  Good- 
win. Reserves]  The  Greek  perfect,  '  He  has  reserved,'  and  the  imprisonment  con« 
tinues.    See  Aorist  vii.  3,  4. 

627 


628  JUDE 

neighbouring  towns  in  the  same  manner — having  been  guilty  of 
gross  fornication  and  having  gone  astray  in  pursuit  of  unnatural 
vice,  are  now  before  us  as  a  specimen  of  the  fire  of  the  ages  in 
the  punishment  which  they  are  undergoing.  Yet  in  just  the  8 
same  way  these  dreamers  also  pollute  the  body,  while  they  set 
authority  at  naught  and  speak  evil  of  dignities. 

False  ^^^    Michael  the   archangel,  when    contending     9 

Teachers,  with  the  devil  and  arguing  with  him  about  the  body 
Insolence  and  of  Moses,  did  not  dare  to  pronounce  judgement 
Greed.  qj^  j^jjj-^  jj^  abusive  terms,  but  simply  said,  "  The 
Lord  rebuke  you."  Yet  these  men  are  abusive  in  matters  of  10 
which  they  know  nothing,  and  in  things  which,  like  the  brutes, 
they  understand  instinctively— in  all  these  they  corrupt  them- 
selves. Alas  for  them  ;  for  they  have  followed  in  the  steps  of  1 1 
Cain  ;  for  the  sake  of  gain  they  have  rushed  on  headlong  in  the 
evil  ways  of  Balaam  ;  and  have  perished  in  rebellion  like  that  of 
Korah  ! 

^.    .       ,^  ,         These  men — sunken  rocks  ! — are  those  who  share     12 
Their  selfish,      ,  ,  -  ,  .  •        1    , 

useless,  shame- the  pleasure  of  your  Jove-feasts,  unrestramed  by 
fui  Lives.  £g^j.  ^^,]^iig  caring  only  for  themselves  ;  clouds 
without  water,  driven  away  by  the  winds  ;  trees  that  cast  their 
fruit,  barren,  doubly  dead,  uprooted  ;  wild  waves  of  the  sea,  13 
foaming  out  their  own  shame  ;  wandering  stars,  for  whom  is 
reserved  dense  darkness  of  age-long  duration. 

It  was  also  about  these  that  Enoch,  who  belonged     14 
"^  of  Enoch.'°"  to  the  seventh  generation  from  Adam,  prophesied, 
saying,  '•  The  Lord  has  come,  attended  by  myriads  of 
His  people,  to  execute  judgement  upon  all,  and  to  convict  all  the     15 
ungodly  of  all  the  ungodly  deeds  which  in  their  ungodliness  they 
have  committed,  and  of  all  the  hard  words  which  they,  ungodly 
sinners  as  they  are,  have  spoken  against  Him."    These  men  are     16 
murmurers,  ever  bemoaning  their  lot.    Their  lives  are  guided  by 
.their  evil  passions,  and  their  mouths  are  full  of  big,  boastful 

8.  Vet]  Although  these  examples  were  set  forth  as  warnings.  T/tese  &'c.]  "  These 
Hereticks,  dreaming  of  high  wisdom"  (Baxter).  Pollute  &'c.\  Both  practicing  and 
teaching  odious  vice. 

10.  They  corrupt  themselves^  Or  'they  are  perishing.' 

11.  Rebellion]  Or  '  defiance  of  authority.'  Lit.  '  contradiction.'  Korah]  '  '  Some  of 
the  Gnostics  professed  even  to  regard  Korah  with  admiration  "  (Wordsworth).  The 
past  tenses  in  thi-  verseare  best  understood  as  '  proleptic'     Cp.  Rom.  viii.  30,  n. 

13.  Foaming  out  ct^c]  In  their  abuse  of  others. 

14.  //oj  ccw^J  Or  '  came.'  Proleptic.     Cp.  verse  11. 

16.  Big-,  boastful  words]  "As  men  that  were  more  knowing  than  all  others  in 
Philosophical  Fancies,  and  the  Orders  of  Angels,  and  Ages,  and  Things  above,  and 
of  Christian  Liberty"  (Baxter).  IVkile  &^c.]  Or  •  and  they  are  great  admiiers  of  those 
who  give  them  gif^b.'     Individual  men]  lAi.  '  persons.'     See  Luke  xx.  21,  n. 


JUDE  629 

words,  while  they  treat  individual  men  with  admiring  reverence 
for  the  sake  of  the  advantage  they  can  gain. 

But  as  for  you,  my  dearly-loved  friends,  remember     17 
offhelftpostles.  ^^^  woids  that  before  now  were  spoken  by  the 

apostles  of  onr  Lord  Jesus  Christ— how  they  de-     18 
Glared  to  you,  "  In  the  last  times  there  shall  be  scoffers,  obeying 
only  their  own  ungodly  passions."      These  are  they  who  cause     19 
divisions.     They  are  men  of  the  world,  wholly  unspiritual. 
The  Readers'        ^^^  ^'°^'  "^^  dearly-loved  friends,  building  your-     20 
Duties  to  them-  selves  up  on  the  basis  of  your  most  holy  faith  and 
false^feachers.  P^^Y^^S  i^  the  Holy  Spirit,  must  keep  yourselves     21 

safe  in  the  love  of  God,  waiting  for  the  mercy  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  will  result  in  the  Life  of  the  ages. 
Some,  when  they  argue  with  you,  you  must  endeavour  to  con-     22 
vince  ;  others  you  must  try  to  save,  as  brands  plucked  from  the     23 
flames ;  and  on  others  look  with  pity  mingled  with  fear,  while 
you  hate  every  trace  of  their  sin. 

But  to  Him  who  is  able  to  keep  you   safe  from     24 
cribed' to^God.  Stumbling,  and  cause  you  to  stand  in  the  presence 

of  His  glory  free  from  blemish  and  full  of  exultant 
joy — to  the  only  God  our  Saviour — through  Jesus    Christ  our     25 
Lord,  be  glory,  majesty,  might,  and  authority,  as  it  was  before 
all  time,  is  now,  and  shall  be  to  all  the  ages  !     Amen. 

18.  Obeying  &>€.]  Lit.  '  walking  according  to  .  .  .  desires  of  ungodliness.'  See 
2  Pet.  iii.  3. 

19.  Men  of  the  world]  Greek  'psychical,'  for  which  "  we  have  no  English  word  ; 
and  our  biblical  psychology  is,  by  this  defect,  entirely  at  fault  "  (Alford).  See  Heard's 
Tripartite  Nature  0/ Man,  p^.  ^6-go.  H^iich's  Biblical  Greek,  \\\.,  and  Mayor's 
I^a»ies,-pp.  120,  121.  Wholly  utispii-itnalX  Or  perhaps  '  not  having  (the)  Spirit  (of 
God).'     But  see  Alford. 

22.  Endeavour  to  ..  .  try  to]  See  Aorisi  iii.  8.  From  the  flames]  Apparently 
quoted    from   Amos   iv.    ii  ;    Zech.    iii.  2,    LXX.     Cp.    above,  verse  9. 

23.  While  you  hate  &=€.]  "  Perhaps  there  may  be  an  allusion  also  in  '  hating  even 
the  tunic  that  has  been  spotted  by  the  flesh  '  to  the  filthy  garments  which  are  taken 
from  Joshua  as  a  sign  that  his  iniquities  are  taken  away  (Zech.  iii.  4\  and  in  order 
that  he  mav  be  clothed  with  a  new  priestly  tunic  reaching  to  the  feet.  See  Zech.  iii. 
4  in  LXX. •'•  (Wordsworth). 

24.  But]  In  strong  opposition  to  the  evil  tenets  and  practices  of  the  heretical 
teachers  against  whom  this  Letter  was  specially  directed. 


THE    REVELATION   OF   JOHN 


The  Apocalypse  was  probably  written  either  in  67  A.D.  or  in 
96  A.D.  An  oft-quoted  statement  of  Irenaeus  that  it,  or  its 
author — there  is  no  word  inserted  to  indicate  which  of  the  two 
he  meant — "  was  seen"  about  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Domitian, 
is  regarded  by  many  as  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  later  date.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  "  internal  evidence  " — the  evidence,  that  is, 
furnished  by  the  contents  of  the  book  itself — appears  to  others  to 
point  even  more  unmistakably  to  the  earlier  date.  E.g.,  in  xi.  1,2,8, 
the  holy  city  and  the  earthly  temple  are  spoken  of  as  being  still  in 
existence,  and  as  about  to  be  trodden  under  foot  by  the  Gentiles. 
The  language  of  the  book  has  also  an  important  bearing  upon 
the  problem  of  its  date.  Although  other  explanations  have  been 
suggested,  the  many  Hebrew  idioms  that  it  contains  as  com- 
pared with  the  much  purer  Greek  of  the  fourth  Gospel — which 
was  probably  by  the  same  author — seem  to  indicate  that  it  was 
written  long  before  that  Gospel,  at  a  time  when  the  apostle  had 
as  yet  only  an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  language. 
Dr.  Stuart  Russell,  in  his  great  work  The  Parousia,  has  con- 
tended, with  well-nigh  irresistible  cogency,  for  the  beUef  that 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  Judaism  in  70  A.D.  marked  a  stupen- 
dous epoch  in  the  Unseen  world,a  personal — although  unrecorded 
— return  of  the  Saviour  to  the  earth  then  taking  place  (cp.  Acts  vii. 
55  ;  ix.  7  ;  I  Cor.  ix.  i),  accompanied  by  a  spiritual  judgement 
of  bygone  generations,  a  resurrection  from  Hades  to  Heaven  of 
the  faithful  of  past  ages,  and  an  ingathering  of  saints  then  on 
earth  into  the  Father's  house  of  many  mansions  (Matt.  xxiv.  31 ; 
John  xiv.  3  ;  i  Thess.  iv.  7  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  i).  If  this  belief  ever 
obtains  general  acceptance  the  earlier  date  of  the  Apocalypse 
will  also  be  regarded  as  fully  established.  For  it  will  then  be 
seen  that  the  book  describes  beforehand  events  which  took 
place  in  70  A.D.  and  the  years  immediately  preceding,  partly  on 
earth  and  partly  in  the  spiritual  world,  and  is  mainly  concerned 
with  the  downfall  of  the  earthly  Jerusalem  and  the  setting  up 
of  Christ's  heavenly  Kingdom — the  new  Jerusalem.  And  the 
mysterious  symbols  in  which  the  book  abounds  will  be  seen  to 
have  been  a  cipher  of  which  the  first  Christians  held  the  key, 
but  which  effectually  hid  its  meaning  from  their  enemies  and 
persecutors. — Editor. 


6j2 


THE  REVELATION  OF  JOHN 

Introduction, 

The  revelation  given  by  Jesus  Christ,  which 
and  its  VVriter.  ^^^  granted  Him,  that  He  might  make  known 
to  His  servants  certain  events  which  must  shortly 
come  to  pass  :  and  He  sent  His  angel  and  communicated  it  to 
His  servant  John.  This  is  the  John  who  taught  the  truth  con- 
cerning the  Word  of  God  and  the  truth  told  us  by  Jesus  Christ 
— a  faithful  account  of  what  he  had  seen.  Blessed  is  he  who 
reads  and  blessed  are  they  who  listen  to  the  words  of  this 
prophecy  and  lay  to  heart  what  is  written  in  it  ;  for  the  time 
for  its  fulfilment  is  now  close  at  hand. 

_       ,  John  sends  greetings  to  the  seven  churches  in 

Greeting.         ,  •'  r    k    -         ^.ir  i  •. 

the  provmce  of  Asia.     May  grace  be  granted  to 

you,  and  peace,  from  Him  who  is  and  was  and  evermore  will 
be ;  and  from  the  seven  Spirits  which  are  before  His  throne  ; 
and  from  Jesus  Christ,  the  truthful  witness,  the  first  of  the  dead 
to  be  born  to  Life,  and  the  Ruler  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. 

To  Him  who  loves  us  and  has  rid  us  of  our  sins 

^fTrai'se"      ^^'^^  ^^^  *^^^^  blood,  and  has  formed  us   into  a 

Kingdom,  to  be  priests  to   God   His   Father — to 

1.  The  revelation]  The  writer  obviously  expects  that  his  meaning,  so  far  from 
being  obscured  by  the  strange  figures  of  speech  and  symbols  which  he  employs,  will 
be  thereby  illustrated,  enforced,  and  brought  home  to  the  mind,  with  greater  than 
ordinary  power  (Milligan).  Given  by]  Lit.  'of.'  ScfZ'ants]  Lit.  'bondservants.' 
Shortly]  i.e.  soon  after  this  book  was  written.  Cp.  i.  3,  19  ;  xxii.  6,  10.  Sefz/ant] 
Lit.  '  bondservant.' 

2.  The  tr?ith  told  us  by  Jesus  Christ]  Lit  '  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.'  A 
faithful  account  0/ what]  Lit.  'all  that.' 

3.  'Reads]  See  Luke  iv.  16-20  :  Acts  xiii.  15.  Books  were  rare  and  costly  before 
the  invention  of  printing.  The  time  for  its  fulfilment  dr'c.]  Lit.  simply  '  the  time 
is  near  ;'  i.e.  was  near  when  this  book  was  written.     Cp.  i.  i,  19  :  xxii.  6,  ro. 

4.  The  province  of  Asia]  Cp.  Acts  ii.  9,  n.  Evermore  -will  be]  Lit.  '  is  comin,?.' 
The  future  participle  of  the  Greek  verb  '  to  be '  (Homer,  Iliad,  i.  70)  occurs  in  the 
N.f  •  only  in  Luke  xxii.  49.  In  modern  Greek  it  is  obsolete.  The  seven  Spirits] 
God's  own  most  holy  Spirit  "viewed  not  so  much  in  His  individual  personality  as  in 
the  manifoldness  of  His  operation  in  the  church  "  (MilHgan). 

5.  Earth]  Or  'land.'     Rid  us  of  ]  v.l.  '  wa-hed  us  from.' 

6.  Formed  us  into]  v.l.  'made  for  us.'  God  His  Father]  Lit.  'God  and  His 
Father.'  Cp.  Jas.  i.  27.  Or  '  His  God  and  Father.'  Of  the  ages]  v.l.  omits  these 
words. 

633 


634  REVELATION    I. 

Him  be  the  glory  and  the  power  until  the  ages  of  the  ages  ! 
Amen. 

He  is  coming  in  the  clouds,  and  every  eye  will  see  Him,  and     7 
so  will  they  who  pierced  Him  ;  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
will  gaze  on  Him  and  mourn.     Even  so.     Amen. 

"  1  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,"  says  the  Lord  God,  "  He     8 

who  is  and  was  and  evermore  will  be — the  Ruler  of  all." 

I   John,  your  brother,  and  a  sharer  with  you  in     o 
The  Coming       ,  ,  yr-         1  ■  j         .•  j 

of  the         the  sorrows  and  Kmgship  and  patient  endurance 

Message.      ^^  Jesus,  found  myself  in  the  island  of  Patmos,  on 

account  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  truth  told  us  by  Jesus. 

In  the  Spirit  I  found  myself  present  on  the  day  of  the  Lord,     10 

and  I  heard  behind  me  a  loud  voice  which  resembled  the  blast 

of  a  trumpet.     It  said,  "Write  forthwith  in  a  roll  an  account  of     11 

what  you  see,  and  send  it  to  the  seven  churches— to  Ephesus, 

Smyrna,    Pergamum,    Thyateira,    Sardis,    Philadelpheia,    and 

Laodicaea," 

.....        ^         I  turned  to  see  who  it  was  that  was  speaking     12 

A  Vision  of  J      ,  T  ij         1  1 

the  glorified    to  me  ;  and  then  I  saw  seven  golden  lampstands, 
Re  eemer.     ^^^  j^  ^-^^  centre  of  the  lampstands  some  One     13 
resembling  the  Son  of  Man,  clothed  in  a  robe  which  reached  to 
His  feet,  and  with  a  belt  of  gold  across  His  breast.     His  head     14 
and  His  hair  were  white,  like  white  wool — as  white  as  snow  ; 
and   His  eyes  resembled  a  flame  of  fire.     His  feet  were  like     15 
silver-bronze,  when  it  is  white-hot  in  a  furnace  ;  and  His  voice 
resembled  the  sound  of  many  waters.     In  His  right  hand  He     16 
held    seven    stars,    and   a   sharp,    two-edged   sword   was   seen 

7.  f/e  is  coming]  Lit.  'See!  He  is  coming.'  Every  eye]  Apparently  cnn  only 
refer  to  persons  alive  on  the  earth  at  the  time.  None  of  the  dead  can  bce  the  Re- 
deemer descending  from  Heaven,  for  in  accordance  witli  the  express  leaching  of 
I  'I'hess.  iv.  16,  the  resurrection  takes  place  after  He  has  come.  So  loill  they  who 
pierced  Hivi\  An  indication  that  the  seer  expected  the  Saviour  to  return  in  the  life- 
time of  those  who  crucified  Him.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  64  ;  John  i.  51.  Nations  0/  the 
earth]  Or  '  tribes  of  the  land.'     Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  30. 

8.  Evermore  will  be]  Lit.  'is  coming.'     Cp.  verse  4,  n. 

10.  The  day  of  the  Lo?-d\  i.e.  either  the  lime  of  the  Redeemer's  Parousia  or  return 
to  the  earth,  or  else  the  interval  that  was  to  elapse  before  the  coming  of  that  time.  In 
the  Teaching  of  the  Apostles,  xiv.,  we  read,  "  Every  Lord's  [day]  of  the  Lord  come 
together  and  break  bread."  Otherwise  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Sunday 
had  yet  received  its  present  name  of  "  the  Lord's  day." 

IT.  A  roll]  Of  papyrus  or  parchment.  It  could  be  conveniently  sent  on  from 
Patmos  to  the  seven  towns  in  the  order  prescribed. 

12.  tVho  .  .  that]  Lit.  '  the  voice  which.'  Then]  Lit.  '  having  turned.'  Ser'cn]  In 
the  earthly  temple  there  was  only  one  lampstand  (Exod.  xxv.  31  ;  Heb.  ix    2). 

15.  White-hot]  The  whiteness  is  expressed  by  the  second  half  of  the  Greek  word 
'chalcolibanus.'  The  participle  in  the  Greek  here  has  the  full  force  of  the  perfect 
tense.  Contrast  tlie  present  participle  p.issive  of  the  same  verb  in  the  Martyrdom  of 
Polycarp,  xv.  The  case  here  is  the  genitive  absolute,  v.l.  'as  if  they  'the  feet) 
were  glowing  in  a  furnace.' 

16.  IVas  seen  coming  from]  Lit.  simply  '  coming  out  of.' 


REVELATION    I.-II.  635 

coming  from  His  mouih  ;  and  His  glance  resembled  the   sun 
when  it  is  shining  with  its  full  strength. 

When  I  saw  Him,  I  fell  at  His  feet  as  if  I  were     17 

Words    of  111  TT  1      •    1      T-r-  •      ,  ,  , 

Encourage-     dead  ;  but   He  laid  His  right  hand  upon  me  and 
Tnd  Hop?;     ^^^^'  "  Do  "ot  be  afraid  :  I  am  the  First  and  the 

Last,  and  the  ever-living  One.     I  died  ;  but  I  am     18 
now  alive  until  the  ages  of  the  ages,  and  I  have  the  keys  of 
the  gates  of  Death  and  of  Hades  !     Write  down  therefore  the     19 
things  you  have  just  seen,  and  those  which  are  now  taking  place, 
and   those  which  are  soon   to  follow  :   the  secret  meaning  of    20 
the  seven  stars  which  you  have  seen  in  My  right  hand,  and  of 
the  seven  lampstands  of  gold.  The  seven  stars  are  the  ministers 
of  the  seven  churches,  and  the  seven  lampstands  are  the  seven 
churches. 

The  Letters  to  the  seven  Churches, 

"  To  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Ephesus  write     i  f 

The  Letter  to   as  follows  :  ^ 

Ephesus. 

This  is  what  He  who  holds  the  seven  stars  in 
the  grasp  of  His  right  hand  says — He  who  walks  to  and  fro 
among  the  seven  lampstands  of  gold.     I  know  your  doings  and     2 
your  toil  and  patient  suffering  ;  and  I  know  that  you  cannot 
tolerate  wicked  men,  but  have  put  to  the  test  those  who  say  that 
they  themselves  are  apostles  but  are  not,  and  you  have  found 
them  to  be  liars  ;  and  you   endure   patiently  and  have  borne     3 
burdens  for  My  sake  and  have  never  grown  weary.     Yet  I  have    4 
this  against  you — that  you  no  longer  love  Me  as  you  did  at 
first.     Be  mindful,  therefore,  of  the  height  from  which  you  have     5 
fallen.     Repent  at  once,  and  act  as  you  did  at  first,  or  else  I 
will  surely  come  and  remove  your  lampstand  out  of  its  place — 
unless  you  repent.     Yet  this  you  have  in  your  favour  :  you  hate     6 
the  doings  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which  I  also  hate. 

18.  T/ie  keys  of  the  gates]  Lit.  simply  '  the  keys.'  _Cp.  Matt.  xvi.  i8  (last  clause), 
n.  The  '  power  of  (i.e.  authority  over)  death,'  once  wielded  by  the  devil  (Heb.  ii.  14) 
is  now  in  the  hands  of  man's  great  Redeemer. 

20.  The  seven  churches]  Tiie  Letters  contained  in  chapters  ii.,  iii.  appear  to 
favour  the  early  date  of  the  Apocalypse.  'The  members  of  these  churches  were 
manifestly  exposed  to  bitter  persecution.  The  love  of  very  many  of  them  had 
waxed  cold,  and  false  teachers  had  arisen.  This  corresponds  to  what  Jesus  had 
predicted  would  happen  in  the  lifetime  of  His  earthly  contemporaries  (Matt  xxiv.  5, 
9-12,  21,  24,  34).     Ministers]  Lit.  '  angels.'     See  ii,  i,  n. 

I,  S,  12,  18.  Minister]  Or  'guardian  angel.'  Or  the  church  itself  "viewed  not 
merely  as  in  possession  of  inward  vigour,  but  as  exercising  it  towards  things  with- 
out"  (Milligaii).     Lit.  'angel  '  or  'messenger.'     So  also  in  iii.  i,  7,  14. 

4.  You  no  longer  Ss'c.]  Lit.  'you  have  forsaken  your  first  love.'  Op.  Matt.  xxiv. 
12,  34. 


636  REVELATION    II. 

"  '  Let  all  who  have  ears  give  heed  to  what  the  Spirit  is  saying     7 
to   the  churches.      To   him   who   overcomes    I    will   give    the 
privilege  of  eating  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  Life,  which  is  in  the 
Paradise  of  God.' 

"  To  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Symrna  write     8 

The  Letter  to   ^s  follows  : 
Smyrna. 

'This  is  what  the  First  and  the  Last  says— He 
who  died  and  has  returned  to  life.  Your  sufferings  I  know,  and  9 
your  poverty — but  you  are  rich — and  the  evil  name  given  you  by 
those  who  say  that  they  themselves  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but 
are  Satan's  synagogue.  Dismiss  your  fears  concerning  all  that  10 
you  are  about  to  suffer.  I  tell  you  that  the  devil  is  about  to 
throw  some  of  you  into  prison  that  you  may  be  put  to  the  test, 
and  for  ten  days  you  will  have  to  endure  persecution.  Prove 
yourself  faithful,  even  if  you  have  to  die,  and  then  I  will  give 
you  the  victor's  wreath  of  Life. 

"*  Let  all  who  have  ears  give  heed  to  what  the  Spirit  is  saying     11 
to  the  churches.     He  who  overcomes  shall  be  in  no  way  hurt 
by  the  second  death.' 

"To  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Pergamum     12 
The  Letter  to  ^rite  as  follows  : 

Pergamum. 

'  This  is  what  He  who  has  the  sharp,  two-edged 
sword  says.  I  know  where  you  dwell.  Satan's  throne  is  there  ;  13 
and  yet  you  are  true  to  Me,  and  did  not  deny  your  faith  in  Me, 
even  in  the  days  of  Antipas  My  witness  and  faithful  friend,  who 
was  put  to  death  among  you,  in  the  place  where  Satan  dwells. 
Yet  I  have  a  few  things  against  you,  because  you  have  with  you  14 
some  that  cling  to  the  teaching  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to 
put  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  the  descendants  of  Israel— 
to  eat  what  had  been  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  commit  fornication. 
So  even  you  have  some  that  cling  in  the  same  way  to  the  teach-     15 

7.  The  tree  o/Li/e]  Cp.  xxii.  2  "  The  promises  in  the  letters  to  the  seven  churches 
relate  to  experiences  and  privileges  set  forth  in  the  predictions  which  occur  in  the  pro- 
phetic portion  of  the  book  "  (Dr.  H.  G.  Guinness).  Christ  Himself  is  the  tree  of 
Life,  which  He  bestows  on  those  who  overcome,  just  as  He  is  also  the  hidden  Manna 
(verse  17),  and  the  morning  Star  (verse  28;  xxii.  16).     Cp.  John  vi.  35,  48. 

8.  Died]  Lit.  '  became  dead.* 

ID.  Endure  persecution]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  9,  34.  Prove  yourself  faithful]  Cp. 
Matt.  xxiv.  13.  Even  if  you  have  to  die]  Lit.  'up  to  (the  point  of)  death  ;' not 
meaning  'so  long  as  life  shall  last.'  Cp.  Phil.  ii.  8,  where  'stooped  to  die'  is 
literally  '  becoming  obedient  up  to  (the  point  of)  death.' 

II.   The  second  death]  Cp.  verse  7,  n.  ;  xx.  6,  14  ;  xxi.  8. 

13.  Satan's  throne  is  there]  At  the  time  the  Revelation  was  written  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Roman  government  in  the  province  of  Asia  were  at  Pergamum. 
You  are  true  to  iMe]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  13. 

14.  With  you]  Lit.  '  there.' 


REVELATION    11.  637 

ing  of  the  Nicolaitans.      Repent,  at  once  ;  or  else  I  will  come     16 
to  you  quickly,  and  will  make  war  upon  them  with  the  sword 
which  is  in  My  mouth. 

"'Let  all  who  have  ears  give  heed  to  what  the    Spirit  is     17 
saying  to  the  churches.     He  who  overcomes — to  him  I  will  give 
some  of  the  hidden  Manna,  and  a  white  stone  ;  and — written 
upon  the  stone  and  known  only  to  him  who  receives  it — a  new 
name.' 

"To  the   minister  of  the  church  at  Thyateira     18 

"^Thya?"ra.*°    ^^'^^^e  as  follows  : 

'  This  is  what  the  Son  of  God  says — He  who  has 
eyes  hke  a  flame  of  fire,  and  feet  resembling  silver-bronze.     I     19 
know  your  doings,  your  love,  your  faith,  your  service,  and  your 
patient  endurance  ;  and  that  of  late  you  have  toiled  harder  than 
you  did  at  first.     Yet  I  have  this  against  you,  that  you  tolerate     20 
the  woman  Jezebel,  who  calls  herself  a  prophetess  and  by  her 
teaching  leads  astray  My  servants  so  that  they  commit  fornica- 
tion and  eat  what  has  been  sacrified  to  idols.     I  have  given  her     21 
time  to  repent,  but  she  is  determined  not  to  repent  of  her  forni- 
cation.    I   tell  you  that  I  am  about  to  cast  her  upon  a  bed  of    22 
sickness,  and  I  will  severely  afflict  those  who  commit  adultery 
with  her,   unless  they   repent   of  conduct  such   as  hers.     Her     23 
children  too  shall  surely  die  ;  and  all  the  churches  shall  come  to 
know  that  I  am  He  who  searches  into  men's  inmost  thoughts  ; 
and  to  each  of  you  I  will  give  a  requital  which  shall  be  in  accord- 
ance with  what  your  conduct  has  been.     But  to  you,  the  rest  of     24 
you  in  Thyateira,  all  who  do  not  hold  this  teaching  and  are  not 
the  people  who  have  learnt  the  "  deep  things,"  as  they  call  them 
(the  deep  things  of  Satan  !) — to  you  I  say  that  I  lay  no  other 
burden  on  you.      Only  that  which  you  already  possess,  cling  to     25 
until  I  come. 

'•  '  And  to  him  who  overcomes  and  scrupulously  obeys   My     26 
commands,  I  will  give  authority  over  the  nations  ;  and  he  shall     27 
be  their  shepherd,  ruling  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  just  as  earthen- 
ware jars  are  broken  to  pieces  ;  and  his  power  over  them  shall 
be  like  that  which  I  Myself  have  received  from  My  Father  ;  and     28 

17.  Hidden  Manna]  Christ  Himself.  Cp.,  verse  7,  n.  (last  sentence).  A  new 
name]  Cp.  verse  7,  n. ;  iii.  12  ;  xiv.  r  ;  xxii.  4. 

19.  Your  patient  endurance]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  13.  0/  late  ci^c]  Lit.  'your  last 
works  are  more  numerous  than  your  first.' 

25.  U7ttil  I  come]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  13. 

26.  Authority  over  the  nations]  See  iii.  21,  n. 

27.  Rod  of  iron]  Cp.  verse  7,  n.  ;  xii.  5  ;  xix.   15. 

28.  'J'he  jno?ning  Sta/]  Christ  Himself,  xxii.  16.     Cp.  verse  7,  n.  (last  sentence). 


638  REVELATION    II.-III. 

I  will  give  him  the  morning  Star.     Let  all  who  have  ears  give 
heed  to  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  churches.' 

"To  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Sardis  write 

The    Letter  to  ^g  follows  : 
Sardis. 

'  This  is  what  He  who  has  the  seven  Spirits  of 
God  and  the  seven  stars  says.  I  know  your  doings — you  are 
supposed  to  be  alive,  but  in  reality  you  are  dead.  Rouse  your- 
self and  keep  awake,  and  strengthen  those  things  which  remain 
but  have  well-nigh  perished  ;  for  I  have  found  no  doings  of 
yours  free  from  imperfection  in  the  sight  of  My  God.  Be  mind- 
ful, therefore,  of  the  lessons  you  have  received  and  heard. 
Continually  lay  them  to  heart,  and  repent.  If,  however,  you 
fail  to  rouse  yourself  and  keep  awake,  I  shall  come  upon  you 
suddenly  like  a  thief,  and  you  will  certainly  not  know  the  hour 
at  which  I  shall  come  to  judge  you.  Yet  you  have  in  Sardis  a 
few  who  have  not  soiled  their  garments  ;  and  they  shall  walk 
with  Me  in  white  ;  for  they  are  worthy. 

" '  In  this  way  he  who  overcomes  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
garments ;  and  I  will  certainly  not  blot  out  his  name  from  the 
book  of  Life,  but  will  acknowledge  him  in  the  presence  of  My 
Father  and  His  angels.  Let  all  who  have  ears  give  heed  to 
what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  churches.' 

"To  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Philadelpheia 
^h'TadatpfeiiVrite  as  follows: 

'  This  is  what  the  holy  One  and  the  true  says — 
He  who  has  the  key  of  David — He  who  opens  and  no  one  shall 
shut,  and  shuts  and  no  one  shall  open.  I  know  your  doings.  I 
have  put  an  opened  door  in  front  of  you,  which  no  one  can 
shut ;  because  you  have  but  a  little  power,  and  yet  you  have 
guarded  My  word  and  have  not  disowned  Me.  I  will  cause 
some  belonging  to  Satan's  synagogue  who  say  that  they  them- 
selves are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are  liars — I  will  make  them 
come  and  fall  at  your  feet  and  know  for  certain  that  I  have 
loved  you.  Because  in  spite  of  suffering  you  have  guarded  My 
word,  I  in  turn  will  guard  you  from  that  hour  of  trial  which  is 
soon  coming  upon  the  whole  world,  to  put  to  the  test  the  inhabi- 

5.  White  garments^  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  vii.  9  ;  xix.  14.  Book  of  Li/e]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ; 
xiii.  8.  ;  xvii.  8 ;  xx.  12,  15  ;  xxi.  27  ;  xxii.  19.  Acknowledge  hint]  Cp.  Matt.  x.  32  ; 
Luke  xii.  8. 

8.  Put]  Lit.  'given.'     A  Hebraism.     Shut]  Lit.  '  shut  it.'    A  Hebraism. 

10.  In  spite  0/  silvering  you  have  guarded  My  word]  Lit.  '  you  guarded  the  word 
of  My  patience  ;  '  which  may  mean  the  story  of  all  that  Christ  endured  for  us  and  also 
the  teaching  in  which  He  has  exhorted  us  to  a  like  unfaltering  courage  and  forti- 
tude.    Earth]  Or  '  Irxnd.' 


REVELATION    III.  639 

tants  of  the  earth.      I  am  coming  quickly  :  cling  to  that  which     11 
you  already  possess,  so  that  your  wreath  of  victory  be  not  taken 
away  from  you. 

"'He  who  overcomes— I  will  make  him  a  pillar  in  the  12 
sanctuary  of  My  God,  and  he  shall  never  go  out  from  it  again  ; 
and  I  will  write  on  him  the  name  of  My  God,  and  the  name  of 
the  city  of  My  God,  the  new  Jerusalem,  which  is  to  come  down 
out  of  Heaven  from  my  God,  and  My  own  new  name.  Let  all  13 
who  have  ears  give  heed  to  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the 
churches.' 

"  And  to  the  minister  of  the  church  at  Laodicaea     14 
The  Letter  to  ^rite  as  follows  : 

Laodicaea. 

'This   is   what  the  Amen  says — the   true   and 
faithful  witness,  the  Beginning  and  Lord  of  God's  Creation.     I      15 
know  your  doings — you  are  neither  cold  nor  hot  ;  I  would  that 
you  were  cold  or  hot  !     Accordingly,  because  you  are  lukewarm     16 
and  neither  hot  nor  cold,  before  long  I  will  vomit  you  out  of  My 
mouth.     You  say,  I  am  rich,  and  have  wealth  stored  up,  and  I     17 
stand  in  need  of  nothing  ;  and  you  do  not  know  that  if  there 
is  a  wretched   creature   it   is  you — pitiable,  poor,  blind,  naked. 
Therefore   I   counsel  you  to  buy  of  Me  gold  refined  in  the  fire     18 
that  you  may  become  rich,  and  white  robes  to  put  on,  so  as  to 
hide  your  shameful  nakedness,  and  eye-salve  to  anoint  your  eyes 
with,  so  that  you  may  be  able  to  see.      All  whom  I  hold  dear,  I     19 
reprove  and  chastise  ;  therefore  be  in  earnest  and  repent.     I  am     20 
now  standing  at  the  door  and  am  knocking.     If  any  one  listens 
to  My  voice  and  opens  the  door,  I  will  go  in  to  be  with  him  and 
will  feast  with  him,  and  he  shall  feast  with  Me. 

"  '  To  him  who  overcomes  I  will  give  the  privilege  of  sitting     21 
down  with  Me  on  My  throne,  as  I  also  have  overcome  and  have 

T2.  Name\  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  ii.  17 ;  xiv.  i  ;  xxii.  4.  New  /erusale»t]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ; 
xxi.  2. 

14.    True  and  faithful\  Lit.  '  faithful  and  true.' 

17.  Pitiable,  />oor\  Cp.   Matt.  xxiv.  12. 

19.   Cp.  Heb.  xii.  6. 

21.  On  My  throne]  "  Except  that  excellent  men  have  denied  it,  it  would  seem 
impossible  to  read  Scripture  without  perceiving  that  its  assertions  are  distinct  upon 
this  point."  (F.  W.  Robertson,  Sermons,  v.  28.)  See  Dan.  vii.  18  ;  Matt.  xix.  28  ; 
xxii.  30  ;  Luke  xii.  44  ;  xix.  17  ;  xxii.  29  ;  John  xvii.  22  ;  Rom.  viii.  17  ;  i  Cor.  ix. 
24  ;  Phil.  iii.  14  ;  i  Thess.  ii.  12  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  12,  20  ;  i  Peter  v.  4  ;  James  i.  12;  iii. 
21  ;  Rev.  i.  9  ;  ii.  26  ;  xx.  4  ;  xxi.  7.  Saintly  and  consecrated  Christians  are  not, 
like  the  rest  of  mankind,  mere  subjects  and  citizens  in  God's  heavenly  kingdom. 
Here  on  earth  they  are  one  with  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  conflict  with  evil,  and  along 
with  Him  carry  a  more  than  nominal  cross,  and  become  dead  to  the  world  and  to 
sin  and  selfishness.  The  result  is  that  they  also  share  in  His  Kingship.  Complete 
and  continually-renewed  self-surrender  to  God  is  a  source  not  of  weakness,  but  of 
infinite  strength.  Through  it  alone  there  come  to  us  power  wich  God  in  prayer,  a 
Christlike  influence  for  good  over  others,  and  perfect  self-control.  See  ii.  7,  n. ; 
XX.  4,  6. 


640  REVELATION    III.-IV. 

sat  down  with  My  Father  on  His  throne.  Let  all  who  have  ears 
give  heed  to  what  the  Spirit  is  saying  to  the  churches.' " 

A  Vision  of  God  on  His  Throne. 

After  all  this  I  looked  and  saw  a  door  in  Heaven 

A  Door  into  •         ,         i   u    j  •         1 

Heaven  stood  standing  open,  and  the  voice  that  1  had  previously 
°'^®"'  heard,  which  resembled  the  blast  of  a  trumpet, 
again  spoke  to  me  and  said,  "  Come  up  here,  and  I  will  show 
you  things  which  are  to  happen  in  the  future."  Immediately  I 
found  myself  in  the  Spirit,  and  saw  a  throne  in  Heaven,  and  some 
One  sitting  on  the  throne.  The  appearance  of  Him  who  sat 
there  was  like  jasper  or  sard  ;  and  encircling  the  throne  was  a 
rainbow,  in  appearance  like  an  emerald.  Surrounding  the  throne 
there  were  also  twenty-four  other  thrones,  on  which  sat  twenty- 
four  elders  clothed  in  white  robes,  with  victors'  wreaths  of  gold 
upon  their  heads. 

Out   from   the    throne    there    came   flashes   of 

and  Th'i?igs    lightning,  and  voices,  and  peals  of  thunder,  while 

around  the     j^  front  of  the  throne  seven  blazing  lamps  were 

Throne.         ,  .  ,.,  ,  r^-^^iAj 

burning,  which  are  the  seven  Spirits  of  God.    And 

in  front  of  the  throne  there  seemed  to  be  a  sea  of  glass,  resem- 
bling crystal.  And  midway  between  the  throne  and  the  elders, 
and  surrounding  the  throne,  were  four  living  creatures,  full  of 
eyes  in  front  and  behind.  The  first  living  creature  resembled  a 
lion,  the  second  an  ox,  the  third  had  a  face  like  that  of  a  man, 
and  the  fourth  resembled  an  eagle  flying.  And  each  of  the  four 
living  creatures  had  six  wings,  and  in  every  direction,  and  within, 
are  full  of  eyes  ;  and  day  after  day,  and  night  after  night,  they 
never  cease  saying,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God,  the  Ruler 
of  all,  who  wast  and  art  and  evermore  shalt  be." 

2.  Saw  a  throne]  "  The  Seer  is  introduced  into  the  glorious  audience-chamber 
of  a  great  King"  (Milligan). 

3.  JasJ>er  or  sard]  Red  stones.  Rainbow]  An  emblem  of  God's  faithfulness  (Gen. 
ix.  13).  Like  an  emerald]  And  therefore,  perhaps,  a  lunar  rather  than  a  solar  rain- 
bow. 

4.  Tiventy-four  elders]  "  Representatives  of  the  glorified  church.  Twice  twelve 
combines  the  number  of  the  patriarchs  with  that  of  the  apostles  "  (Milligan). 

5.  There  came]  Lit.  'come.' 

6.  Sea  o/g-iass]  Recalling  God's  spotless  purity  and  the  measureless  depths  of  His 
nature.  Midway  between  ^t'c]  See  the  Cambridge  /ourual  of  Philology,  ii.  318. 
Fo7ir  liz'ing  creatures]  Possibly  a  symbol  of  humanity,  when  perfected.  The  ideal 
earthly  creature  would  resemble  a  man  in  thouy;ht  and  feeliiitr,  a  lion  in  majesty  and 
strengtli,  an  ox  in  patient  labour,  and  an  eagle  in  lofty  flight  and  motion.  (Dr.  J. 
Brown.) 

8.  Holy,  holy,  holy]  It  is  unlikely  that  there  is  any  implied  reference  here  to  the 
sacred  Trinity  of  the  divine  nature.  The  words  are  probably  a  Hebrew  idiom,  mean- 
ing "  thrice  holy,'  'unspeakably  holy.'  Everinore  shalt  be]  Lit.  'art  to  come,'  or 
'art  coming.' 


REVELATION    IV.-V.  641 

God's  Power        ^^'^   whenever  the   living  creatures  give  glory     9 

and  Glory  pro-  and   honour  and  thanks  to  Him  who  is  seated  on 
claimed.  ,        ,  ...  .,    ,  .    ,  , 

the  throne,  and  lives  until  the  ages  of  the  ages,  the     10 
twenty-four  elders  fall  down  before  Him  who  sits  on  the  throne 
and  worship  Him  who  lives  until  the  ages  of  the  ages,  and  they 
cast  their  wreaths  down  in  front  of  the  throne,  saying, 

"  It  is  fitting,  O  our  Lord  and  God,  11 

That  we  should  ascribe  unto  Thee  the  glory  and  the  honour 

and  the  power  ; 
For  Thou  didst  create  all  things, 

And  because  it  was  Thy  will  they  came  into  existence,  and 
were  created." 


The  breaking  of  the  seven  Seals, 

And  I  saw  lying  in  the  right  hand  of  Him  who 
comtngEvents.  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  throne  a  book  written  on  both  sides  and 
closely  sealed  with  seven  seals.  And  I  saw  a 
mighty  angel  who  was  exclaiming  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Who  is 
worthy  to  open  the  book  and  break  its  seals  ? "  But  no  one  in 
Heaven,  or  on  earth,  or  under  the  earth,  was  able  to  open  the 
book  or  look  into  it. 
OnivtheRe-  And  while  I  was  weeping  bitterly,  because  no 
deemer  could  one  was  found  worthy  to  open  the  book  or  look 
open  the  Book.  .    ^      .  r  ^i.         u  j    .  a  t^ 

mto  It,  one  of  the  elders  said  to  me,    "Do  not 

weep  ;  the  Lion  which  belongs  to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  Root 
of  David,  has  triumphed  and  will  open  the  book  and  break  its 
seven  seals.'' 

Then,  midway  between  the  throne  and  the  four 

Lamb°of°Goch  ^'^ing  creatures,  I  saw  a  Lamb  standing  among  the 

elders.     He  looked  as  if  He  had  been  offered  in 

I.  Lying  in]  Lit.  simply  '  on.'  Neither  the  preposition  nor  the  sense  is  the  same 
as  in  Acts  vii.  55.  56.  A  book]  i.e.  a  scroll,  or  roll  of  parchment  or  papyrus. 
Written  on  both  sides]  i.e.  complete  in  itself,  and  leaving  no  room  for  any  change  or 
addition. 

4.  Weeping,  bitterly]  In  times  of  stress  and  calamity  our  fears  and  sorrows  are 
often  intensified  through  our  ignorance  of  what  is  going  to  happen  next.  Cp.  Luke 
xxi.  26. 

5.  Do  not  weep]  Cp.  Bickersteth's  beautiful  words  : 

"  Peace,  perfect  peace,  our  future  all  unknown? 
Jesus  we  know,  and  He  is  on  the  throne.' 

6.  Midway  between]  Lit.  'in  the  midst  of.'  The  Hebrew  preposition  denoting 
this  is  always  repeated.  A  Lamb]  Strange  and  unlocked  for.  The  Seer  had  been 
told  of  a  lion,  and  he  beholds  a  lamb,  the  emblem  of  patience  and  innocence,  and  a 
lamb,  too,  which  had  been  sacrificed  (iMilligan).  Have  been  sent  far  and  zvtde]  i.e. 
the  eyes.     But  v. L.  reads 'the  Spii  its.'     Larth]  Qt     l^w^,'' 

TT 


642  REVELATION    V.-VI. 

sacrifice,  and   He  had  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes.     The  last- 
named  are  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  have  been  sent  far  and 
wide  into  all  the  earth.      So  He  comes,  and  now  He  has  taken     7 
the  book  out  of  the  right  hand  of  Him  who  is  seated  on   the 
throne.     And  when  He  had   taken   the  book,  the   four   living     8 
creatures  and  the  twenty-four  elders  fell  down  before  the  Lamb, 
having  each  of  them  a  harp  and  bringing  golden  bowls  full  of 
incense,    which  represent  the  prayers  of  God's  people.      And     9 
now  they  sing  a  new  song. 

"It  is  fitting,"  they  say,  "that  Thou  shouldst  be  the  One  to 
take  the  book 
And  break  its  seals  ; 

Because  Thou  hast  been  offered  in  sacrifice 
And  hast  purchased  for  God  with  Thine  own  blood 
Some  out  of  every  tribe  and  language  and  people  and  nation, 
And  hast  formed  them  into  a  kingdom  to  be  priests  to  our     10 

God, 
And  they  reign  over  the  earth." 
...   „  ^      And  I  looked,  and  heard  what  seemed  to  be  the     11 

His  Power  and        .  .  ,  ,  •  1         r     , 

Glory  pro-     voices  of  countless  angels    on   every  side   of  the 

claimed.  throne,  and  of  the  living  creatures  and  the  elders. 
Their  number  was  myriads  of  myriads  and  thousands  of  thou- 
sands, and  with  loud  voices  they  were  singing,  "  It  is  fitting  that  12 
the  Lamb  which  has  been  offered  in  sacrifice  should  receive  all 
power  and  riches  and  wisdom  and  might  and  honour  and 
glory  and  blessing."  And  as  for  every  created  thing  in  Heaven  13 
and  on  earth  and  under  the  earth  and  on  the  sea,  and  every- 
thing that  was  in  any  of  these,  I  heard  them  say, 

"  To  Him  who  is  seated  on  the  throne, 

And  to  the  Lamb, 

Be  all  blessing  and  honour 

And  glory  and  might. 

Until  the  ages  of  the  ages!  " 

Then  the  four  living  creatures  said  "Amen,"  and  the  elders     14 

fell  down  and  worshipped. 

And  when  the  Lamb  broke  one  of  the  seven  seals     1   I 
The  first  Seal,  j  ^^^  j^^  ^^^   j    ^^^^.^  ^^^  ^f  ^^^  ^^^^  jj^j^^^  ^^^^_ 

10.  Reign  over]  The  preposition  is  the  same  as  in  Matt,  xxviii.  18,  where  our  Lord 
solemnly  affirms  His  already-existing,  universal  sovereignty,  not  '  on  '  but  '  over ' 
the  earth.    Or  'are  to  reign  over.'     V.L.  'will  reign  over.'    Earth]  Or  'land.' 

11.  What  seetned  to  ie]  Lit.  '  as  '     v.L.  omits  this  word. 

14.    Worshipped]    v.L.   '  worshipped  Him  who  lives  until  the  ages  of  the  ages.' 
I.  One  of  the  four  living  creatures]   The  lion  (iv.  7).     Come]  Not  '  Come  and  see.* 
The  words  are  addressed  to  the  vision  about  to  display  itself. 


REVELATION   VI.  643 

tures  say,  as  if  with  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  Come."  And  I 
looked  and  a  white  horse  appeared,  and  its  rider  carried  a  bow  ; 
and  a  victor's  wreath  was  given  to  him  ;  and  he  went  out  con- 
quering and  in  order  to  conquer. 

And  when  the  Lamb  broke  the  second  seal,   I 

The  second     heard  the  second  living    creature  say,    "  Come." 

And  another    horse    came  out — a  fiery- red  one  ; 

and  power  was  given  to  its  rider  to  take  peace  from  the  earth, 

and  to  cause  men  to  kill  one  another ;  and  a  great  sword  was 

given  to  him. 

-ru  *u-  J  o  .  When  the  Lamb  broke  the  third  seal,  I  heard 
The  third  Seal.    ,  .    ,      ,. 

the     third     livmg    creature     say,     "Come."      I 

looked,  and  a  black  horse  appeared,  its  rider  carrying  a  balance 
in  his  hand.  And  I  heard  what  seemed  to  be  a  voice  speaking 
in  the  midst  of  the  four  living  creatures,  and  saying,  "  A  quart 
of  wheat  for  a  shilling,  and  three  quarts  of  barley  for  a  shilling  ; 
but  do  not  injure  either  the  oil  or  the  wine." 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  fourth  seal  I  heard 
leai!'^  the  voice  of  the  fourth  living  creature  say, 
"Come."  I  looked  and  a  pale-coloured  horse 
appeared.  Its  rider's  name  was  Death,  and  Hades  came  close 
behind  him ;  and  authority  was  given  to  them  over  the  fourth 
part  of  the  earth,  to  kill  with  the  sword  or  with  famine  or  pesti- 
lence or  by  means  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth. 

Tu  ^^xu  o  1  When  the  Lamb  broke  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  at 
The  fifth  Seal.    ,       .  r    ,         ,  ,  ,       r    i  , 

the  foot  of  the  altar  the  souls  of  those  whose  lives 

2.  Rider]  Cp.  xix.  ii.  The  ancient  interpreters  were  agreed  that  the  horse  in  the 
first  seal  carries  Christ,  and  that  those  in  the  three  remaining  seals  introduce  a  power 
antagonistic  to  Him.  (Wordsworth.)  But  Dr.  J.  S.  Russell  finds  here  a  representa- 
tion of  the  outbreak  of  the  Jewish  war,  under  Vespasian,  in  66  a.d.  The  first  horse 
is  white,  little  blood  being  shed  as  yet. 

3.  The  second  living  creattire]  The  ox,  a  symbol  of  God's  patience  (iv.  7). 

4.  Fiery-red]  Emblematic  of  great  slaughter.  Earth]  Or  '  land.'  Kill  one 
another]  Civil  war  sprang  up  among  the  Jews.  Szvord]  A  weapon  for  close  conflict, 
unlike  the  bow  (verse  2),  which  is  used  at  a  distance. 

5.  The  third  living  creature']  With  the  quasi-human  head  (iv.  7).  The  vision 
wiiich  follows  may  denote  the  horrors  of  famine  (Josephus,  IVars,  v.  10.  2). 

6.  The  oil  and  the  'wine'\  "A  figure  of  the  care  with  which  God  watches  over  His 
own  people  and  supplies  all  their  wants"  (MiUigau).  But  the  real  explanation  may 
perhaps  be  found  in  the  conduct  of  John  of  Giscliala,  who,  during  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem,  seized  the  sacred  wine  and  oil  (Josephus,  IVars,  v.  13.  6).  Cp.  Ezek. 
iv.  16.  A  quart  of -wheat  Ss^c]  Some  such  rendering  as  "A  shilling  for  a  penny  loaf, 
and  a  shilling  for  three  dough  cakes"  would  bring  home  to  the  English  reader  the 
famine  prices  which  are  here  intended. 

7.  TJie  voice]  Not  'a'  voice,  although  there  is  no  article  in  the  Greek.  Its 
omission  is  a  Hebraism.  Fourth  living  creature]  The  eagle  (iv,  7).  Death  and 
Hades]  Symbolizing  the  intensified  horrors  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  (Josephus, 

Wars,  V.  12.  3,  and  v.  13.  7). 

8.  10,  15.   Earth]  Or  '  land.' 

9-11.  Some  believe  that  St.  Peter,  in  his  first  Letter  (iv.  6),  refers  to  these  martyred 
saints,  and  to  the  good  news  here  announced  to  them.     If  so,  the  apostle  must  have 


644  REVELATION   VL-VII. 

had  been  sacrificed  because  of  the  v/oid  of  God  and  of  the 
testimony  which  they  had  given.  And  now  with  loud  voices  lo 
they  cried  out,  saying,  "  How  long,  O  Sovereign  Lord,  the  holy 
One  and  the  true,  dost  Thou  delay  judgement  and  the  taking  of 
vengeance  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  our  blood?" 
And  there  was  given  to  each  of  them  a  long  white  robe,  and  ii 
they  were  bidden  to  wait  patiently  for  a  short  time  longer,  until 
the  full  number  of  their  fellow  bondservants  should  also  be 
complete — namely  of  their  brethren  who  were  soon  to  be  killed 
just  as  they  had  been. 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  sixth  seal  I  looked,     12 
"  and  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  and  the  sun 
became  as  dark  as  sackcloth,  and  the  whole  disc  of  the  moon 
became  like  blood.     The  stars  in  the  sky  also  fell  to  the  earth,     13 
as  when  a  fig-tree,  upon  being  shaken   by  a  gale  of  wind,  casts 
its  unripe  figs  to  the  ground.     The  sky  too  passed  away,  as  if  a     14 
scroll  were  being  rolled  up,  and  every  mountain  and  island  was 
removed  from  its  place.     The  kings  of  the  earth  and  the  great     15 
men,  the  military   chiefs,   the   wealthy   and  the  powerful — all, 
whether  slaves  or  free  men — hid  themselves  in  the  caves  and  in 
the  rocks  of  the  mountains,  while  they  called  to  the  mountains     16 
and  the  rocks,  saying,  "  Fall  on  us  and  hide  us  from  the  presence 
of  Him  who  sits  on  the  throne  and  from  the  anger  of  the  Lamb  ; 
for  the  day  of  His  anger — that  great  day — has  come,  and  who     17 
is  able  to  stand  ?  " 

After  this  I  saw  four  angels  standing  at  the  four     i   r 
God's  true     corners   of  the  earth,  and  holding  back  the  four 
Servants.       vvinds  of  the  earth   so  that  no  wind  should  blow 

read  the  Revelation  before  he  himself  wrote — an  indication  of  the  early  date  of  this 
book  ! 

10.  Now]  When  the  fifth  seal  was  broken— implied  by  the  tense. 

12-14.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  29,  n.  and  xxiv.  34.  When  the  temple  was  utterly  blotted 
out,  not  one  stone  being  left  upon  another  ;  and  the  last  sacrifice  had  been  oflfered 
there  ;  when  the  remnant  of  the  people  were  sold  into  slavery,  or  to  be  butchered  in 
gladiatorial  shows  ;  when  their  nationality  was  utterly  trodden  out,  and  their  land 
given  to  strangers  ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  historian  could  only  fitly  describe  these  great 
catastrophes  by  some  such  imagery  as  this  before  us.  (Dr.  J.  Brown.)  But  some 
interpret  the  first  six  Seals  as  descriptive  of  the  temporal  glory  and  subsequent  de- 
cline of  pagan  Rome,  and  think  that  the  sixth  and  last  of  them  is  symbolic  of  the 
adoption  of  Christianity  by  the  Emperor  Constantine. 

13.    [/nripeji£s]  Or  '  winter  figs.' 

15-16.  Cp.  Luke  xxiii.  30.  The  limestone  hills  of  Palestine  are  honeycombed  with 
caves  which  from  time  immemorial  have  afforded  shelter  to  robbers  and  fugitives.  It 
is  a  significant  fact  that  upon  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  these  caves  formed  the  last  hiding 
place  of  vast  numbers  of  the  Jews  (Josephus,  IVars,  vi.  7  ;  vi.  9  ;  vii.  2.  2).  In  Acts 
IV.  26,  the  phrase  '  kings  of  the  earth  '  (or,  land),  is  applied  by  Peter  to  the  rulers  of 
Palestine. 

I.  At]  Lit.  (looking)  'towards,'  (ready  to  move)  'to'  Earth]  Or  'land.'  So  in 
verses  2,  3. 


REVELATION   VII.  645 

over  the  earth  or  the  sea  or  upon  any  tree.     And  I  saw  another     2 
angel  coming  from  the  east  and  carrying  a  seal  belonging  to  the 
ever-living  God.     He  called  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  four  angels 
whose  work  it  was  to   injure  the  earth  and  the   sea.     "  Injure     3 
neither  land  nor  sea  nor  trees,"  he  said,  "until  we  have  sealed 
the  bondservants  of  our  God  upon  their  foreheads." 

When  the  sealing  was   finished,  I   heard    how     4 
many  were  sealed  out  of  all*the  tribes  of  the  descen- 
dants of  Israel.     They  were  a  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand. 

Of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  twelve  thousand  were  sealed  ;         5 

Of  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Gad,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  twelve  thousand  ;  6 

Of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Symeon,  twelve  thousand  ;  7 

Of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Zebulun,  twelve  thousand  ;  8 

Of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  twelve  thousand  ; 

Of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  twelve  thousand. 

After  this   I   looked,  and  a  vast  host  appeared     9 
\Vs\(^u^u^f  which  it  was   impossible  for  any   one   to  count, 
triumphant    gathered  out  of  every  nation  and  from  all  tribes 

Saints.         »     ,  ,  ,    ,      -^  1.         ,     r  .1- 

and  peoples  and  languages,  standmg  before  the 
throne  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  in  long  white  robes,  and 
carrying  palm-branches  in  their  hands.  In  loud  voices  they  10 
were  exclaiming,  "  It  is  to  our  God  who  is  seated  on  the  throne, 
and  to  the  Lamb,  that  we  owe  our  salvation  ! "  All  the  angels  1 1 
were  standing  in  a  circle  round  the  throne  and  round  the  elders 
and  the  four  living  creatures,  and  they  fell  on  their  faces  in  front 
of  the  throne  and  worshipped  God. 

"  Even  so  !  "  they  cried  ;  12 

"  The  blessing  and  the  glory 

And  the  wisdom  and  the  thanks 

And  the  honour  and  the  power  and  the  might 

Are  to  be  ascribed  to  our  God, 

Until  the  ages  of  the  ages  ! 

Even  so." 

2.  Coinitig\\At.  'going  lip.'     Ever-living]    Lit. '  living.' 

3.  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  31  ;  Luke  xxi.  19  ;  Ezek.  ix.  4-6. 

9.  Count]  Lit.  'count  it.'    A  Hebraism,  which  has  a  parallel  in  modern  Greek. 
II.  All  the  angels]  Cp.  v.  11. 


646  REVELATION  VII.-VIIL 

Then,  addressing  me,  one  of  the  elders  said,     13 
tyr^ed!  fuirsa?-  "  ^^^^o  are  these  people  clothed  in  the  long  white 
vat  on  was  now  robes  ?  and  where  have  they  come  from?"     My     14 
The  Lambf    reply   was,  "  My  lord,  you  know."      "  They   are 
those,"  he  said,  "  who  have  just  passed  through  the 
great  distress,  and  they  washed  their  robes  and   made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.     For  this  reason  they  stand     15 
before  the  very  throne  of  God,  and  render  Him  service,  day  after 
day  and  night  after  night,  in   His  sanctuary,  and  He  who  is 
sitting  upon  the  throne  will  shelter  them  in  His  tent.     They  will     16 
never  again  be  hungry  or  thirsty,  and  never  again  will  the  sun 
or  any  scorching  heat  trouble  them.     For  the  Lamb  who  is  in     17 
front  of  the  throne  will  be  their  Shepherd,  and  will  guide  them 
to  water-springs  of  Life,  and  God  will  wipe  every  tear  from  their 
eyes." 

When  the  Lamb  broke  the  seventh  seal,  there     i   Q 

The  seventh  .,  .      ^r  r         ^  ,,ri  ^ 

Seal.  was  Silence  m  Heaven  for  about  half  an  hour. 

The  sounding  of  the  seven  Trumpets, 

Then  I  saw  the  seven  angels  who  are   in  the     2 
.  The  Prayers   presence  of  God,  and  seven  trumpets  were  given 
People.  °  Their  to   them.     And   another   angel   came  and   stood     3 
untshe^d       close  to  the  altar,  carrying  a  censer  of  gold  ;  and 
abundance  of  incense  was  given  to  him  that  he 
might  place  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  God's  people  upon  the 
golden  altar  which  was  in  front  of  the  throne.     And  the  smoke     4 
of  the  incense  rose  into  the  presence  of  God  from  the  angel's 

14.  Have  just  passed  throug-h]  T.it.  'are  comina;  out  of.'  The  g-reat  distress] 
Possibly  of  the  persecution  umfer  Nero  and  from  the  unbelieving  Jews  in  tlie  closing 
years  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation  Cp.  Dan.  xii.  i;  Matt.  xxiv.  21.  The  article, 
omitted  in  the  A.V.,  may  denote  'the  predicted  distress,'  or  '  the  great,  unparalleled 
distress.'  ^    ,  ,v   ,       ,  ,     ^      . 

17.  In  front  0/ the  thro7ie\  Lit.  '  between  (where  we  are  and)  the  throne.      See  iv. 

'  I.'  Silence]  The  great  preparatory  dispensation  of  Judaism  had  now  reached  its  end. 
"  It  was  not  heathen  Babylon,  or  idol.itrous  Tyre  and  Sidon,  that  had  fallen  with  a 
fall  so  fearful.  It  was  Terusaleni .  and  there  was  silence;  the  silence  of  awe  and 
amazement  at  the  sight"  (Dr.  J.  Brown).  The  sounding  of  the  seven  trumpets  re- 
calls the  story  of  God's  judgement  of  ancient  Jericho  (Josh.  vi.). 

Seven  Tnunfefs]  Rev.  viii.-xi.  describes  over  again  substantially  the  same  events 
as  those  seen  in  the  Vision  of  the  Seven  Seals  (Rev.  v.-viii.).  The  several  divisions  of 
the  Apocalypse  are  not  really  consecutive,  but  run,  as  it  were,  parallel  to  one 
another,  and  merely  give  different  aspects  and  varied  representations  of  the  same  set 
of  events.  So,  in  order  to  make  their  lesson  doubly  sure,  the  dreams  of  Joseph 
(Gen.  xxxvii.)  and  Pharaoh  (Gen.  xli.  32)  were  repeated  under  two  dififerent  forms, 
Gideon's  sign  and  the  Vision  of  Daniel  (Judges  vi.  36-39;  Dan.  ii.,  vii.)  w'ere 
doubled,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  used  more  than  one  parable  to  illustrate  different  sides 
of  one  and  tiie  same  truth  (as  in  Luke  xv.).  Others,  however,  regard  the  Visions  of 
the  Apocalypse  as  following  one  another  in  their  fulfilment. 


REVELATION   VIII.  647 

hand,  and  mingled  with   the  prayers  of  His  people.     So  the     5 
angel  took  the  censer  and  filled  it  with  fire  from  the  altar  and 
flung  it  to  the  earth  ;  and  there  followed  peals  of  thunder,  and 
voices,  and  flashes  of  lightning,  and  an  earthquake. 

Then  the  seven  angels  who  had  the  seven  trumpets  made     6 
preparations  for  blowing  them. 

The  first  blew   his  trumpet  ;    and  there  came     7 
■TrJmpei.       ^^^^  ^^^  ^^^'  mixed  with  blood,  falling  upon  the 
earth  ;    and  a  third  part  of  the  earth  was  burnt 
up,  and  a  third  part  of  the  trees  and  all  the  green  grass. 

The  second  angel  blew  his  trumpet ;  and  what     8 
^Trumpet!^    seemed  to  be  a  great  mountain,  all  ablaze  with 
fire,  was  hurled  into  the  sea  ;  and  a  third  part  of 
the  sea  was  turned  into  blood.     And  a  third  part  of  the  creatures     9 
that  were  in  the  sea — those  that  had  life — died  ;    and  a  third 
part  of  the  ships  were  destroyed. 

The  third  angel  blew  his  trumpet ;  and  there  fell  10 
Trumpet^  from  Heaven  a  great  star,  which  was  on  fire  like  a 
torch.  It  fell  upon  a  third  part  of  the  rivers  and 
upon  the  springs  of  water.  The  name  of  the  star  is  '  Worm-  1 1 
wood;'  and  a  third  part  of  the  waters  were  turned  into 
wormwood,  and  vast  numbers  of  the  people  died  from  drinking 
the  water,  because  it  had  become  bitter. 

Then  the  fourth  angel  blew  his  trumpet  ;   and  a     12 
"'riHjmpe?.'^     curse  fell  upon  a  third  part  of  the  sun,  a  third  part 
of  the  moon,  and  a  third  part  of  the  stars,  so  that 
a  third  part  of  them  were  darkened  and  for  a  third  of  the  day, 
and  also  of  the  night,  there  was  no  light. 

5.  "The  judgments  which  follow  are  answers  to  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  and  are 
inflicted  on  the  enemies  of  the  Church  "  (Alford).     Cp.  vi.  9-1 1. 

7.  63  to  68  A.D.  were  years  of  drought,  disastrous  conflagrations  and  earthquakes 
(Farrar). 

8,  9.  The  time  of  Nero  affords  abundant  evidence  of  great  calamities  connected 
with  ships  and  the  sea  (Farrar). 

to,  II.  Farrar  finds  the  explanation  of  these  verses  in  the  overthrow  of  Nero,  the 
failure  of  the  Julian  line,  and  the  bitterness  caused  thereby. 

12.  Ruler  after  ruler  among  the  Jews  and  the  Romans  was  murdered  or^  killed 
himself  (Farrar).  But  according  to  the  historic  school  of  interpretation  the  first 
six  Trumpets  embody  the  events  that  occurred  after  the  great  European  revolution 
which  broke  out  in  1793.  The  first  received  its  fulfilment  in  the  French  Revolution  ; 
the  second  in  the  destruction  of  the  fleets  of  France  by  such  victories  as  those  of  the 
Nile,  Cape  St.  Vincent,  and  Trafalgar  ;  the  third  pointed  to  the  desolation  caused 
by  the  French  wars  throughout  Europe  ;  the  fourth  depicts  the  career  of  Napoleon 
I.  ;  the  fifth  prefigures  the  humiliation  inflicted  by  that  great  warrior  upon  the  pope  ; 
while  the  sixth  refers  to  the  wasting  away  of  the  Turkish  power.  We  are  supposed  to 
be  living  under  the  seventh  plague  now,  and  may  almost  at  any  moment  expect  the 
second  Coming  and  personal  reign  of  our  T.ord.  (Dr.  J.  Brown,  of  Bedford.  T/ie 
Book  of  Revelation.^  Others  assert  that  the  first  six  Trumpets  were  realized  when 
Goths,  Saracens  and  Turks  desolated  Chri>tian  Rome. 


648  REVELATION    VIII.-IX. 

Then  I  looked,  and    I   heard   a   solitary    eacrle     13 

Yet  more  .  •   ,         ,       j        •  •     n  11 

fearful  Woes    crying  With  a  loud  voice,  as  It  flew  across  the  sky, 
to  come,       (I  ^■^^^^  ^j^g^  ^i^g^  £qj.  ^i^g  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 

because  of  the  significance  of  the  remaining  trumpets  which  the 
three  angels  are  about  to  blow  !  " 

The  fifth  angel  blew  his  trumpet ;    and  I  saw  a     i   < 

TnTrrTpet.  Star  which  had  fallen  from  Heaven  to  earth  ;  and 
to  him  was  given  the  key  of  the  depths  of  the 
bottomless  pit,  and  he  opened  the  depths  of  the  bottomless  pit.  2 
And  smoke  came  up  out  of  the  pit  resembling  the  smoke  of  a 
vast  furnace,  so  that  the  sun  was  darkened,  and  the  air  also,  by 
reason  of  the  smoke  of  the  pit. 

And  from  the  midst  of  the  smoke  there  came     3 
locusts  on  to  the  earth,  and  power  was  given  to 
them   resembling  the  power  which  earthly  scorpions  possess. 
And  they  were  forbidden  to  injure  the  herbage  of  the  earth,  or    4 
any  green  thing,  or  any  tree.     They  were  only  to  injure  human 
beings — those  who  have  not  the  seal  of  God  on  their  foreheads. 
Their  mission  was  not  to  kill,  but  to  cause  awful  agony  for  five     5 
months  ;  and  this  agony  was  like  that  which  a  scorpion  inflicts 
when  it  stings  a  man.     And  at  that  time  people  will  seek  death,     6 
but  will  by  no  possibility  find  it,  and  will  long  to  die,  but  death 
evades  them. 

The  appearance  of  the  locusts  was  like  that  of  horses  equipped     7 
for  war.     On  their  heads  they  had  wreaths  which  looked  like 
gold.    Their  faces  seemed  human  and  they  had  hair  like  women's     8 
hair,  but  their  teeth  resembled  those  of  lions.     They  had  breast-     9 
plates  which  seemed  to  be  made  of  steel  ;  and  the  noise  caused 
by  their  wings  was  like  that  of  a  vast  number  of  horses  and 
chariots  hurrying  into  battle.       They  had  tails  like  those  of    10 
scorpions,  and  also  stings  ;  and  in  their  tails  lay  their  power  of 
injuring  mankind  for  five  months. 

The  locusts  had  a  king  over  them — the  angel  of  the  bottom-     11 
less  pit,  whose  name  in  Hebrew  is  'Abaddon,'  while  in  Greek 

13.  Eart}i\  Or  '  land.' 

I.  A  Star\  Possibly  Nero.  HadfaUen\  And  was  now  lying  on  the  earth.  Here, 
as  elsewhere,  the  Greek  perfect  tense  indicates  the  continuing  result  of  the 
act  of  falling.  In  xiv.  8;  Luke  x.  iS  ;  the  act  itself  is  denoted  by  the  use  of  the 
aorist.  The  historic  school  of  interpreters  asserts  that  the  Star  denotes  Mahomet, 
and  the  smoke  Mahometanism. 

3.  LocustsP^  Evil  spirits,  or  the  Saracens.     Earth]  Or 'land.'     So  in  verse  4. 

5.  Five  months]  The  period — whatever  it  may  have  been— assigned  them  by  God 
for  their  work  of  human  chastisement,  just  as  He  has  appointed  for  natural  locusts 
five  months  in  each  year  (April  to  September)  free  from  frost. 

8.    They  lia  i  hair]  The  antennae  of  the  locusts. 

II.  A  king]  Or 'as  king.'     Abaddon]  i.e.  'Ruin.'     ApoUyon]  i.e.   'Destroyer.' 


REVELATION    IX.-X.  649 

he  is  called  'Apollyon.'     The  first  woe  is  past ;  two  other  woes     12 
have  still  to  come. 

The  sixth  angel  blew  his  trumpet  ;  and  I  heard  a     13 
Trumpet,      single  voice  speaking  from  among  the  horns  of 
the  golden  incense  altar  which  is  in  the  presence 
of  God.     It  said  to  the  sixth  angel— the  angel   who   had  the     14 
trumpet  :  "Set  at  liberty  the  four  angels  who  are  prisoners  near 
the  great  river  Euphrates."     And  the  four  angels  who  had  been     15 
kept  in  readiness  for  that  hour,  day,  month,  and  year,  were  set 
at  liberty,  so  that  they  might  kill  a  third  part  of  mankind.     The     16 
number  of  the  cavalry  was  two  hundred  millions  ;  I  heard  how 
many  there  were  of  them. 

The  following  is   a   description   of  the   horses     17 
ancf  Horsemen   ^^^'^h  I    saw  in  my  vision — and  of  their  riders. 
The  body-armour  of  the  riders  was  red,  blue  and 
yellow  ;  and  the  horses'  heads  were  shaped  like  the  heads  of 
lions,  while  from  their  mouths  there  came  fire  and  smoke  and 
sulphur.     By  these  three  plagues  a  third  part  of  mankind  were     18 
destroyed — by  the  fire  and  the  smoke,  and  by  the  sulphur  which 
came  from  their  mouths.     For  the  power  of  the  horses   is  in     19 
their  mouths  and  in  their  tails  ;  their  tails  being  like  serpents, 
and  having  heads,    and    it    is    with    them    that    they   inflict 
injury. 

But  the  rest  of  mankind  who  were  not  killed  by     20 
The  People     these  plagues,  did  not  even  then  repent  and  leave 

whose  Lives  ,         , 

were  spared    the  thmgs  they  had  made,  so  as  to  cease  worship- 

'^^repent*°      '"S  ^^^  demons,  and  the  idols   of  gold  and  silver, 

bronze,  stone,  and   wood,  which  can  neither  see 

nor  hear,  nor  move  ;  nor  did  they  repent  of  their  murders,  their    21 

practice  of  magic,  their  fornication,  or  their  thefts. 

Then  I  saw  another  strong  angel  coming  down  from  Heaven,     i  " 

13-19.  Swarms  of  Orientals  gathered  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  "At  one 
period  of  Hebrew  history,  the  object  of  Israel's  intensest  fears  was  that  army  of  fierce 
horsemen  who  came  against  them  from  the  cities  on  the  Euphrates  "  (Dr.  J.  Brown). 
Cp.  Hab.  i.  6-10. 

17.  Camejire]  Gibbon  says  that  the  secret  of  the  power  and  use  of  gunpowder 
was  disclosed  to  the  Turks  by  the  treachery  of  apostates  and  the  selfish  policy  of 
rivals  ;  and  that  the  Sultans  had  the  sense  to  adopt,  and  the  wealth  to  reward,  the 
talents  of  a  Christian  engineer. 

19.  In  their  tails]  When  artillery  is  on  the  march,  the  muzzlesof  the  guns  always 
point  to  the  rear.  But  H.  R.  Haweis  sees  a  reference  here  to  the  well-known 
habit  of  Parthian  cavalry  of  shooting  arrows  behind  them  when  fleeing. 

21.  Nor  did  they  repent]  "  It  is  a  sorrowful  and  suggestive  thought  that  men.  by  a 
sort  of  fascination,  often  go  on  in  their  sins  long  after  those  sins  arc  felt  by  tljem  to 
be  ruinous  and  degrading  "  (Dr.  J.  Brown). 

I.  Historic  interpreters  explain  this  chapter  as  referring  to  Luther  and  the  great 
reformation. 


650  REVELATION   X.-XI. 

He  was  robed  in  a  cloud,  and  over  his  bend  was 
A  glorious     the  rainbow.     His  face  was  like  the  sun.  and  bis 
'^slv^en^Peail'^  feet  resembled  pillars  of  fire.     In  bis  band  be  beld     2 
of  Thunder,    a   small  scroU   unrolled:    and,  planting   his  right 

foot  on  the  sea  and  bis  left  foot  on  the  land,  be  3 
cried  out  with  a  loud  voice  which  resembled  the  roar  of  a  lion  ; 
and  when  he  bad  cried  out,  each  of  the  seven  peals  of  thunder 
uttered  its  own  message.  And  when  the  seven  peals  of  thunder  4 
had  spoken,  I  was  about  to  write  down  what  they  bad  said  ;  but 
I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  which  told  me  to  keep  secret  all 
that  the  seven  peals  of  thunder  had  said,  and  not  write  it  down. 

-    .,   _,  Then  the  angel  that  I  saw  standing  on  the  sea     5 

God's  Purposes  ,       j     ir     j     ,  •        •    ,        ,         1  j 

to  be  now  and  on  the  land,  lifted  his  right  hand  toward 
y  rea  ize  .  jj^^^ygj^^  ^j^^j  jjj  ^j^g  name  of  Him  who  lives  until  6 
the  ages  of  the  ages,  the  Creator  of  Heaven  and  all  that  is 
in  it,  of  the  earth  and  all  that  is  in  it,  and  of  the  sea  and  all  that 
is  in  it,  he  solemnly  declared,  "  There  shall  be  no  further  delay  ; 
but  in  the  days  when  the  seventh  angel  blows  his  trumpet —  7 
when  he  begins  to  do  so — then  the  secret  purposes  of  God  are 
realized,  in  accordance  with  the  good  news  which  He  gave  to 
His  servants  the  prophets." 

The  s  t       Then   the  voice  which    I    bad  heard  speaking    8 

the  Angel's     from  Heaven  once  more  addressed  me.     It  said, 
little  Book,     cc  Qo  ^^^  ^^i^g  ^l^g  Ij^jlg  ^^^^  ^^^-^^Yi  lies  open  in 

the  hand  of  the  angel  who  is  standing  on  the  sea  and  on  the 

land."     So  I  went  to  the  angel  and  asked  bi-m  to  give  me  the    9 

little  book.     "Take  it,"  he  said,  "  and  eat  the  whole  of  it.     You 

will  find  it  bitter  when  you  have  eaten  it,  although  in  your 

mouth  it  will  taste  as  sweet  as  honey."     So  I  took  the  roll  out     10 

of  the  angel's  hand  and  ate  the  whole  of  it ;  and  in  my  mouth  it 

was  as  sweet  as   honey,  but  when  I  had  eaten  it  I  found  it 

very  bitter.     And  a  voice  said  to  me,  "  You  must  prophesy  yet     1 1 

further    concerning   peoples,    nations,    languages,    and    many 

.  »>•  *u    kings." 

'  Measure    the         ° 

earthly  Then  a  reed  was  given  me  to  serve  as  a  measur-     i 

Temple,  and     •  j  j  .  •  ^     ic  -n,-  i 

count  the      mg.rod;    and  a  voice  said,   "Rise,  and  measure 

Worshippers.'  God's    sanctuary — and   the   altar— and  count  the 

2.  Hand]  His  left  hand.     See  verse  5. 

3,  4.  Peals  o/thunder\  Cp.   Ps.  xxix.  Lit.  '  thunders.' 

6.  Delay]  See  vi.  11. 

7.  Serz'ants]  Lit.  'bondservants.' 
9.  Eat]  Cp.  Jer.  xv.  16. 

II.  A  voice  said]  Lit.  '  they  say.' 

I.   The  altar]  The  golden  altar  of  incense.     Some  suppose  that  the  '  measuring  ' 


REVELATION   XL  651 

worshippers  who  are  in  it.     But  as  for  the  court  which  is  out-     2 
side  the  sanctuary,  pass  it  over  ;  do  not  measure  it  ;  for  it  has 
been  given  to  the  Gentiles,  and  for  forty-two  months  they  will 
trample  the  holy  city  under  foot.     And  I  will  authorize  My  two     3 
witnesses   to   prophesy    for   twelve   hundred   and    sixty    days, 
clothed  in  sackcloth. 

The  two  Wit        '  These  witnesses  are  the  two  olive  trees,  and    4 
nesses  for     they  are  the  two  lamps    which  stand  in  the  pres- 
^°^"  ence  of  the   Lord  of  the  earth.     And  if  any  one     5 

seeks  to  injure  thein — fire  comes  from  their  mouths  and  devours 
their  enemies  ;  and  if  any  one  seeks  to  injure  them,  he  will  in 
this  way  certainly  be  killed.  They  have  power  given  to  them  to  6 
seal  up  the  sky,  so  that  no  rain  may  fall  so  long  as  they  continue 
to  prophesy  ;  and  power  over  the  waters  to  turn  them  into  blood, 
and  to  smite  the  earth  with  various  plagues  whenever  they 
choose  to  do  so. 
^^    „     .       -      "And  when  they  have  fully  delivered  their  tes-     7 

The  Murder  of    .  ,  .,  ,  ^  ,  •   ,    .  .  ,    . 

the  two  Wit-    timony,  the  wild  Beast  which  is  to  rise  out  of  the 
nesses.        bottomless  pit  will  make  war  upon  them  and  over- 
come them  and  kill  them.     And  their  dead  bodies  are  to  He  in     8 
the  broad  street  of  the  great  city  which  spiritually  is  designated 
'Sodom'  and  'Egypt,'  where  indeed  their  Lord  was  crucified. 
And  men  belonging  to  all  peoples,  tribes,  languages  and  nations     9 
gaze  at  their  dead  bodies  for  three  days  and  a  half,  but  they 
refuse  to  let  them  be  laid  in  a  tomb.     The  inhabitants  of  the     10 
earth  rejoice  over  them  and  are  glad  and  will  send  gifts  to  one 
another;  for  these  two  prophets  had  greatly  troubled  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth." 

But  at  the  end  of  the  three  days  and  a  half  the  breath  of    11 


and  *  counting'  prefigured  coming  destruction  (2  Sam.  viii.  2  ;  2  Kings  xxi.  12,  13  ;  Ps. 
Ix.  6  ;  Isa.  xxviii.  17  ;  xxxiv.  11  ;  Amos  vii.  6-10)  ;  others  that  it  denotes  their  con- 
tinued preservation,  the  sanctuary  in  that  case  being  the  Christian  church. 

2.  Forty-two  months]  Cp.  verse  3  ;  xii.  6,  14  ;  xiii.  5.  For  three  years  and  a  half — 
the  whole  duration  of  the  Jewish  war — an  armed  mob  of  Zealots  and  Edomites  tyran- 
nized over  Jerusalem  (Josephus,  Wars,  iv.  5).     Cp.  Luke  xxi.  24. 

3.  7\vo  witnesses]  I\Ioses  and  Elijah  (Alford),  or  faithful  men  in  the  Western  and 
Eastern  churches.  7\uo]  To  strengthen  and  establish  their  testimony.  Cp.  Deut. 
xix.  15.  Clothed  in  sackcloth]  Expressive  of  their  grief  at  the  then  coming  calamities. 
1260  days]  The  change  from  forty-two  months  to  1260  days  (exactly  the  same 
period  of  time)  may  denote  that  the  two  witnesses  would  not  for  a  single  day  cease 
giving  their  testimony, 

4  The  two  olive-trees]  Cp.  Zech.  iv.  1-6.  They  "represent  the  Holy  Spirit  be- 
stowing His  gifts  and  His  grace  through  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  "  (Vitringa). 

6.  10,  18.  Earth]  Or  '  land.' 

7.  The  wild  Beast]  This  is  the  first  of  thirty-seven  passages  where  some  fierce, 
hell-born  power  is  so  described  in  this  book.     See  xiii.  i,  n. 

8.  The  great  city]  Cp.  xiv.  8  ;  xvi.  19  ;  xvii.  18  ;  xviii.  10,  16,  i8,  19,  21.  'Sodom* 
and  '  Egypt ']  Cp.  xvi.  19,  n. 


652  REVELATION    XI.-XII. 

_.        .     ^      life  from  God  entered  into  them,  and  they  rose 

They  rise  to  ,      •      r  i      n       i  ^  -r     ^ 

Life  again,  and  to  their  feet  ;  and  all  who  saw  them  were  terrified. 
^Hea.ven.°      Then  they  heard  a  loud  voice  calling  to  them  out  of     12 
Heaven,  and  bidding  them  come  up  ;  and  they  went 
up  to  Heaven  in  the  cloud,  and  their  enemies  saw  them  go.     And     13 
just  at  that  time  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  and  a  tenth  part 
of  the  city  was  overthrown.     Seven  thousand  people  were  killed 
in  the  earthquake,  and  the  rest  were  terrified  and  gave  glory  to 
the  God  of  Heaven.     The  second  Woe  is  past ;  the  third  Woe     14 
will  soon  be  here. 


The  seventh  angel  blew  his  trumpet  ;  and  there     15 
^TYumpet!'^    followed  loud  voices  in  Heaven  which  said,  "  The 
sovereignty  of  the  world  now  belongs  to  our  Lord 
and  His  Christ  ;  and  He   will  be  King  until  the  ages  of  the 
ages."     Then  the  twenty-four  elders,  who  sit  on  thrones  in  the     16 
presence  of  God,  fell  on  their  faces  and  worshipped  God,  saying,     17 
"  We  give  Thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God,  the  Ruler  of  all, 
Who  art  and  wast, 
Because  Thou  hast  exerted  Thy  power,  Thy  great  power, 

and  hast  become  King. 
The  nations  grew  angry,  18 

And  Thine  anger  has  come, 
And  the  time  for  the  dead  to  be  judged, 
And  the  time  for  Thee  to  give  their  reward  to  Thy  servants 

the  prophets  and  to  Thy  people, 
And  to  those  who  fear  Thee,  the  small  and  the  great. 
And  to  destroy  those  who  destroy  the  earth." 
Then  the  doors  of  God's  sanctuary  in  Heaven  were  opened,     19 
and  the  ark,  in  which  His  covenant  was,  was  seen  in  His  sanc- 
tuary ;  and   there   came  flashes  of  lightning,   and   voices,  and 
peals  of  thunder,  and  an  earthquake,  and  heavy  hail. 

A  Series  of  Marvels. 

And   a   great   marvel   was   seen  in   Heaven — a     I  1 
"'"^^Womanl^''   woman  who  was  robed  with  the  sun  and  had  the 
moon  under  her  feet,  and  had  also  a  wreath  of  stars 

12.  IVent  up  to  Heaven  &^<:.]  Cp.  Gen.  v.  24  ;  2  Kings  ii.  11  ;  Mark  xvi.  19  ;  Luke 
xxiv.  51  ;  Acts  i.  9  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  2,  4  ;  t  Thess.  iv.  17  ;  Rev.  xii.  5. 

15.  Now  belongs^  Cp.  i.  1,3,19;  xii.  10;  xx.  3,  4  ;  xxii.6,.io;  Matt.  iii.  2;  iv.  17; 
X.  7  ;  Luke  xxi.  31. 

I.  A  ivoiaan]  Perhaps  symbolizing  the  Jewish  Christian  church,  the  male  child 
(verse  5)  being  the  martyred  members  of  that  church.  Others  say  that  the  Woman  is 
the  church  of  Rome. 


REVELATION    XII.  653 

round  her  head,  was  with  child,  and  she  was  crying  out  in  the     2 
pains  and  agony  of  childbirth. 

And   another  marvel    was    seen  in   Heaven — a     3 
^Drafon^*     great  fiery-red  dragon,  with  seven  heads  and  ten 
horns  ;  and  on  his  heads  were  seven  kingly  crowns. 
His  tail  was  drawing  after  it  a  third  part  of  the  stars  of  Heaven     4 
and  it  dashed  them  to  the  ground.     And  in  front  of  the  woman 
who  was  about  to  become  a  mother,  the  dragon  was  standing  in 
order  to  devour  the  child  as   soon  as  it  was  born.     She  gave     5 
birth  to  a  son — a  male  child,  destined  before  long  to  rule  all 
nations  with  an  iron  sceptre;  but  her  child  was  caught  up  to 
God  and  His  throne,  and  the  woman  fled  into  the  desert,  there     6 
to  be  cared  for,  for  twelve  hundred  and  sixty  days,  in  a  place 
which  God  had  prepared  for  her. 
_.     _  .        And  war  broke  out  in  Heaven,  Michael  and  his     7 

The  Dragon  is  ..,,.',,  .  ' 

cast  down  angels  engagmg  m  battle  with  the  dragon.  The 
^To"'Earfh.^"    dragon  fought  and  so  did   his  angels  ;  but  they     8 

were  defeated,  and  there  was  no  longer  any 
room  found  for  them  in  Heaven.  The  great  dragon,  the  9 
ancient  serpent,  he  who  is  called  'the  Devil'  and  '  the  Adver- 
sary'  and  leads  the  whole  earth  astray,  was  hurled  down:  he 
was  hurled  down  to  the  earth,  and  his  angels  were  hurled  down 
with  him. 

Then  I  heard  a  loud  voice  in  Heaven  which  said,     10 
of  Christ  and  "The  Salvation  and  the  power  and  the  kingdom  of 

His  eopie.  ^^^  q^^  have  now  come,  and  the  sovereignty  of 
His  Christ ;  for  the  accuser  of  our  brethren  has  been  hurled 
down — he  who,  day  after  day  and  night  after  night,  was  wont  to 
accuse  them  in  the  presence  of  God.  But  they  have  gained  the  11 
victory  over  him  because  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  of  the 
testimony  which  they  have  borne,  and  because  they  held  their 
lives  cheap  and  did  not  shrink  even  from  death.  For  this  reason  12 
be  glad,  O  Heaven,  and  you  who  live  in  Heaven  !  Alas  for  the 
earth  and  the  sea  !  For  the  devil  has  come  down  to  you  ;  full 
of  fierce  anger,  because  he  knows  that  his  appointed  time  is 
short." 

And  when  the  dragon  saw  that  he  was  hurled  down  to  the     13 

3.  Great]  And  powerful.     Fiery-red\  Cruel.   The  colour  of  blood. 

6.  T'/j^zi/^/waw]  The  surviving  Je-./ish  Christians.  Fled  into  tke  desert]  Cx).  xviii.4; 
Matt.  xxiv.  16  ;  Mark  xiii.  14  ;  and  Josephus,  IVars,  ii.  20  ;  iii.  3.  3.  i26odays]  Tiiree 
years  and  a  half.     The  length  of  tlie  Jewish  war.     Cp.  xi.  2,  3  ;   xiii.  5. 

9.  The  Adversary]   Lit.  'the  Satan.'     Cp.  Mark  viii.  33, 

10.  Have  now  come]  See  xi.  15,  n. 


654  REVELATION   XII.-XIII. 

earth,  he  went  in  pursuit  of  the  woman  who  had 
persecutes  the  given  birth  to  the  male  child.     Then  the  two  wings     14 

Woman.       ^f  ^  g^tSLt  eagle  were  given  to  the  woman  to  enable 
her  to  fly  away  into  the  desert  to  the  place  assigned  her,  there 
to  be  cared  for,  for  a  period  of  time,  two  periods  of  time,  and 
half  a  period  of  time,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  serpent.     And  the     15 
serpent  poured  water  from  his  mouth — a  very  river  it  seemed — 
after  the  woman,  in  the  hope  that  she  would  be  carried  away  by 
its  flood.     But  the  earth  came  to  the  woman's  help  ;  it  opened     16 
its  mouth  and  drank  up  the  river  which  the  dragon  had  poured 
from  his  mouth.     This  made  the  dragon  furiously  angry  with     17 
the  woman,  and  he  went  elsewhere  to  make  war  upon  her  other 
children — those  who  keep  God's  commandments  and  hold  fast 
to  the  testimony  of  Jesus.     And  he  took  up  a  position  upon  the     18 
sand  of  the  sea- shore. 

Then  I  saw  a  wild  Beast  coming  up  out  of  I  [ 
"^^^Beast!^"'^  the  sea,  and  he  had  ten  horns  and  seven  heads. 
On  his  horns  were  ten  kingly  crowns,  and  in- 
scribed on  his  heads  were  names  full  of  blasphemy.  The  wild  2 
Beast  which  I  saw  resembled  a  leopard,  and  had  feet  like  the 
feet  of  a  bear,  and  his  mouth  was  like  the  mouth  of  a  Hon;  and 
it  was  to  the  dragon  that  he  owed  his  power  and  his  throne  and 
his  wide  dominion. 

I  saw  that  one  of  his  heads  seemed  to  have  been  mortally  3 
wounded  ;  but  his  mortal  wound  was  healed,  and  the  whole 
world  was  amazed  and  followed  him.  And  they  offered  4 
worship  to  the  dragon,  because  it  was  to  him  that  the 
wild  Beast  owed  his  dominion  ;  and  they  also  offered  worship 
to  the  wild  Beast,  and  said,  "  Who  is  there  like  him  ?  and  who 
is  able  to  engage  in  battle  with  him?" 

14.  TAe  two  7vings\  Perhaps  the  eastern  and  western  Roman  Empires.  A  period 
of  timet  two  periods  .  .  and  half  a  period\  i.e.  three  years  and  a  half:  the  length 
of  the  Jewish  war.     See  verse  6,  n. ;  xl.  2,  3  ;  xiii.  5. 

18.  He  took  up\  v.L.  '  I  took  up.'     Upon]  or  'overlooking,'  'facing.' 

1.  IVild Beast]  ''Beyond  all  shadow  of  doubt  or  uncertainty,  Nero"  (Farrar). 
He  had  world-wide  power,  claimed  for  himself  divine  worship,  cruelly  persecuted 
the  Christians  for  forty-two  months,  and  after  having  died  a  violent  death  was  popu- 
larly expected  to  come  out  from  some  secret  hiding  place,  alive  and  well.  Cp.  2  Thess. 
ii,  3,  n.  The  numerical  value  of  the  letters  which  made  up  his  name,  when  written 
in  Hebrew,  instead  of  in  Greek  or  Latin,  was  666.  Cp.  2  Tim.  iv.  17,  n.  Others 
maintain  that  the  Bishop  of  Rome  is  symbolized  here,  that  the  second  wild  Beast 
(verse  11)  denotes  the  Jesuits,  and  that  the  statue  (verse  14)  represents  the  general 
Councils.     But  see  2  Thess.  ii.  3  n. 

2.  This  wild  Beast  combined  in  one  the  characteristics  of  the  four  Beasts  of  Dan. 
vii.  2,  4,  5,  6. 

4  IVho  is  there  like  him  ?]  Cp.  the  name  of  the  archangel  Michael,  which,  in 
Hebrew,  means  "  Who  is  like  God  ?  "  "The  worldly-hearted  cry,  _' What  is  better 
than  wealth  and  power,  ease  and  comfort?'     The  faint-hearted  chime  in,  and  ask, 


REVELATION   XIII.  655 

And    there    was    given  him   a   mouth   full  of  boastful   and     5 
blasphemous  words  ;  and  liberty  of  action  was  granted  him  for 
forty-two     months.       And    he    opened    his     mouth    to    utter     6 
blasphemies  against  God,  to  speak  evil  of  His  name  and  of  His 
dwelling-place — that  is  to  say,  of  those  who  dwell  in  heaven. 
And  permission  was  given  him  to  make  war  upon  God's  people     7 
and  conquer  them  ;  and  power  was  given  him  over  every  tribe, 
people,  language  and  nation  ;  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the     8 
earth  will  be  found  to  be  worshipping  him  ;  every  one  whose 
name  is  not  recorded  in  the  book  of  Life — the  book  of  the  Lamb 
who  has  been  offered  in  sacrifice  ever  since  the  creation  of  the 
world. 

p,  X  •■-  Let  all  who  have  ears  give  heed.     If  any  one  is    9,  1 

SureRetnbu-  ,       ,       ,  •  ^        .    .        ,  \.  ,^ 

tion  will  come  eager  to  lead  others  mto  captivity,  he  must  himself 

"'seciftors^''"   §°  ^^^*^  captivity.    If  any  one  is  bent  on  killing  with 

the  sword,  he  must  himself  be  killed  by  the  sword. 

Here  is  an  opportunity  for  endurance,  and  for  the  exercise  of 

faith,  on  the  part  of  God's  people. 

Then  I  saw  another  wild  Beast,  coming  up  out     1 1 
wild  B^'^ast^     of  the  earth.     He  had  two  horns  like  those  of  a 

lamb,  but  he  spoke  like  a  dragon.      And  the  au-     12 
thority  of  the  first  wild  Beast — the  whole  of  that  authority— he 
exercises  in  his  presence,  and  he  causes  the  earth  and  its  inhabi- 
tants to  worship  the  first  wild  Beast,  whose  mortal  wound  had 
been  healed.     He  also  works  great  miracles,  so  as  even  to  make     13 
fire  come  down  from  Heaven  to  earth  in  the  presence  of  human 
beings.     And  his  power  of  leading  astray  the  inhabitants  of  the     14 
earth  is  due  to  the  marvels  which  he  has  been  permitted  to 
work  in  the  presence  of  the  wild  Beast.     And  he  told  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  to  erect  a  statue  to  the  wild  Beast  who 
had  received  the  sword-stroke  and    yet  had  recovered.     And     15 
power  was  granted  him  to  give  breath  to  the  statue  of  the  wild 
Beast,  so  that  the  statue  of  the  wild  Beast  could  even  speak 
and  cause  all  who  refuse  to  worship  it  to  be  put  to  death.     And     16 
he  causes  all,  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  free  men  and 
slaves,  to  have  stamped  upon  them  a  mark  on  their  right  hands 
or  on  their  foreheads,  in  order  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to     ij 

'  What  is  the  use  of  making  a  stand  on  behalf  of  principle  ?  The  power  against  us  is 
overwhelming'"  (Dr.  J.  Brown). 

8,  12,  14.    Earth]  Or  'land.' 

II.    Spoke  like  a  drago7t]   Cruelly  and  pitilessly. 

14.  A  statue]  Possibly  a  symbol  of  corrupt  public  opinion. 

17.  Allowed  to  buy  or  sell  &'c.]  "This  seems  to  point  to  the  commercial  and 
spiritual  interdicts  which  have  been  laid  upon  non-conformity  ;  from  eveu  before  the 


656  REVELATION    XIII.-XIV. 

buy  or  sell  unless  he  had  the  mark — either  the  name  of  the  wild 
Beast  or  the  number  which  his  name  represents. 

Here   is    scope   for   ingenuity.     Let    people    of     18 
the  wWd  Beast  shrewd  intelligence  calculate  the  number  of  the 
indicated,      wild   Beast ;  for  it  indicates  a  certain    man,  and 
his  number  is  six  hundred  and  sixty- six. 

Then   I  looked,  and  I  saw  the   Lamb  standing     I 
the  R^edeemer   ^P*^^  Mount   Zion,  and  with   Him  a  hundred  and 
and  His        forty-four  thousand  people,  having  His  name  and  His 
eop  e.        Father's  name  written  on  their  foreheads.      And  I     2 
heard  music  from  Heaven  which  resembled  the  sound  of  many 
waters  and  the  roar  of  loud  thunder  ;  and  the  music  which  1  heard 
was  like  that  of  harpists  playing  upon  their  harps.     And  they  were     3 
singing  what  seemed  to  be  a  new  song,  in  front  of  the  throne 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  four  living  creatures  and  the  elders  ; 
and  no  one  was  able  to  learn  that  song  except  the  hundred  and 
forty-four  thousand  people  who  had  been  redeemed  out  of  the 
world. 

These  are  they  who  had  not  defiled  themselves    4 
^of  Mankind *^  ^^^^  women  :  they  are  as  pure  as  virgins.     They 
Their  spotless  follow    the   Lamb  wherever  He  goes.     They  have 
been  redeemed  from  among  men,  as  firstfruits  to 
God  and  to  the  Lamb.     And  no  lie  has  ever  been  found  upon     5 
their  lips  :  they  are  faultless. 

Four  Voices  from  Heaven. 

And  I  saw  another  angel  flying  across  the  sky,     6 
"""voice^*       carrying  the  Good  News  of  the  ages  to  tell  to  every 

nation,  tribe,  language  and  people,  among  those     7 
who  live  on  the  earth.     He  said  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Fear  God  and 
give  Him  glory,  because  the  time  of  His  judgement  has  come  ; 

interdict  of  Diocletian,  mentioned  by  Bede  in  his  hymn  on  Justin  Martyr,  down  to 
the  last  remaining  disabilities  imposed  upon  non-conformity  in  modern  Papal  or  Pro- 
testant countries  "  (Alford). 

18.  See  xiii.  i,  n.  This  verse  implies  the  possibility  of  the  first  readers  of  the 
Revelation  having  been  able,  with  a  little  ingenuity,  to  discover  the  name  of  the  man 
designated  '  the  wild  Beast.'     Probably,  therefore,  he  was  then  alive. 

1.  [//>on]  hit.  (with  his  face)  'toward.'  144,000]  "This  number  represents  com- 
pleteness and  union  in  the  true  doctrine  and  discipline  of  Christ "  (Wordsworth). 
iVame]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  ii.  17  ;  iii.  12  ;  xxii.  4. 

1-5.  See  Heb.  xii.  22,  n. 

2.  Music  .  .  sound  .  .   roar  .  .  music]  Lit.  '  voice '  (four  times). 

4.  Wherever  He  goes]  "  If  He  goes  to  Gethsemane.  they  follow  Him  thiiher.  IfHe 
goes  to  Calvary,  they  take  up  their  cross  and  follow  Him  thither.  He  is  gone  to 
Heaven,  and  they  will  be  with  Him  there  also  "  (Wordsworth). 

6,  IS,  16,  18,  19.  Earth]  Or 'land.' 


REVELATION    XIV.  657 

and  worship  Him  who  made  sky  and  earth,  the  sea  and  the  water- 
springs," 

And  another,  a  second  angel,  followed,  exclaim-     8 
'^*'voice°"''    ^"g'    "  Great   Babylon  has  fallen,  has  fallen— she 
who  made  all  the  nations  drink  the  wine   of  the 
anger  provoked  by  her  fornication." 

And    another,    a    third    angel,   followed    them,     9 
"^Voice'.""*^      exclaiming  in  a  loud  voice,  "  If  any  one  worships 
the  wild  Beast  and  his  statue,  and  receives  a  mark 
on  his  forehead  or  on   his  hand,  he  shall  drink  the   wine    of     10 
God's  anger  which  stands  ready,  undiluted,  in  the  cup  of  His 
fury,  and  he  shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  sulphur  in  the 
presence  of  the  holy  angels  and  of  the  Lamb.     And  the  smoke  of     1 1 
their  torment   goes   up   until  the    ages   of  the  ages  ;  and  the 
worshippers  of  the  wild   Beast  and  of  his  statue  have  no  rest 
day  or  night,  nor  has  any  one  who  receives  the  mark  of  his 
name.     Here  is   an   opportunity  for  endurance  on  the  part  of     12 
God's  people,  who  carefully  keep  His  commandments  and  the 
faith  of  Jesus  !  " 

And  I  heard  a  voice  from  Heaven  which  said,     13 
^*Vo[?e"'"*^     "Write  as  follows:  'Blessed  are  the  dead  who 
die  in  the  Lord  from  this  time  onward.     Yes,  says 
the  Spirit,  let  them  rest  from  their  sorrowful  labours  ;  for  what 
they  have  done  goes  with  them.'  " 

The  Coming       Then   I   looked,   and  a  white  cloud    appeared,     14 
of  the  Son  of  and  sitting  on  the  cloud  was  some  One  resembling 

Man.   He  reaps  ^,0  r  at  i.       •  .1        r        1  j 

the  Grain      the    bon   ot  Man,  havmg  a  wreath  of  gold  upon 
Harvest.       His  head  and  in  His  hand  a  sharp  sickle.     And     15 

8.  Great  Babylon\  Cp.  xvi.   19  ;  xvii.  5  ;  xviii.   2,  10,  21.     Great]   An  adjective 


applied  to  Jerusalem  in  xi.  8.     Has/alien]  See 
10.  Reaiiy]  I-it.  'mixed.'     Greek  perfect 


dy]  Lit.  'mixed.'     Greek  perfect  participle. 

11.  Torment]  This  noun  also  occurs  in  ix.  5  ;  xviii.  7,  10,  15.  A  noun,  unlike  a 
verb  (or  '  time-word,'  as  the  Germans  call  it),  does  not  indicate  time.  So  '  the  smoke 
of  their  torment'  may  mean  that  of  pain  endured  once  for  all,  and  then  at  an  end. 
There  is  nothing  in  this  verse  that  necessarily  implies  an  eternity  of  suffering.  In  a 
similar  way  the  word  'punishment'  or  'correction'  in  Matt,  xxv,  46  gives  in  itself 
no  indication  of  time,     Cp.  Gen.  -x\x.  28  ;  Jude  7, 

12.  An  opportunity  Qj^c]  Or  '  the  secret  of  the  endurance  of  God's  people.'  Cp. 
xiii.  9,  10. 

13.  Who  die  in  the  Lord  from  this  time  omvard]  When  Jerusalem  fell,  and 
Jiidaisiii,  the  earthly  Kingdom  of  God,  passed  away,  the  Saviour  "opened  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven"  to  all  truly  consecrated  believers.  The  Intermediate  state  of 
Paradise  is  now  abolished  for  all  Christians  who  resemble  in  character  and  watchful- 
ness the  Wise  Virgins  of  Matt,  xxv,  1-13.  At  death  they  go  at  once  to  God  and 
Heaven.  See  Matt.  xvi.  18,  n.  Let  them  rest]  Lit,  (they  die)  'in  order  to  get  rest,' 
From]  Or  'after.' 

14-16.  Corresponds  to  the  gathering  of  the  wheat  into  the  barn  (Matt.  xiii.  30), 
which  Christ  seems  to  have  taught  would  take  place  at  the  end  of  the  Jewish  age 
(Matt,  xiii.  30,  40), 

15,  18,    Use]  Or  '  apply.'     Lit,  'send.' 

UU 


658  REVELATION    XIV.-XV. 

another,  an  angel,  came  out  of  the  sanctuary,  calling  in  a  loud 
voice   to  Him  who  sat  on  the  cloud,   and    saying,   "  Use  your 
sickle  and  reap,  for  the  hour  for  reaping  has  come  :  the  harvest 
of  the  earth  is  over-ripe."     Then  He  who  sat  on  the  cloud  flung     16 
His  sickle  on  the  earth,  and  the  earth  had  its  harvest  reaped. 

And  another  angel  came  out  from  the  sanctuary     17 
The  Vintage  is  j^^  Heaven,  and  he  too  carried  a  sharp  sickle.     And     18 

gathered,  and  '  ' 

is  trodden  in  another  angel  came  out  from  the  altar — he  who  had 
fierce  nger.  p^^^j.  ^^^j.  ^^e — and  he  spoke  in  a  loud  voice  to 
Him  who  had  the  sharp  sickle,  saying,  "  Use  your  sharp  sickle, 
and  gather  the  bunches  from  the  vine  of  the  earth,  for  its  grapes 
are  now  quite  ripe."  And  the  angel  flung  his  sickle  down  to  the  19 
earth,  and  reaped  the  vi  ne  of  the  earth  and  threw  the  grapes  into  the 
great  winepress  of  God's  anger.  And  the  winepress  was  trodden  20 
outside  the  city,  and  out  of  it  came  blood  reaching  the  horses' 
bridles  for  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles. 

The   seven   Plagues. 

Then   I   saw  another  marvel  in  Heaven,  great     I  ] 
ar^e^brofgiit    ^^^  wonderful— there  were  seven  angels  bringing 
by  seven      seven  plagues.     These  are  the  last  plagues,  because 
"^^  ^'        in  them  God's  anger  has  found  full  expression. 
The  redeemed      And   I  saw  what  seemed  to  be   a  sea  of  glass    2 
gr^j  T°?ifmph  mingled  with  fire,  and  those  who  had  gained  the 
to  God.        victory  over  the  wild  Beast  and  over  his  statue 
and  the  number  of  his  name,  standing  by  the  sea  of  glass  and 
having  harps  which  belonged  to  God.     And  they  were  singing     3 
the  song  of  Moses,  God's  servant,  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb. 
Their  words  were, 

"  Great  and  wonderful  are  Thy  works, 
O  Lord  God,  the  Ruler  of  all. 
Righteous  and  true  are  Thy  ways, 
O  King  of  the  nations. 

16,  19.  Flung]  Or  'put  in.' 

17-20.  Corresponds  to  the  gathering  up  and  burning  of  the  Tares  (Matt.  xiii.  30). 
20.  200  miles\  A  possible  reference  to   the    geographical   length  of   Palestine — 
from  north  to  south.     In  the  Jewish  war  the  whole  country  was  deluged  with  blood. 

2.  A  sed\  As  in  Solomon's  temple  (i  Kings  vii.  23).  By  the  sea]  Lit.  (with  their 
faces)  'towards  the  sea.' 

3.  They  ive7-e  sinking  the  song  of  Moses  .  .  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb]  i.e.  they 
were  giving  endless  thanks  to  God,  not  only  for  the  salvation  which  came  to  them  in 
Christ,  but  also  for  the  conflict  with  sin  and  sorrow  which  went  before,  taught  them 
their  need  of  Christ,  and  made  them  ready  and  willing  to  accept  Him  when,  at  last. 
He  was  presented  to  them.  The  goodness  of  our  Heavenly  Father  is  as  unmistak- 
able in  the  stern,  preliminary  discipline  of  law,  as  in  the  gift  of  the  Saviour  Himself. 


REVELATION   XV. -XVI.  659 

Who  shall  not  be  afraid,  O  Lord,  and  glorify  Thy  name  ?         4 

For  Thou  alone  art  holy. 

All  nations  shall  come  and  shall  worship  Thee, 

Because  the  righteousness  of  all  that  Thou  hast  done  has 

been  made  manifest." 

The  Plagues        After  this,  when  the  doors  of  the  sanctuary  of    5 

ta°kSbiy  fl^om    ^^^   ^^"^   ^^   witness  in   Heaven  were   opened,  I 

Heaven        looked  ;  and  there  came  out  of  the  sanctuary  the     6 
and  God.  ,        ,  ....  ,    •^ 

seven  angels  who  were  brmgmg  the  seven  plagues. 

The  angels  were  clad  in  pure,  bright  linen,  and  wore  belts  of 

gold  across  their  breasts.     And  one  of  the  four  living  creatures     7 

gave  the  seven  angels  seven  bowls  of  gold,  full  of  the  anger 

of  God  .who  lives  until  the  ages  of  the  ages.     And  the  sanctuary     8 

was  filled  with  smoke  from  the  glory  of  God  and  from  His  power ; 

and  no  one  could  enter  the   sanctuary  till   the  seven  plagues 

brought  by  the  seven  angels  were  at  an  end. 

Then  I  heard  a  loud  voice  from  the  sanctuary     i 

"^Piagii?.*      ^^y  ^°  ^^^  seven  angels,  "  Go  and  pour  on  to  the 

earth  the  seven  bowls  of  the  anger  of  God."     So     2 

the  first  angel  went  away  and  poured  his  bowl  on  to  the  earth  ; 

and  it  brought  a  bad  and  painful  sore  upon  the  men  who  had  on 

them  the  mark  of  the  wild  Beast  and  worshipped  his  statue. 

The  second  angel  poured  his  bowl  into  the  sea,     3 

"""RagSe"**    and  it  became  blood,  like  a  dead  man's  blood,  and 

every  living  creature  in  the  sea  died. 

The  third  angel  poured  his  bowl  into  the  rivers     4 

"'"piagu'e'.''      ^^^  springs  of  water,  and  they  became  blood.  And     5 

I  heard  the  angel  of  the  waters  say,  "  Righteous 

art  Thou,  who  art  and  wast,  the  holy  One,  because  Thou  hast  thus 

taken  vengeance  ;    for  they  poured  out  the  blood  of  Thy  people     6 

and  of  the  prophets,  and  in  return  Thou  hast  given  them  blood 

to  drink  :  and  this  they  deserved."     And  I  heard  a  voice  from     7 

the  altar  say,  "  Even  so,  O  Lord  God,  the  Ruler  of  all,  true  and 

righteous  are  Thy  judgements." 


Servant]    Lit.    'bondservant.'      The  nations]    v.l,    'the  ages.'      Another  v.L.  is 
'saints.' 

4.  Alone  art  holy]  The  word  here  used  ."attributes  holiness  that  punishes  as  well 
as  holiness  that  has  mercy.  It  sets  God  before  us  as  a  being  who  is  true  and  faithful 
in  holiness,  true  to  Himself  and  true  to  His  creatures  in  all  the  various  relations  He 
has  towards  them  "  (Edward  Seeley,  Great  Reconciliation'). 

6.  Linen]  v.l.  'stone  ;'  i.e.  alabaster  or  white  marble. 

1,  2,  14.  Earth]  Or  'land.' 

2.  It  brought]  Lit.  'it  became.'  Or  we  might  render  'a  bad  and  painful  sore  broke 
out  upon.' 

5.  The  holy  One]  v.l.  '  and  shale  be.' 


66o  REVELATION    XVI. 

Then  the  fourth  angel  poured  his  bowl  on  to  the     8 
"'^plague**^     sun,  and  power  was  given  to  it  to  scorch  men  with 

fire.     And  the  men  were  severely  burned  ;  and  yet     9 
they  spoke  evil  of  God  who  had  power  over  the  plagues,  and 
they  did  not  repent  so  as  to  give  Him  glory. 

The  fifth  angel  poured  his  bowl  on  to  the  throne     10 
""piague^      of  the   wild  Beast  ;    and    his    kingdom    became 
darkened.     People  gnawed  their  tongues  because 
of  the  pain,  and  they  spoke  evil  of  the  God  in  Heaven  because     11 
of  their  pains   and  their  sores,  and   did   not   repent  of  their 
misconduct. 

The  sixth  angel  poured  his  bowl  into  that  great     12 
^pfaeue*^      river,  the  Euphrates  ;  and  its  stream  was  dried  up 
in  order  to  clear  the  way  for  the  kings  who  are  to 
come  from  the  east.     Then  I  saw  three  foul  spirits,  resembling     13 
frogs,  issue  from  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
wild  Beast,  and  from  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet.     For  they     14 
are  the  spirits  of  demons  working  marvels — spirits  that  go  out 
to  control  the  kings  of  the  whole  earth,  to  assemble  them  for  the 
battle  which  is  to  take  place  on  the  great  day  of  God,  the  Ruler 
of  all.     ("il  am  coming  like  a  thief.     Blessed  is  the  man  who     15 
keeps  awake  and  guards  his  raiment  for  fear  he  walk  about 
ill-clad,     and    his    uncomeliness    become     manifest.")       And     16 
assemble  them  they  did  at  the  place  called  in  Hebrew  '  Har- 
Magedon.' 

Then  the  seventh  angel  poured  his  bowl  into     17 
^^^Piaglfe"**^    the  air ;  and  a  loud  voice  came  out  of  the  sanc- 
tuary  from   the   throne,    saying,    "  Everything   is 
now  ready."     Flashes  of  lightning  followed,  and  voices,  and     18 
peals  of  thunder,  and  an  earthquake  more  dreadful  than  there 
had  ever  been    since   there   was   a  man   upon   the  earth — so 
terrible  was  it  and  so  great  !     The  great  city  was  split  into  three     19 
parts  ;  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell  ;  and  great  Babylon  came 
into  remembrance  before  God,  for  Him  to  make  her  drink  from 

II.   Their  misconduct]  Lit.  '  their  works.' 

14.  The  ^reat  day  o/Goii]  See  Acts  ii.  20,  n. 

15.  Ill-clad]  Lit.  '  naked.' 

16.  Har- Mage  don]  i.e.  the  mountain  of  Megiddo  (or  slaughter).  "It  rises  from 
the  famous  plain  or  Esdraelon  of  Jezreel,  which  was  the  great  battle-field  of  Pales- 
tine. '  Two  kings  perished  on  its  soil  ;  some  of  Israel's  chief  victories  were  won 
here;  and  also  two  of  the  saddest  dirges  of  the  Jewish  nation  were  evoked  by  the 
defeats  of  Gilboa  and  Megiddo.'"  (Dr.  J.  Brown.)  See  Judges  v.  ig  ;  2  Kings  ix. 
27  ;  xxiii.  29,  30;  2  Chroii.  xxxv.  22. 

19.  Thj-ee  parts]  Cp.  Ezek.  v.  1-5.  Great  Babylon]  In  The  Parousia  {^'^.  484-97), 
Dr.  J.  S.  Russell  gives  forcible  reasons  for  identifying  Babylon  with  Jerusalem  rather 


REVELATION    XVI.-XVII. 


66i 


the  wine-cup  of  His  fierce  anger.  Every  island  fled  away,  and 
there  was  not  a  mountain  anywhere  to  be  seen.  And  heavy 
hail,  that  seemed  to  be  a  talent  in  weight,  fell  from  the  sky  upon 
the  people  ;  and  they  spoke  evil  of  God  on  account  of  the 
plague  of  the  hail — because  the  plague  of  it  was  exceedingly 
severe. 


20 
21 


An  Angel 
addresses 
the  Seer. 


The  great  Harlot. 

Then  one  of  the  seven  angels  who  were  carrying  i 
the  seven  bowls  came  and  spoke  to  me.  "  Come 
with  me,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  show  you  the  doom 
ot  the  great  harlot  who  sits  upon  many  waters.  The  kings  of  2 
the  earth  have  committed  fornication  with  her,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of 
her  fornication." 

....  So   he   carried  me    away  in  the    Spirit  into  a     t, 

A    Vision  ■ 

of  the  great    desert,  and   there    I    saw  a   woman  sitting  on  a 
Harlot.        scarlet-coloured  wild  Beast  which  was  covered  with 
names  of  blasphemy  and  had  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.     The     4 


than  with  Rome.  So  in  xi.  8  the  names  'Sodom'  and  'Egypt'  are  symboh'cally 
applied  to  Jerusalem.  Dr.  Russell  tabulates  as  follows  the  contrasts  between  the 
earthly  and  heavenly  Jerusalem?,  as  expressed  or  implied  in  the  New  Testament : 


The  new  Jerusalem  (Rev.  iii.  12  ;  xxi. 

2). 
The  heavenly  Jerusalem  (Heb.  xii.  22). 
The   city   which    has    the    foundations 

(Heb.  xi.  10). 
The  city  built  by  God  (Heb.  xi.  10,  16). 
The  Jerusalem  which  was  soon  to  come 

(Heb.  xiii.  14). 
The  Jerusalem  which  is  above  (Gal.  iv. 

26). 
The  Jerusalem  which  is  free  (Gal.   iv. 

26). 
The  holy  and  faithful  city  (Rev.  xxi.  2). 
The  Bride  (Rev.  xxi.  2). 


The  old  Jerusalem. 

The  earthly  Jerusalem. 

The  non-continuing  city  (Heb.  xiii.  14). 

The  city  built  by  men. 

The  Jerusalem  which  then  was  (Gal.  iv. 

25). 
The  Jerusalem  which  was  below. 

The   Jerusalem  which  was  in  bondage 

(Gal.  iv.  25), 
The  wicked,  apostate  city. 
The  Harlot  (Rev.  xvii.  i). 


21.   That  seoned  to  be']  Or  '  of  about.' 

1.  Harlot]  "  Rome  was  not  capable  of  violating  the  covenant  of  her  God,  or  of 
being  false  to  her  divine  Husband,  for  she  was  never  the  married  wife  of  Jehovah. 
But  all  through  their  testimony,  this  is  the  sin  and  this  the  name  which  the  O.T. 
prophets  hurl  against  Jerusalem."  See  Isa.  i.  21  ;  Ivii.  8  ;  Jer.  ii.  20 ;  iii.  ;  iv.  30  ; 
xi.  15;  xiii.  27;  Ezek.  xvi.,  xxii.,  xxiii.  Ma7ty\  v.L.  'the  many.'  ^its  upon  many 
ivaters]  It'interpreted  of  Jerusalem  this  may  refer  to  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  at 
that  time  over  many  parts  of  the  earth,  anU  their  world-wide  influence  ;  if  of  Rome 
it  may  denote  her  world-wide  dominion. 

2.  Earth]  Or  'land.'  So  in  verses  5,  8,  18.  Kings  of  the  earth]  In  Acts  iv.  26 
these  words  mean  '  the  rulers  of  Palestine.'     With  her]  Or  '  in  company  wiih  her.' 

3.  Scarlet-coloured]  Or  'blood-red.'  Not  the  word  ('fiery-red')  used  in  vi.  4. 
Sitting  on  a  .  .  wild  Beast]  If  the  woman  symbolizes  ancient  Jerusalem,  these 
words  symbolize  her  subjecion  to,  and  dependence  on  the  imperial  power  of  Rome. 
Others  suppose  that  her  position  upon  the  Beast  means  the  rule  of  the  city  of  Rome 
over  its  empire. 


662  REVELATION   XVII. 

woman  was  clothed  in  purple  and  scarlet,  and  was  brilliantly 
attired  with  gold  and  jewels  and  pearls.     She  held  in  her  hand  a 
cup  of  gold,  full  of  abominations  and  she  gave  filthy  indications 
of  her  fornication.     And  on  her  forehead  was  a  name  written  :     5 
"  I  am  a  symbol  of  great  Babylon,  the  mother  of  the  harlots  and 
of  the   abominations  of  the  earth.''     And    I    saw  the    woman     6 
drinking  herself  drunk  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the 
blood  of  the  witnesses  of  Jesus.     And  when  I  saw  her  I  was 
filled  with  utter  astonishment. 
^^   „  Then  the  angel  said  to  me,  "Why  are  you  so     7 

The  Meaning  •   ,      j  -,        t         -,1  1    ■  1 

of  the  Vision    astonished  ?      I    will   explain    to   you    the   secret 
explained,     meaning  of  the  woman  and  of  the  seven-headed, 
ten-horned  wild  Beast  which  carries  her. 

*'  The  wild  Beast  which  you  have  seen  was,  and  is  not,  and     8 
yet  is  destined  to  re-ascend,  before  long,  out  of  the  bottomless 
pit  and  go  his  way  into  perdition.     And  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  will  be  filled  with  amazement — all  whose  names  are  not 
in  the  book  of  Life,  having  been  recorded  there  ever  since  the 
creation  of  the  world — when  they  see  the  wild  Beast  :  because 
he  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is  to  come.       Here  is  scope  for  the    9 
exercise  of  a  mind  that  has  wisdom  !     The  seven  heads  are  the 
seven  hills  on   which  the  woman  sits.      And    they  are  seven 
kings  :  five  of  them  have  fallen,  and  the  one  is  still  reigning.     10 
The  seventh  has  not  yet  come,  but  when  he  comes  he  must  con- 
tinue for  a  short  time.      And  the  wild  Beast  which  once  existed     11 
but  does  not  now  exist — he  is  an  eighth  king  and  yet  is  one  of 
the  seven  and  he  goes  his  way  into  perdition. 

And  the  ten  horns  which  you  have  seen  are  ten  kings  who     12 
have  not  yet  come  to  the  throne,  but  for  a  single  hour  they  are 
to  receive  authority  as  kings  along  with  the  wild  Beast.      They     13 
have  one  common  policy,  and  they  are  to  give  their  power  and 
authority  to  the  wild  Beast.     They  will  make  war  upon  the     14 

4.  Brilliantly  attired]  The  parallel  is  probably  a  fanciful  one  which  some  Protes- 
tant commentators  have  discerned  between  this  and  the  garments  of  purple,  scarlet 
and  gold,  adorned  with  precious  stones,  worn  by  the  Pope  and  his  cardinals. 

6.    The  blood  of  the  saints]  See  xviii.   20,  24,  n. 

8.  Re-ascend]  Cp.  Eph.  iv.  9,  n.      Is  to  cofite]  Or  'will  be  present.' 

9.  Here  is  scoJ>e  &r'c.]  Possibly  implying  that  the  interpretation  which  most  readily 
suggests  itself  ot  the  '  seven  hills '  is  not  the  true  one.  Seven  hills]  May  merely 
denote  a  very  mountainous  situation,  or  worldly  prominence.  Or  it  may  be  inter- 
preted literally  of  Constantinople,  Jerusalem,  or  Rome. 

10.  Seven  kings~\  Has  been  explained  of  empires  rather  than  of  men.  If  the 
words  be  taken  literally  they  may  denote  either  (i)  seven  Roman  emperors;  (2) 
seven  Roman  procurators  in  Judaea  ;  (3)  the  seven  Herods.  One  is  still  reigning] 
If  he  could  now  be  identified  as  Nero,  or  as  any  other  definite  person,  this,  of 
course,  would  fix  the  date  of  the  Apocalypse. 

12.   Ten  horns]  Possibly  the  allies  of  Rome  in  the  Jewish  war. 


REVELATION    XVII.-XVIII.  665 

Lamb,  and  the  Lamb  will  triumpli  over  them,  for  He  is  Lord  of 
lords  and  King  of  kings,  and  they  who  accompany  Him — called, 
as  they  are,  and  chosen,  and  faithful — shall  share  in  the 
victory." 

He  also  said  to  me,  "The  waters  which  you  have  seen,  on     15 
which  the  harlot  sits,  are  peoples  and  multitudes,  nations  and 
languages.     And  the  ten  horns  that  you  have  seen — and  the     16 
wild  Beast— these  vvill  hate  the  harlot,  and  they  will  cause  her  to 
be  laid  waste  and  will  strip  her  bare.     They  will  eat  her  flesh, 
and  burn  her  up  with  fire.     For  God  has  put  it  into  their  hearts     17 
to  carry  out  His  purpose,  and  to  carry  out  a  common  purpose 
and  give  their  kingdom  to  the  wild  Beast  until  God's  words 
have  come  to  pass.     And  the  woman  whom  you  have  seen  is     18 
the  great  city  which  has  kingly    power    over   the  kings  of  the 
earth." 

The  Downfall  of  Babylon. 

y^g  After  these  things  I  saw  another  angel  coming     i   1 

Wickedness     down  from  Heaven,  armed  with  great  power.     The 
Overthrowof    earth  shone  with  his  splendour,  and  with  a  mighty     2 
the  City.       voice  he  cried  out,  saying, 
"  Great  Babylon  has  fallen,  has  fallen. 
And  has  become  a  home  for  demons 
And  a  stronghold  for  every  kind  of  foul  spirit 
And  for  every  kind  of  foul  and  hateful  bird. 
For  all  the  nations  have  drunk  the  wine  of  the  anger  pro-     3 

voked  by  her  fornication, 
And  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication  with 

her. 
And  the  merchants  of  the  earth  have  grown  rich  through 
her  excessive  luxury." 

Then  I  heard  another  voice  from  Heaven,  which     4 

Christ's  -J 

People  are      ^^'"' 

bidden  to  "  Come  out  of  her,  My  people, 

leave  the  City.  .r,     ,  \.  i  \   i  •     u 

That  you  may  not  become  partakers  m  her  sms, 

Nor  receive  a  share  of  her  plagues. 

For  her  sins  are  piled  up  to  the  sky,  5 

And  God  has  called  to  mind  her  unrighteous  deeds. 

16.  Haie\  Cp.  Josephus,  History,  v.  i  ;   IVars,  ii.   18. 

18.  Gnat  city]  Jerusalem  is  so  described  in  xi.  8,      Kiiu^s  0/  the  earth]  See  Acts 
iv.   26.     The  words  are  there  applied  to  the  rulers  of  Palestine. 

3,  9,   II,  23.   Ear.h]  Or  'land.' 

4.  Come  out  0/  her,  My  people]  Cp.  Matt.  xxiv.  16;  Mark  xiii.  14. 


664  REVELATION    XVIII. 

Give  back  to  her  as  she  has  given  ;  6 

Repay  her  in  accordance  with  her  doings,  twice  as  much  ; 

In  the  bowl  that  she  has  mixed,  mix  twice  as  much    for 
her. 

She  has  freely  glorified  herself  and  revelled  in  luxury  ;  7 

Equally  freely  administer  torment  to  her,  and  woe  ; 

For  in  her  heart  she  boasts,  saying,  '  I   sit  enthroned  as 
queen  : 

No  widow  am  I  :  I  shall  never  know  sorrow.' 
The  Grief  and       ''For  this  reason   calamities  shall  come  thick     8 
Terror  of  her  upon  her  on  a  single  day — 

Friends.    But       '  ^^        .  ,  "^  j  r        • 

there  is  Joy        Death  and  sorrow  and  ramme  ; 
in  Heaven.         js^^^  ghe  shall  be  burned  to  the  ground. 
For  strong  is  the  Lord  God  who  has  judged  her. 
The  kings  of  the  earth  who  have  committed  fornication  with     9 

her  and  have  revelled  in  luxury 
Shall  weep  aloud  and  lament  over  her 
When  they  see  the  smoke  of  her  burning, 
While  they  stand  afar  off  because  of  their   terror  at  her     10 

heavy  punishment, 
And    say,    'Alas,  alas,    thou    great  city,   O    Babylon,    the 

mighty  city  ! 
For  in  one  short  hour  thy  doom  has  come  ! ' 
And  the  merchants  of  the  earth  weep  aloud  and  lament     11 

over  her, 
Because  now  there  is  no  sale  for  their  cargoes — 
Cargoes  of  gold  and  silver,  12 

Of  jewels  and  pearls, 

Of  fine  linen,  purple  and  silk,  and  of  scarlet  stuff  ; 
All  kinds  of  rare  woods,  and  all  kinds  of  goods  in  ivory 
And  in  very  costly  wood. 
In  bronze,  steel  and  marble  ; 

Also  cinnamon  and  amomum  ;  13 

Odours  to  burn  as  incense  or  for  perfume  ; 
Frankincense,  wine,  oil  ; 
Fine  flour,  wheat,  cattle  and  sheep  ; 

6.  She  has  given]  Lit.  '  she  has  given  back.'  Twice  as  imtch]  Cp.  what  is  said  of 
Jerusalem  in  Isa.  xl.  2.  The  firstborn  among  the  Jews,  being  doubly  privileged, 
deserved  double  punishment  when  he  sinned  against  his  privileges.  Cp.  also  the 
'  plentifully  rewardeth'  of  Ps.  xxxi.  23. 

8.  Bu7-ned  to  the  ground]  Or  '  utterly  burned  up.'  Lit.  '  burned  down  with 
fire.'  The  Lord]  V. I.,  omits  these  words.  10,16,18,19,21.  Gieat  city]  icrusaXem 
is  so  described  in  xi.  8. 

13.  Perfume]  Especially  for  the  hair. 


REVELATION    XVIII.  665 

Horses  and  carriages  and  slaves  ; 

And  the  lives  of  men. 

The  dainties  that  thy  soul  longed  for  are  gone  from  thee,     14 

And  all  thine  elegance  and  splendour  have  perished, 

And  never  again  shall  they  be  found. 

They  who  traded  in  these  things,  who  grew  wealthy  through     1 5 

her, 
Will  stand  afar  off,  struck  with  terror  at  her  punishment, 
Weeping  aloud  and  sorrowing,  and  saying, 

'Alas,  alas  ;  for  this  great  city,  16 

Which  was  brilliantly  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  and  purple  and 

scarlet  stuff, 
And  beautified  with  gold,  jewels  and  pearls  ; 
Because  in  one  short  hour  all  this  great  wealth  has  been     17 

laid  waste  ! ' 
And  every  shipmaster  and  every  passenger  by  sea 
And  the  crews  and  all  who  ply  their  trade  on  the  sea 
Stood  afar  off,  and  cried  aloud  '  18 

When    they   saw   the   smoke   of  her    burning  ;    and    they 

said, 
*  What  city  is  like  this  great  city  ?' 
And  they  threw  dust  upon  their  heads,  19 

And  cried  out,  weeping  aloud  and  sorrowing. 
'Alas,  alas,'  they  said,  'for  this  great  city, 
In  which,  through  her  vast   wealth,  the  owners  of  all  the 

ships  on  the  sea  have  grown  rich  ; 
Because  in  one  short  hour  she  has  been  laid  waste  ! ' 
Rejoice  over  her,  O  Heaven,  20 

And  you  saints  and  apostles  and  prophets  ; 
For  God  has  taken  vengeance  on  her  because  of  you." 
^,     „  .      ^        Then  a  single  angel  of  great  strength  took  a     21 

The  Rum  of  ,-    ,  Li    j  i  n 

the  City  is     stone    which    resembled    a    huge  millstone,   and 
complete.       ^^^^^^  j^  -^^^^  ^^^  ^^^^  Saying, 

"  So  shall  Babylon,  that  great  city,  be  violently  hurled  down 

and  never  again  be  found. 
No  harp  or  song,  no  flute  or  trumpet,  shall  ever  again  be     22 

heard  in  thee  ; 
No  craftsman  of  any  kind  shall  ever  again  be  found  in 

thee  ; 
Nor  shall  the  grinding  of  the  mill  ever  again  be  heard  in 

thee. 
Never  again  shall  the  light  of  a  lamp  shine  in  thee,  23 


666  REVELATION  XVIII.-XIX. 

And  never  again  shall   the  voice  of  a  biidegrooni  or  of  a 

bride  be  heard  in  thee  : 
For  thy  merchants  were  the  great  men  of  the  earth, 
And  with  the  magic  which  thou   didst  practise  all  nations 

were  led  astray. 
And  in  her  was  found  the  blood  of  prophets  and  of  God's     2i\ 

people 

And  of  all  who  had  been  put  to  death  on  the  earth." 

^ ^         After   this   I    seemed    to    hear    the    far-echoing     I 

Tne   Inhabit-  .  ,.,.,,  v-j 

anis  of  Heaven  voices  of  a  great  multitude  m  Heaven,  who  said, 
give  Thanks.        ^*  Hallelujah  ! 

The  salvation  and  the  glory  and  the  power 

Belong  to  our  God. 

True  and  just  are  His  judgements,  2 

Because  He  has  judged  the  great  harlot  who  was  corrupting 

the  whole  earth  with  her  fornication, 
And  He  has  taken  vengeance  for  the  blood  of  His  bond- 
servants which  her  hands  have  shed." 
And  a  second  time  they  said,  3 

"  Hallelujah  ! 

For  her  smoke  ascends  until  the  ages  of  the  ages." 
And  the  twenty-four  elders  and  the  four  living  creatures   fell     4 
down  and  worshipped  God  who  sits  upon  the  throne.     "  Even 
so,"  they  said,  "  Hallelujah  !  "     And  from  the  throne  there  came     5 
a  voice  which  said, 

"  Praise  our  God,  all  you  His  bondservants — 
You  who  fear  Him,  both  the  small  and  the  great." 
Their  Joy  at        And   I    seemed  to  hear  the  voices  of  a  great     6 
^^^^Ch'rTst'-f  °^riiultitude  and  the  sound  of  many   waters  and  of 
Kingdom,  and  Joud  peals  of  thunder,  which  said, 

of  His  iVlar-  a  o    n    1    •    1    » 

riage  Feast.  Hallelujah  ! 

Because  the  Lord  our  God,  the  Ruler  of  all,  has  become 

King. 
Let  us  rejoice  and  triumph  7 

And  give  Him  the  glory  ; 

For  the  time  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  has  come. 
And  His  bride  has  made  herself  ready." 

24.   The  blood  of  prophets]  A  crime  of  which  Jerusalem,  rather  than  Rome,  was 
specially  guilty  (Matt,   xxiii.   29-37  ;  Luke  xiii.  33). 

1,  3,  4,  6.  Hnllelujali\  i.e.    '  Praise  Jah,'  the  last  syllable  being  a  contracted  form 
of  the  name  '  Jehovah.' 

2,  19.  Earth]  Or  '  land.' 

6.  Has  becovie  King]  See  Aon'st  vi.  6. 

7.  The  marriage  0/ the  Lamb]  Cp.  Luke  xiv.  16. 


REVELATION    XIX.  667 

And  she  was  permitted  to  array  herself  in  fine  Hnen,  shining     8 
and  spotless  ;  the  fine  linen  being  the  righteous  actions  of  God's 
people.      And  he  said  to  me,  "  Write  as  follows  :  '  Blessed  are     9 
they  who  receive  an  invitation  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb ;' "  and  he  added,  still  addressing  me,  "These  are  truly  the 
words  of  God."      Then  I  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship  him  !    But  he     10 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  do  not  do  that  :  I  am  a  fellow  bondservant  of 
yours  and  a  fellow  bondservant  of  your  brethren  who  have  borne 
testimony  to  Jesus  ;  worship  God."     Testimony  to  Jesus  is  the 
spirit  which  underlies  prophecy. 
Aeiorious  Then  I  saw  a  door  open  in  Heaven,  and  a  white     11 

Vision  of  our   horse  appeared.    Its  rider  was  named  "Faithful  and 
dfemerand    True" — being  One  who  in   righteousness  acts  as 
King.         Judge,  and  makes  war.     His  eyes  were  like  a  flame     12 
of  fire,  and  on  His  head  were  many  kingly  crowns  ;  and  He  has 
a  name  written  upon  Him  which  no  one  but  He  Himself  knows. 
The  outer  garment  in  which   He  is  clad-  has  been  dipped  in     13 
blood,  and  His  name  is  THE  WORD  OF  GOD.     The  armies     14 
in  Heaven  followed  Him— mounted  on  white  horses  and  clothed 
in  fine  linen,  white  and  spotless.     From  His  mouth  there  comes     15 
a  sharp  sword  with  which  He  will  smite  the  nations  ;    and   He 
will  Himself  be  their  Shepherd,  ruling  them  with  a  sceptre  of 
iron  ;  audit  is  His  work  to  tread  the  winepress  of  the  fierce 
anger  of  God,  the  Ruhr  of  all.     And  on  His  outer  garment  and     16 
on  His  thigh  He  has  a  name  written, 

KING  OF  KINGS  AND  LORD  OF  LORDS. 

And  I  saw  a  single  angel  standing  on  the   sun,     17 
Destruct^o^n ^  who  cried  with  a  loud  voice  to  all  the   birds  that 
of  His  human  flg^  across  the  sky,    "  Come   and  be  present  at 

God's   great  supper,   that    you  may  feast  on  the     18 
flesh  of  kings,  and  the  flesh  of  generals  and  the  flesh  of  mighty 
men,  on  the  flesh  of  horses  and  their  riders,  and  on  the  flesh  of 
all  mankind  whether  they  are  free  men  or  slaves,  great  men  or 
small." 

8.  Righteous  actions]  Or,  possibly,  '  clearing  of  the  characters.' 

9.  Marriage  supper]  To  which  the  Lord's-  Supper  now  points  forward,  and  for 
which  it  bids  us  prepare. 

\\.  A  white  horse]  "  Christ,  the  Rider  on  the  White  Horse,  who  had  been  revealed 
in  the  First  Seal,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  going  forth  conquering  and  to 
conquer,  is  now  seen  at  the  end.  He  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  the  Apocalypse  " 
(Wordsworth). 

12.  Like  ajiaine]  v.  l.  omits  the  word   'like.'     No  one  .  .  knows]  Cp.  ii.  17. 

13.  THE  WORD  OF  GOD]  "  He  is  the  Revealer  of  the  Father  and  the  very 
utterance  of  His  mind  and  heart."     Cp.  John  i.  i. 


668  REVELATION    XIX.-XX. 

And  I  saw  the  wild  Beast,  and  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
their  armies,  all  assembled  to  make  war,  once  for  all,  against 
the  Rider  upon  the  horse  and  against  His  army.  And  the  wild 
Beast  was  captured,  and  with  him  the  false  prophet  who  had 
done  the  miracles  in  his  presence  with  which  he  had  led  astray 
those  who  had  received  the  mark  of  the  wild  Beast,  and  those 
who  worshipped  his  statue.  Both  of  them  were  thrown  alive 
into  the  lake  of  fire  that  was  all  ablaze  with  sulphur.  But  the 
rest  were  killed  with  the  sword  that  came  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Rider  on  the  horse.  And  the  birds  all  fed  ravenously  upon  their 
flesh. 

_.     ^    ...  Then  I  saw  an  angel  coming  down  from  Heaven, 

The  Devil  IS     ,        .  ,       ,  r    ,       ,  ,  i  ,  • 

put  into       having  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  upon  his 

Prison.        g^^j^  YiQ  carried  a  great  chain.      He  laid  hold  of 

the   dragon — the   ancient  serpent — who  is  the  Devil   and  the 

Adversary,  and  bound  him  for  a  thousand  years,  and  hurled  him 

into  the  bottomless  pit.      He  closed  the  entrance  and  put  a  seal 

upon  him  in  order  that  he  might  be  unable  to  lead  the  nations 

astray   any   more   until   the   thousand   years    were   at   an  end. 

Afterwards  he  is  to  be  set  at  liberty  for  a  short  time. 

And  I  saw  thrones,  and   some  who  were  seated 

Martyrs  and  ,  i  •     j  i         *       i 

Saints  rise  to  on  them,  to  whom  judgment  was  entrusted.  And 
kinefy^Power  ^  ^^^^  ^^^  souls  of  those  who  had  been  beiieaded 
on  account  of  the  testimony  that  they  had  borne 
to  Jesus  and  on  account  of  God's  Message,  and  also  the  souls  of 
those  who  had  not  worshipped  the  wild  Beast  or  his  statue,  nor 


19.  Ofice  for  all\  Not  expressed  in  the  Greek,  but  implied  in  the  aorist  tense  of 
the  verb. 

2.  'J'he  Adversary]  Lit.  '  the  Satan.'  Cp.  Mark  viii.  33.  Boiinil  hini\  Cp.  Matt. 
xii.  29.  If,  in  accordance  with  the  reiterated  statement  of  Rev.  i.  i,  3,  19  ;  xxii. 
6,  10  ;  this  took  place  shortly  after  the  Apocalypse  was  written,  then  throughout  ihe 
Christian  era  the  Devil's  work  of  tempting  and  injuring  mankind  has  had  to  be  done 
for  him  with  inferior  power  and  skill  and  diminished  success  by  subordinate  evil 
spirits.  A  thousand  years]  The  Apocalypse  being  a  book  full  ofsymbjls,  this  may 
stand  simply  for  an  exceedingly  long  period,  of  which  the  duration  is  unknown  to 
us.  Only  its  beginning  can  fall  within  the  limits  of  time  laid  down  in  i.  i,  3,  19; 
xxii.  6,  10. 

4.  Thrones]  See  iii.  21,  n.  IVere  seated]  Or  'took  their  seats.'  Or  on  their 
hands]  Lit.  'and  on  their  hands.'  See  xiii.  16  ;  xiv.  9.  The  ordinary  '  pre-millen- 
nial  '  application  of  this  verse  "is  absolutely  untenable  for  these  two  reasons,  apart 
from  any  question  about  the  millennium  itself,  (i)  It  was  the  (disembodied)  souls  ot 
the  martyrs  which  S.  John  saw,  not  the  risen  bodies  of  saints.  (2)  The  word  trans- 
lated '  beheaded  '  is  as  technical  a  word  (so  to  speak)  as  our  word  'guillotined,'  and 
refers  exclusively  to  those  who  died  under  the  '  axe'  of  the  State  executioner  of  the 
Roman  empire.  Before  any  one  can  rightly  understand  the  just  'recompense  of 
reward'  signified  in  this  verse,  he  must  realize  the  exceeding  bitterness  of  the  long 
conflict  between  public  law  and  private  conscience— the  exceeding  trial  to  a  Rom.m 
citizen  of  being  condemned  to  the  axe  as  a  disloyal  person,  a  breaker  of  the  laws, 
and  a  traitor  to  the  State"  (Canon  Rayner  Winterbotham,  Sermons  and  Exposi- 
tions, p.  379).     Came  to  Life]  Lit.  'lived.' 


REVELATION   XX.  669 

received  his  mark  on  their  foreheads  or  on  their  hands  ;  and 

they  came  to  Life  and  were  kings  with   Christ  for  a  thousand 

years.     No  one  else  who  was  dead  rose  to  Life  until  the  thou-     5 

sand   years    were   at  an    end.     This  is  the  first   resurrection. 

Blessed  and  iioly  are  they  who  share  in  the  first  resurrection.     6 

The  second  death  has  no  power  over  them,  but  they  shall  be 

priests  to  God  and  to  Christ,  and  shall  be  kings  with  Him  for 

the  thousand  years. 

„  ,     .       ^   ,      But  when  the  thousand  years  are  at  an  end,  the     7 
Satan  IS  set  at   .   ,  ...  ,  ,  ,•'.  ...  .  '  ' 

Liberty  for  a   Adversary  will  be  released  from  his  imprisonment, 

De'stRlctk>n.    ^^^  ^'^^  S^  out  to  lead  astray  the  nations  in  all  the     8 

four  corners  of  the  earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  and 
assemble  them  for  war,  and  they  are  like  the  sands  on  the  sea- 
shore in  number.  And  they  went  up  over  the  whole  breadth  of  9 
the  earth  and  surrounded  the  encampment  of  God's  people  and 
the  beloved  city.  But  fire  came  down  from  Heaven  and  con- 
sumed them  ;  and  the  devil,  who  had  been  leading  them  astray,  10 
was  thrown  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  sulphur  where  the  wild 
Beast  and  the  false  prophet  were,  and  day  and  night  they  will 
suffer  torture  until  the  ages  of  the  ages. 

_,    ...    .  .  Then  I  saw  a  great  white  throne  and  One  who     11 

The  World-  ^  .^  ^  .  ,  , 

wide  Resurrec-  was  seated  on  It,  from  whose  presence  earth  and 

Judgement     ^^"-y  ^^^  away,  and  no  place  was  found  for  them. 

And   I    saw   the  dead,    the  great  and  the  small,     12 

standing  in  front  of  the  throne.     And  books  were  opened  ;  and 

so  was  another  book— namely,  the  book  of  Life  ;  and  the  dead 

were  judged  by  the  things  recorded  in  the  books  in  accordance 

with  what  their  conduct  had  been.     Then  the  sea  yielded  up     13 

the  dead  who  were  in  it,  Death  and  Hades  yielded  up  the  dead 

who  were  in    them,    and  each  man  was  judged  in  accordance 

with  what  his  conduct  had  been.     Then  Death  and  Hades  were     14 

5.  No  one  else  &'c.\  Lit.  '  The  rest  of  the  dead  did  not  live.'  The  first  resurrec- 
tzo/i]  Cp.  Dan.  xii.  2  ;  Luke  xiv.  4  ;  John  v.  25  ;  i  Cor.  xv.  23  ;  Heb.  xi.  35,  n. 

7.  When  the  thousand  years  are  at  an  end\  These  words  appear  to  exempt  the 
remainder  of  the  book  from  the  limits  of  time  laid  down  in  i.  1,  3,  19  ;  xxii.  6,  10. 

8.  Gog  and  Magog]  See  Ezek.  xxxviii.  (R.V.). 

10.  Who  had  been  leading  them  astray]  Greek  imperfect  participle.  See  Aorist 
iii.  4,  5,  6. 

11.  A  great  white  throtie]  Emblematic  of  almighty  power  and  absolute  holiness. 

12.  Cp.  Dan.  vii.  10  ;  John  v.  29  ;  i  Cor.  xv.  24.  The  last  two  passages  predict  a 
universal  judgement  which  is  still  future.  Books]  Those  of  God's  memory,  and 
possibly  also  those  of  the  human  memory.  Every  detail  of  our  past  lives  appears  to 
be  indelibly  recorded  upon  our  minds  and  brains,  and,  if  so,  may  at  any  time  be 
revived.     Cp.  Luke  xvi.  25  :  "Remember!" 

14.  The  lake  of  fire]  Implying  awful  pain  and  complete,  irremediable  ruin  and 
destruction.  See  Heb.  x.  27,  second  note.  T!ic  second  death]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  ii,  :i  ; 
verse  6  ;  xxi.  8. 


670  REVELATION    XX.-XXI. 

thrown  into  the  lake  of  fire  :  this  is  the  second  death — the  lake 
of  fire.  And  if  any  one's  name  was  not  found  recorded  in  the 
book  of  Life  he  was  thrown  into  the  lake  of  fire. 


The  new  Heaven  and  the  new  Earth, 

And  I  saw  a  new  Heaven  and  a  new  earth  ;  for 

Heaven  and        ,       _         ^-.  ,    ,       r-  i  i 

God  descend    the  first  Heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  gone,  and 

'"Nktur"^.^"     the  sea  no  longer  exists.     And  I  saw  the  holy  city, 

the  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of  Heaven 

from  God  and   made  ready   like  a   bride   attired   to  meet  her 

husband.     And   I  heard   a  loud  voice,  which   came    from   the 

throne,  say, 

"  God's  dwelling  place  is  among  men 

And  He  will  dwell  among  them 

And  they  shall  be  His  peoples. 

Yes,  God  Himself  will  be  among  them. 

He  will  wipe  every  tear  from  their  eyes. 

Death  shall  be  no  more  ; 

Nor  sorrow,  nor  wail  of  woe,  nor  pain  ; 

For  the  first  things  have  passed  away." 

_.     _      .  .         Then  He  who  was  seated  on  the  throne  said, 
The  Result  is    ,,  ^  ,,      ,  •  „      a      i   i  j  ,     i 

an  entirely  I  am  re-creatmg  all  thmgs."  And  he  added, 
new  Creation,  uy^^-^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  v^oxds,  for  they  are  faithful 
and  true."  He  also  said,  "They  have  now  been  fulfilled.  I  am 
the  Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  Beginning  and  the  End.  To 
those  who  are  thirsty  I  will  give  the  privilege  of  drinking  from 
the  well  of  the  water  of  Life  without  payment.  All  this  shall  be 
the  heritage  of  him  who  overcomes,  and  I  will  be  his  God  and 
he  shall  be  one  of  My  sons.  But  the  cowardly,  the  unbelieving, 
and  the  polluted,  and  murderers,  fornicators,  and  those  who 
practise  magic  or  worship  idols,  and  all  liars — shall  receive 
the  portion  allotted  to  them  in  the  lake  which  burns  with  fire 
and  sulphur.     This  is  the  second  death." 

1.  A  new  Heaven  and  a  neiu  earth]  It  may  be  ^hat  this,  rather  than  '  the  Millen- 
nium,' is  the  name  which  we  ought  to  give  to  the  golden  age,  of  purity  and  bliss, 
which  next  awaits  the  world.  The  words  seem  to  include  a  transformation  and 
glorification  of  our  material  globe.  See,  however.  Matt.  v.  17,  third  note  ;  xxiv.  35, 
n.  The  sea]  To  be  taken  literally,  and  not,  as  Milligan,  to  denote  '  the  troubled  and 
sinful  world.'  The  definite  article  may  imply  '  the  sea  as  we  now  know  it,  with  all 
its  changeableness,  treachery  and  perils.' 

2.  The  new  Jericsale7u]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  iii.  12  ;  xvi.  19,  n. 

3.  Be  amon^  them]  V.L.  adds  'their  God.' 

4.  Name]  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  ii.  17  :  iii.  12  ;  xiv.  i. 

8.    The  second  death]  See  Heb.  x.  27,  n,  ;  Rev.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  ii.  11  ;  xx.  6,  14. 


REVELATION    XXI.  671 


The  Bride,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem, 

Then  there  came  one  of  the  seven  ang-els  who     o 

A  Description  °  ^ 

of  the  new     were  Carrying  the   seven   bowls  fall  of  the  seven 
Jerusalem,     j^^^  plagues.     "  Come  with  me,"  he  said,  "  and  I 
will  show  you  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife."     So  in  the  Spirit  he     10 
carried  me  to  the  top  of  a  vast,  lofty  mountain,  and  showed  me 
the  holy  city,  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out  of  Heaven  from  God, 
and  bringing  with  it  the  glory  of  God.     It  shone  with  a  radiance     11 
like  that  of  a  very  precious  stone — such  as  a  jasper,  bright  and 
transparent.     It  had  a  wall,  massive  and  high,  with  twelve  large     12 
gates,  and  in  charge   of  the   gates   were   twelve  angels.     And 
overhead,   above  the  gates,  names    were   inscribed  which  are 
those  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  descendants  of  Israel.     There     13 
were  three  gates  on  the  east,  three  on  the  north,  three  on  the 
south,  and  three  on  the  west.     The  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve     14 
foundation  stones,  and  engraved  upon  them  were  twelve  names 
— the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 
_.     .        ,,  Now  he  who  was  speaking  to  me  had  a  measur-     11; 

The  Length      .  ,       r         ,j         •  t.        i  •    ,  ,  • 

and  Breadth    mg-rod  of  gold.  With  which   to  measure  the  city 
^"'the  cfty?  °^  and  its  gates  and  its  wall.     The  plan  of  the  city  is     16 

a  square,  the  length  being  the  same  as  the  breadth  ; 
and  he  measured  the  city  furlong  by  furlong,  with  his  measuring 
rod — it  is  twelve  hundred  miles  long,  and  the  length  and  the 
breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal.  And  he  measured  the  17 
wall  of  it — a  wall  of  a  hundred  and  forty-four  cubits,  according 
to  human  measure,  which  was  also  that  of  the  angel. 

The  solid  fabric  of  the  wall  was  jasper  ;  and  the  city  itself     18 

9.   The  bride]  Cp.  xvi.  19,  n. 

11.  Brifi^i'no  with  it]  Lit.  '  having,'  'retaining.'  The  glory  0/ God]  The  essence 
of  which  is  His  righteousness  and  love,  and  not  anything  merely  outward. 

12.  In  charge  o/\  Or,  perhaps,   '  at.' 

13.  "  Tlie  city  lies  open  and  accessible  to  all  quarters,  and  to  all  quarters  alike  " 
(Canon  Rayner  Winterbotham).     Cp.  Matt.  viii.  11  ;  Luke  xiii.  29. 

14.  Tiveh'e  foundation-stones]  See  Heb.  xi.  10,  n. 

16.  A  square]  "What  does  it  mean  save  the  perfect  and  complete  proportions  of 
heavenly  happiness  and  glory  ?  All  is  utterly  satisfactory.  How  great  and 
striking  is  the  contrast  between  this  and  any  human  happiness,  any  earthly  good,  so 
unequal,  so  incomplete  as  that  always  is"  (Canon  Rayner  Winterbotham). 
Miles]  Lit.  'thousands;'  like  the  Latin  '  millia  (passuum).'  Furlong  by  fur- 
long] Lit.  '  over  furlongs,'  to  indicate  the  exactness  of  the  measure.  There  were 
Rabbinical  writers  who  supposed  that  at  sonje  future  time  God  would  lift  Jerusalem 
to  a  height  of  twelve  miles. 

17.  Measured  the  wall]  i.e.,  perhaps,  the  thickness  of  the  wall. 

18.  Solid  fabric]  Or,  possibly,  'material  on  the  inside.'  Resembling  trans/<are7it 
glass]  "We  build  our  houses  of  the  tliickest  materials  and  most  impervious  to  sight 
or  sound  on  purpose  that  we  may  hide  ourselves,  and  live  retired  from  the  gaze  of 
our  neighbours.  But  it  will  not  be  so  in  the  holy  city.  Then,  when  all  the  frailties 
of  our  nature  are  gone,   all  its  earthliness  purged  away,  all   its  selfishness  trans- 


672  REVELATION    XXI.-XXII. 

was  made  of  gold,  resembling  transparent  glass. 
The  Wall,  the    ^    ^     ^^ie  foundation-stones  of  the  city  wall,  which     19 

Gates  and  the  .  -^  '       .  ^ 

Street  of  the    were   beautified    with    various  kmds   of  precious 
'  ^'  stones,  the  first  was  jasper,  the  second  sapphire,  the 

third  chalcedony,  the  fourth   emerald,  the  fifth  sardonyx,  the     20 
sixth  sardius,  the  seventh  chrysolite,  the  eighth  beryl,  the  ninth 
topaz,  the  tenth  chrysoprase,  the  eleventh  jacinth,  the  twelfth 
amethyst.     And  the  twelve  gates  were  twelve  pearls  ;  each  of    21 
them  consisting  of  a  single  pearl  ;  and  the  main  street  of  the 
city  was  made  of  pure  gold,  resembling  transparent  glass. 

I  saw  no  sanctuary  in  the  city,  for  the  Lord  God,     22 
Sanct^uary^and  ^^^  Ruler  of  all,  is  its  Sanctuary,  and  so  is  the 

®""-  Lamb.     Nor  has  the  city  any  need  of  the  sun,  or     23 

of  the  moon,  to  give  it  light  ;  for  the  glory  of  God  has  shone 
upon  it  and  its  lamp  is  the  Lamb.     The  nations  will  live  their     24 
lives  by  its  light  ;  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  are  to  bring  their 
glory  into  it.     And  in  the  daytime  (for  there  will  be  no  night     25 
there)  the  gates  will  never  be  closed  ;  and  the  glory  and  honour     26 
of  the  nations  shall  be  brought  into  it.     And  no  unclean  thing     27 
shall  ever  enter  it,  nor  any  one  who  is  guilty  of  base  conduct  or 
tells  lies,  but  only  they  whose  names  stand  recorded  in  the  Lamb's 
book  of  Life. 

Then  he  showed   me  the  river  of  the  water  of     i  <" 

Life  and  the    Life,  bright  as  crystal,  issuing  from  the  throne  of 

Tree  of  Life,    q^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^le  Lamb.     On  either  side  of  the  river,     2 

midway  between  it  and  the  main  street  of  the  city,  was  the  tree 

of  Life.     It  produced  twelve  kinds  of  fruit,  yielding  a  fresh  crop 

month  by  month,  and  the  leaves  of  the  tree  served  as  medicine 

^.      ^        ,     for  the  nations.     "  In  future  there  will  be  no  curse,"     3 
The  eternal  '        ^ 

Throne  and  the  he  said,  "  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb 
eternal  Light,  ^jj^  ^^  j^  ^^^^  ^j^y  .  ^^^  j^j^  servants  will  render 

Him  holy  service  and  will  see  His  face,  and  His  name  will  be    4 
on  their  foreheads.     And  there  will  be  no  night  there  ;   and     5 
they  have  no  need  of  lamplight  or  sunlight,  for  the  Lord  GoU 
will  shine  upon  them,  and  they  will  be  kings  until  the  ages  of 
the  ages." 

figured — then  shall  we  dwell  in  light  without  any  need  and  without  any  wish  for  secrecy" 
(Canon  Rayner  Winterbotham). 

19.  Sappliire\  Or,  probably,  '  lapis  lazuli.' 

23.  Its  lamp\  Cp.  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world"  (John  viii.   12  ;  ix.  5)._ 

2.  Midway  behveen]  See  iv.  6,  n.  ;  vii.  17,  n.  Of  that  cz'tj']  Lit.  'its.'  TAe 
tree  of  Life\  Gen.  ii.  9  ;  iii.  22.  Here  apparently  avenues  of  that  wondrous  tree. 
Cp.  Rev.  ii.  7,  n. 

3.  Curse\  See  Gen.  iii.  17.  In  the  city\  Lit.  '  in  it.'  Serrants]  Lit.  '  bond- 
servants.' 


REVELATION    XXII.  673 


Conclusion, 

And  he  said  to  me,  "These  words  are  faithful 
If  thl^^JeldV  '^nd  true  ;  and  the  Lord,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of 

Fulfilment  of   the  prophets,   sent  His  angel  to  make  known  to 
the  Book,        ^^.     ^      '  '  ,  ,  .°  ,  .   . 

His    bondservants    the   thmgs    which    must    soon 

happen.     I  am  coming  quickly.     Blessed  is  he  who  is  mindful 

of  the  predictions  contained  in  this  book." 

I  John  heard  and  saw  these  things  ;  and  when  I  had  heard 
and  seen  them,  I  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  angel  who  was  showing 
me  them — to  worship  him.  But  he  said  to  me,  "Oh,  do  not  do 
that ;  I  am  a  fellow  bondservant  of  yours,  and  a  fellow  bond- 
servant of  your  brethren  the  prophets  and  of  those  who  are 
mindful  of  the  teachings  of  this  book.     Worship  God." 

"Make  no  secret,"  he  added,  "of  the  meaning  of  the  pre- 
dictions contained  in  this  book  ;  for  the  time  for  their  fulfilment 
is  now  close  at  hand.  Let  the  dishonest  man  act  dishonestly  still ; 
let  the  filthy  make  himself  filthy  still  ;  let  the  righteous  practise 
righteousness  siill  ;  and  let  the  holy  be  made  holy  still." 


"  I  am  coming  quickly  ;  and  My  reward  is  with     12 
o?the  T^me  of  ^^'  ^^^^^  ^  ^^Y  I'^quite  every  man  in  accordance 
the  Lord's      with  what  his  conduct  has  been.       I  am  the  Alpha     13 
and  the  Omega,  the  First  and  the  Last,  the  Begin- 
ning and  the  End.     Blessed  are  they  who  wash  their  robes  clean,     14 
that  they  may  have  a  right  to  the  tree  of  Life,  and  may  go 
through  the  gates  into  the  city.       The  unclean  are  shut  out,  and     15 
so  are  all  who  practise  magic,  all  fornicators,  all  murderers,  and 
those    who  worship  idols,  and  every  one  who  loves  falsehood 
and  tells  lies. 

10.  Alake  no  secret  of\  Lit.  '  Do  not  put  a  seal  upon.'  The  contrast  between  this 
command  and  that  given  in  Dan.  xii.  4  is  very  noteworthy.  The  predictions  of 
the  prophet  h.ad  to  do  with  the  remote  future,  and  only  partially  concerned  his  con- 
temporaries. The  meaning  was  therefore  to  remain  hidden  until  the  time  drew 
near  for  their  fulfilment.  "Thou,  O  Daniel,  shut  up  the  words  and  seal  the  book, 
even  to  the  time  of  the  end  1  "  But  the  mass  of  the  predictions  contained  in  the 
Apocah'pse  were  to  be  realized  in  the  near  future  and  intimately  concerned  the  first 
readers  of  the  book.  Imperfectly  intelligible  as  much  of  its  symbolism  is  to  us  the 
key  to  its  meaning  was  to  be  in  their  possession  from  the  very  beginning.  "  Seal  not 
the  words   of  the  prophecy  of  this  book  ;  for  the  time  is  at  hand  !  " 

11.  StiH\  The  word  seems  to  denote  development  and  crystallization  of  character, 
immediately  preceding  the  coming  of  the  great  Judge  of  al  (verse  12).  Or  '  yet 
more." 

14.  Wash  their  robes  ivhiteX  v.L.    'obey  His  commands. 

15.  Unclean]  Lit.   'dogs.'     All]  Lit.   'the;'  four  times. 

XX 


674  REVELATION    XXII. 

"  I  Jesus  have  sent  My  angel  for  him  solemnly  to 
^nfitation^  declare  these  things  to  you  among  the  churches. 
I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  the  bright 
norning  Star.  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  'Come;'  and 
whoever  hears,  let  him  say,  '  Come  ; '  and  let  those  who  are 
thirsty  come  :  whoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  Life, 
without  payment. 

"  I  solemnly  declare  to  every  one  who  hears  the 

^be^n^?ther°    words  of  the  prophecy  contained  in  this  book,  that 

added  to  nor   if  any  One  adds  to  those  words,  God  will  add  to 

him  the  plagues  spoken  of  in  this  book  ;  and  that 

if  any  one   takes   away   from  the   words   of  the   book   of  this 

prophecy,  God  will  take  from  him  his  share  in  the  tree  of  Life 

and  in  the  holy  City — the  things  described  in  this  book. 

"  He  who  solemnly  declares  all  this  says,  '  Yes, 
The^Lo^'^^'^was    j  ^^^  coming  quickly.'  " 

Amen,  come.  Lord  Jesus. 

The  grace  of  the   Lord  Jesus  be  with   God's 

Benediction.  ,     , 

people  ! 

i6.  Morning  St ar\  Cp.  ii.  7,  n.  ;  iii.  28. 

19.  Take  away  any  of  the  words]  So  we  must  not  interpret  the  time  limits  laid 
down  in  i.  i,  3,  19  ;  iii.  n  ;  xxii.  7,  10,  12,  20  ;  in  such  a  way  as  practically  to  rob 
them  of  their  significance. 

20.  The  New  T&stameiit  which  records  Christ's  first  advent,  closes,  anticipating, 
desiring,  beseeching  His  second.     '  Amen,  come.  Lord  Jesus.'     (W.  Archer  Butler.) 


But'icr  &  Tanner,  The  Selwood  Printing  Works,  Frome,  anJ  London. 


A  PAMPHLET   BY  THE  LATE  DR.  WEYMOUTH. 

©n  tbe  .  .  . 
IRenbenng  into  Bnolisb 
of  the 
(Breek  Horist  anb  perfect. 

With   Appendices   on   the    New  Testament 
use  of  TAP  and  of  OYN. 

PERSONAL  APPRECIATIONS  OF  THE  WORK : 

"  In  every  case  the  facts,  instances  and  conjectures  are  all  helpful.  I  shall  greatly 
value  it." — The  late  Rev.  Joseph  Angus,  D.D. 

"Your  pamphlet  is  admirable." — Rev.  J.  Agar  Beet,  D.D.,  Wesleyan  College, 
Richmond. 

"  A  very  interesting  pamphlet.  I  am  specially  attracted  by  what  you  say  about 
yap." — Rev.  G.  C.  Bell,  M.A.,  Master  of  Marlborough  College,  and  Prebendary  of 
Sarum. 

"  I  see  much  in  it  which  translators  ought  to  bear  in  mind." — Rev.  W.  W.  Good- 
win, M.A.,  Author  of  Syntax  0/  Greek  Moods  and  Tenses,  and  Eliot  Professor  of  Greek 
in  Harvard  University,  U.S.A. 

"  Your  arguments  strike  me  as  unanswerable." — Rev.  H.  A.  Holden,  LL.D., 
Litt.D.,  formerly  Fellow  and  Assistant  Tutor  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

"  Ich  habe  Ihre  Arbeit  mit  der  grossten  Bewunderung  der  darin  kund  gegebenen 
Gelehrsamkeit  gelesen." — Dr.  Heinrich  Holtzmann,  Professor  of  New  Testament 
Exegesis,  University  of  Strassburg. 

"  Your  pamphlet  was  very  suggestive  to  me,  and  made  definite  and  sure  a  vague 
idea  that  I  had  had  before." — Professor  G.  R.  Hovey,  Theological  Seminary,  Rich- 
mond, U.S.A. 

"  It  is  unanswerable." — Rev.  J.  B.  McClellan,  M.A.,  Principal  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  College,  Cirencester,  and  formally  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

"  I  have  found  Dr.  Weymouth's  careful  investigation  of  the  Greek  Tenses  a  great 
assistance  in  studying  the  Greek  Testament." — Rev.  Joseph  B.  Mayor,  Litt.D., 
Emeritus  Professor,  King's  College,  London  ;  Editor  of  the  Classical  Review,  and 
formerly  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge- 

"  I  certainly  cordially  agree  with  your  pamphlet." — Mr.  J.  A.  Platt,  M.A.,  Pro- 
fessor of  Greek,  University  College,  London,  and  formerly  Fellov/  of  Trinity  College, 
Cambridge. 

"It  seems  to  give  precision  to  ideas  which  I  had  had  in  a  looser  way  myself." — 
Rev.  Canon  W.  Sanday,  D.D.,  Lady  Margaret  Professor  of  Divinity,  Oxford. 

"  An  interesting  and  scholarly  pamphlet,  marked  by  a  special  faculty  for  dis- 
criminating between  Greek  and  English  idiom." — Mr.  J.  E.  Sandys,  Litt.D., 
Fellow  and  Lecturer,  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  and  formerly  Public  Orator  in 
the  University. 

"  The  main  principle  for  which  you  contend  is  convincingly  supported." — Rev. 
G.  B.  Stevens,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor  gf  New  Testament  Criticism,  Harvard 
University,  U.S.A. 

"  Your  general  positions  seem  to  me  indisputable." — Rev.  J.  H.  Thayer,  D.D., 
Bussey  Professor  of  New  Testament  Criticism,  Harvard  University,  U.S.A.,  and 
Editor  of  Grimm's  Wilke's  New  Testament  Lexicon. 


Published  by  HOULSTON   &   SONS,  London.     Price  is.  neff. 


At  present  {1903)  out  of  print. 


The  Resultant . . 
Greek  Testament 

Exhibiting  the  Text  in  which  the  Majority 
of  Modern  Editors  are  agreed, 

AND  CONTAINING  ALL  THE  READINGS  OF 

STEPHENS  (1550),  LACHMANif,  TREGELLES,  TISCHENDORF,  LIGHT- 
FOOT  for  tne  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  ELLICOTT  for  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul,  ALFORD,  WEISS  for  Matthew,  the  Bale  Edition  (1880),  WEST- 
COTT  and  HORT,  and  the  Revision  Committee  ;  with  extended 
Introduction,  explaining  the  principles  and  plan  of  the  work. 

BY   THE  LATE 

RICHARD   FRANCIS   WEYMOUTH,   M.A.,  D.LIT. 

Reviews  and  Persona!  Opinions : 

"  The  Greek  text  that  has  a  majority  of  modem  editors  in  its  favour  is  a  text  which 
it  is  very  desirable  to  have,  and  for  which  many  vvdll  be  grateful." — Academy. 

"  The  idea  is  a  most  useful  one,  and  is  carried  out  v;ith  unusual  care  and  skill." — 
The  late  Rev.  Joseph  Angus,  D.D.,  Principal  of  Regent's  Park  College. 

"  The  plan  is  carcf.illy  carried  out,  and  the  whole  work  is  printed  correctly.  The 
'  resultant '  text  is  good." — Athenceum. 

"  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  over-estimate  the  value  to  the  earnest  student." — 
Baptist. 

"  Will  soon  be  regarded  as  indispensable  by  all  who  are  interested  in  this  most  im-^ 
portant  study." — Baptist  Magazine. 

"  I  have  used  in  my  own  work  all  through  this  winter  (1886-87)  Dr.  Weymouth's 
Resultant  Greek  Testament,  and  have  found  it  very  convenient  and  useful." — 
Rev.  Dr.  Cairns,  Principal  of  the  United  Presbyterian  College,  Edinburgh. 

"  Very  sensible  plan.     An  attractive  and  well-printed  book." — Christian. 

"  The  book  is  printed  in  a  clear  type  very  pleasing  to  the  eye.  Special  pains  were 
taken  to  insure  accuracy,  and  a  careful  examination  of  a  large  number  of  places  en- 
ables us  to  say  that  these  pains  have  not  been  unrewarded," — Church  Sunday  School 
Magazine. 

"  Tne  work  has  been  executed  with  the  greatest  care.  It. is  much  pleasanter  to 
work  with  a  text  to  which  all  the  best  modern  critics  would  in  most  cases  assent,  than 
with  one  from  which  nearly  every  one  would  be  perpetually  dissenting." — Classical 
Review. 


The  Resultant  Greek  Testamentm 


Reviews  and  Personal  Qpinions.— con/ inued. 

"  Evidently  the  work  of  an  unprejudiced  scholar,  and  compiled  with  great  skill 
and  judgment.      To  the  clergy,  simply  an  invaluable  aid." — Clergyman's  Magazine. 

"  The  result  of  Dr.  Weymouth's  labour  is  that  he  has  produced  a  Greek  Testament 
which  is  invaluable  to  scholars,  and  should  find  a  place  in  every  student's  library." — 
Ecclesiastical  Gazette. 

"  Has  met  a  want  felt  by  most  students.  Your  task  has  been  executed  with 
admirable  correctness."— The  late  Rev.  T.  C.  Edwards,  D.D.,  formerly  Principal 
of  University  College,  Aberystwyth,  and  Bala  College. 

"  Your  most  carefully  executed  volume  will  help  to  educate  pubhc  opinion,  and  be 
welcomed  by  all  the  higher  class  of  students.  Your  abbreviations  are  ingenious 
and  self-explanatory." — Right  Rev.  C.  J.  Ellicott,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Gloucester  and 
Bristol. 

"  This  truly  valuable  and  needed  work." — English  Churchman. 

"  Occupies  a  place  of  its  own,  and  will  certainly  prove  most  convenient  for 
all  who  wish  to  see  the  net  result  of  modern  textual  criticism,  and  desire  a  practically 
valuable  text." — Expositor. 

"  A  volume  which  wQl  economize  the  time  and  labour  of  New  Testament  students 
to  a  degree  very  difficult  to  overstate." — Freeman. 

"  A  convenient  book.  In  compact  and  intelligible  form.  The  printing  is  a  matter 
of  great  moment  :  we  can  commend  that  of  the  volume  before  us  as  very  clear  and 
very  accurate." — Guardian.  ._, 

"  This  marvel  of  accuracy,  conciseness,  cheapness,  and  convenience.  In  the 
name  of  all  earnest  Christian  preachers  and  teachers  we  thank  the  learned  editor  for 
his  precious  gift  to  the  Church." — Homiletic  Magazine. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  service  you  have  rendered.  Your  preface  is 
pleasant  reading.  The  intelligent  care  and  the  independence  which  it  shows  through 
out  are  not  too  common  in  textual  criticism." — The  late  Rev.  F.  J.  A.  Hort,  D.D., 
Hulsean  Professor  of  Divinity,  Cambridge. 

"  His  little  volume  is  both  compact  and  intelligible.  Nicely  printed  and  indeed 
really  handsome." — Literary  Churchman. 

"  The  labour  involved  must  have  been  enormous,  but  the  result  is  eminently  satis- 
factory. The  arrangement  is  clear  and  sensible,  and  the  Greek  i§  weU  printed." — 
Literary  World. 

"  Of  great  value  to  bibhcal  students.  It  fills  a  gap,  and  in  its  way  has  as  yet  no 
rival." — Rev.  Professor  C.  M.  Mead,  D.D.,  of  Andover,  U.S.A.,  in  the  New  York 
Independent. 

"  Very  elegant  and  tasteful  edition.  I  know  of  no  edition  which  so  thoroughly  de- 
serves the  title  of  multum  in  parvo." — Rev.  W.  W.  Merry,  D.D.,  Rector  of  Lincoln 
College,  Oxford. 

"  Unquestionably  a  work  of  the  highest  value.  The  work  really  comprehends 
a  library  in  a  single  volume."- — Methodist  Times. 

"  It  brings  before  us  at  a  glance,  combining  where  possible,  contrasting  where  they 
diverge,  the  result  of  the  balancing  of  evidence  of  the  foremost  textual  critics.  The 
plan  adopted  is  so  simple,  and  the  abbreviations  so  self-explanatory,  that  the  book 
cannot  fail  to  be  a  real  acquisition  to  every  clergyman  who  tries  to  use  the  Bible  in  a 
scholarly  fashion." — Right  Rev.  J.  Mitchinson,  D.D.,  Canon  of  Gloucester  and 
Master  of  Pembroke  College,  Oxford. 

"  No  pains  have  been  spared  to  make  the  Resultant  Greek  Testament  acceptable  to 
scholars  who  are  lovers  of  Holy  Scripture." — Morning  Post. 

"  Admirable  clearness  and  compactness.  Every  one  who  holds  in  honour  the 
names  of  Lachmann  and  TregeUes  will  acknowledge  the  service  you  have  render«'d 
by  noting  the  instances  in  which  their  readings  were  based  on  evidence  now  known 
to  be  inaccurate  or  incomplete." — The  late  Rev.  VV.  F.  Moulton,  D.D.,  Cambridge, 


The  Resultant  Greek  Testamentm 


Reviews  and  Personal  O-^invons.— continued. 

"  I  have  been  able  to  go  over  somewhat  minutely  three  separate  portions  taken 
respectively  from  the  Gospels,  the  Epistles,  and  the  Apocalypse.  I  cannot  express 
too  emphatically  my  admiration  of  the  wonderful  accuracy  of  your  work,  and  of  the 
labour  and  care  by  which  that  accuracy  has  been  secured." — The  late  Rev.  Samuel 
Newth,  D.D.,  Principal  of  New  College,  London. 

"  (Dr.  Weymouth's)  plan  was  a  bold  breaking  away  from  traditional  methods, 
The  arrangement  will  be  heartily  approved  by  the  majority  of  Greek  students." — 
Nonconformist. 

"  A  most  useful  volume." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

"  This  is  a  very  useful  work.  The  basis  of  Dr.  Weymouth's  comparison  is  wider 
than  that  of  those  who  have  preceded  him  in  the  same  field.  The  work  has  been 
done  with  the  most  conscientious  care,  and,  so  far  as  my  observation  has  extended, 
with  remarkable  accuracy." — Right  Rev.  J.J.  Stewart  Perowne,  D.D.,  Bishop  of 
Worcester,  in  the  Churchman. 

"  I  found  the  plan  laid  down  in  the  preface  most  felicitious,  the  principles  and  rules 
quite  rational,  and  the  application  of  them  admirable." — Rev.  Dr.  Petavel, 
Geneva. 

"  For  popular  purposes  this  Greek  Testament  surpasses  any  other  with  which  we 
are  acquainted.  It  is  based  on  the  consensus  of  modern  editors,  and  works  out  this 
idea  with  marvellous  thoroughness,  accuracy,  and  beauty." — Rainbow. 

"  A  most  industrious  and  careful  work.  We  intend  to  make  use  of  his  Greek 
Testament.     We  are  thankful  for  a  summary  of  the  eleven  authorities." — Record. 

"  The  edition  appears  to  me  to  meet  a  real  want.  I  have  found  your  careful  treat- 
ment of  extreme  value." — The  late  Rev.  H.  R.  Reynolds,  D.D.,  Principal  of 
Cheshunt  College. 

"  Such  careful  work  on  the  latest  evidence  is  a  great  addition,  and  it  is  a  pleasuije 
to  see  your  success  in  carrying  out  so  good  an  idea." — Right  Rev.  George  Riddtng, 
D.D.,  Bishop  of  Southwell. 

"  Your  edition  occupies  a  ground  of  its  own,  and  fairly  represents  the  general 
consensus  of  critical  editors.  It  must  have  cost  you  a  vast  amount  of  labour,  and 
deserves  the  support  of  all  critical  students  of  the  Greek  Testament." — The  late 
Rev.  Philip  Schaff.  D.D.,  Nev/  York. 

"  You  have  a  right  to  speak  with  authority  about  the  readings,  for  you  give  us  the 
benefit  of  your  prolonged  and  anxious  study." — The  late  Rev.  F.  H.  A.  Scrivener, 
D.C.L.,  LL.D.,  Prebendary  of  Exeter. 

"  Industry,  candour,  and  an  open  mind  to  receive  conclusions  are  the  chief  quali- 
fications for  such  a  task  ;  and  these,  with  the  necessary  scholarship,  Dr.  Weymouth 
brings  to  it." — Spectator. 

"  The  heroic  method  follov/ed  by  the  editor  of  the  Resultant  Greek  Testament,  who 
says  (in  his  preface)  :  '  I  have  most  carefully  read  the  proofs,  as  the  work  passed 
throu2;h  the  press,  not  with  the  copv  sent  to  the  printers,  but  with  the  printed  editions 
themselves.' "—The  late  Rev.  Professor  J.  H.  Thayer,  D.D.,  of  Cambridge,  Mas- 
sachusetts, in  the  Andover  Review. 

"  A  notable  publication.  Careful  and  comprehensive.  Invaluable  as  a  record  of 
the  readings  which  textual  criticism  has  yet  to  settle." — Rev.  Professor  B.  B.  War- 
field,  D.D.,  of  Allegheny  Theological  Seminary,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  New  York 
Independent. 

"  It  will,  I  trust,  do  good  service  to  the  truth."— The  late  Right  Rev.  B.  F, 
Westcott,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Durham  and  formally  Regius  Professor  of  Divinity. 
Cambridge. 

"  This  delightful  Greek  Testament,  for  which  I  have  often  longed  when  painfully 
puzzling  out  results  from  the  abbreviated  footnotes  of  former  editors." — The  late 
Rev.  Edward  White,  Ex-Chairman  of  the  Congregational  Union  of  England  and 
Wales. 


other  Works  by  the  late  Dr.  Weymouth. 

NOW    OUT    OF     PRINT. 


1864.  AN  EDITION,  with  Notes  critical  and  exegetical,  and 
Glossary,  of  the  "Castel  off  Loue,"  an  Early  English 
translation  (about  A.D.  1320)  of  Bishop  Grosseteste's 
religious  poem,  the  "  Chateau  d'Amour." 

1866.  "ON  THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT, its  Local  Limits  and  Organizations,  especially 
the  Deaconship." 

1873.  "ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONS  ON  THE  ENGLISH 

LANGUAGE  set  at  the  Matriculation  Examination 
of  the  University  of  London,  June  1873." 

1874.  "ON  EARLY  ENGLISH  PRONUNCIATION,  with 

especial  reference  to  Chaucer,  in   Opposition  to  the 
Views  maintained  by  Mr.  A.  J.  Ellis,  F.R.S." 

1888.  "A  TRANSLATION  OF  THE  '  ELENE,'  or  The 
Finding  of  the  Cross,  an  Anglo-Saxon  Poem  by 
Cynewulf,  probably  Abbot  of  Peterborough  about 
A.D.  1000." 


Dr.  Weymouth  also  contributed  numerous  articles,  mostly 
critical,  in  connexion  with  the  Greek  New  Testament,  to  the  Tournal 
of  Sacred  Literature  (First  Series),  the  Homiletic  Magazine  and  the 
Cambridge  y(?//r;za/^  Classical  and  Sacred  Philology.  In  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  Philological  Society,  he  wrote  chiefly  on  Greek  or 
English— "On  Who  as  a  Relative,"  "On  the  phrase  'diametrically 
opposed,'  "  "  On  the  Homeric  Epithet  6^pifxos,"  "  On  the  Homeric 
Epithet  ^piapSs,"  "On  the  Roxburghe  Club  Morte  Arthur,"  "  On  the 
letter  R,"  "  On  Euphuism,"  and  "  On  Bere  and  There  in  Chaucer." 
To  the  Transactions  of  the  Devonshire  Association,  he  contributed  a 
Presidential  Address  on  "  The  Devonshire  Dialect." 


Date  Due 


EAmi 


0E17'52 


BS195.5  .W54 

The  modern  speech  New  Testament:  an 

nr,"M:.Ii'f°l°9/e?',LSem.nary-SpeerL,br^ 


1    1012  00052  4555 


